Van Gaal happy with his decision to switch to 3-5-2 formation against Arsenal

Van Gaal changed the formation for the game against Arsenal

Manchester United manager, Louis Van Gaal switched to a 3-5-2 formation against Arsenal and feels vindicated about the fact that the this move was the right move made by him as United beat Arsenal 2-1 on Saturday at The Emirates.

Van Gaal had a host of injuries to deal with, including injuries to his first choice defenders- Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Rafael. So, he deployed youngsters Paddy McNair and Tyler Blackett alongside Chris Smalling in central defence, with Antonio Valencia and Luke Shaw on the flanks.

Van Gaal had started out with this formation at the beginning of the season but with results not going their way, had to switch to a 4 man defence which worked for them. The Dutchman was confident about the 3 man defence working out but also knew that he would be castigated for the same decision if the result had gone the other way.

“If Arsenal had scored in the first 20 minutes, you would be asking about why I picked three defenders – but now I can laugh,” he told reporters.

“I am confident I made the right decision. To make it before the match, that’s a quality decision. I can say that now, that’s the life of a coach. The result always gives you the reason or not. I hope some players make a comeback from injuries because it’s unbelievably difficult to create consistency in the team,” he continued. “Every week I have to change my lineup. That is not always good to create ultimatism in the team,” said Van Gaal.

Arsenal had a lot more chances than Manchester United but were unable to convert their chances. The defenders made some crucial tackles while De Gea was on top of his game with some incredible saves.

Manchester United move up to 4^th place with this victory while Arsenal slip down to 8th on the league table.