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Louis van Gaal admitted that it was worrying to be whistled at by the fans for the first time in his Manchester United career. The fans at Old Trafford conveyed their disappointment at the lacklustre performance of the team, who scraped a 3-1 win against relegation-threatened Burnley.
The Red Devils were spared major blushes by defender Chris Smalling who put United forward twice at the first half. Smalling’s 6th-minute header was cancelled out by Danny Ings in the 12th minute before the Manchester United defender restored the lead just before half time. Robin van Persie scored an 82nd minute penalty to seal the game off.
Van Gaal admitted that his side’s performance was below par and expressed concerns about losing the support of the fans. He said in the post-match news conference, "I hear the first whistles. That is a concern because we are playing for the fans. The fans are the most important part of the club. They keep the club living."
Not happy with United’s performance
The Dutch coach was not happy with his side’s first-half display as Burnley dominated the first 45 minutes. He said, "The first half was not a good performance. Burnley was the better team. They pressed us and we could not beat the press and keep the ball. They were better and I want to give all the credit to Burnley. We score from set plays and that we train for that also.”
"I was very happy we were [leading] 2-1 at half-time, because then I could reorganise my team and then the second half was a little bit better, not much but a little bit, and we could benefit the weaknesses of the opponent.”
"But I said to the players when you win such matches mostly it means that we are having a good evening. We have to forget this match because it was not the best match and for the process it was not good."
The United manager, however, shot down suggestions that his team had been giving substandard performances off-late, citing only one defeat for the team in their last 18 matches. He also pointed out that Manchester United had been in the top four of the table consistently.
"You are assuming we are not playing well. I don't agree. I have only said that this match was not good. We have played now 16 or 17 [actually 18] matches with only one loss and with a lot of goals in our favour, so I don't think that every match is not attractive and that we are not playing attacking football.”
"We are already in the top four for how many weeks? You can look at the table. Not one week. How many, 10 weeks? We are still third or fourth. Ten weeks already."
Burnley’s reaction
Burnley manager Sean Dyce said his team performed well and singled out striker Danny Ings for praise. He said, "I thought we were outstanding. Everyone in the stadium is probably scratching their heads how we didn't come away from it with anything."
"He [Ings] was sensational. He was first class. People are making noises about England and I can see why after tonight. He is a very, very talented player."
Watch Louis van Gaal’s post-match interview here:
