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Argentina ace Angel Di Maria’s scathing verdict on Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal has resurfaced ahead of the team's 2022 FIFA World Cup clash in Qatar on Friday (December 9).
Di Maria trained under Van Gaal during his brief spell at Manchester United in the 2014-15 season. The Argentina superstar racked up an impressive four goals and 12 assists in 32 games across competitions that season but joined French giants Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
Six years after leaving United, Di Maria assessed his time under Van Gaal. Speaking to Argentine outlet TyC Sports, he dubbed Van Gaal his biggest problem at United, claiming that the manager did not want any player to have more influence than him.
In a 2021 interview, Di Maria had said:
“My problem in Manchester was the coach. Van Gaal was the worst coach of my career. I would score, assist, and the next day, he would show me my misplaced passes. He displaced me from one day to the next; he didn't like players to be above him.”
The Argentina winger quickly found his footing at PSG, registering 93 goals and 119 assists in 295 games between 2015 and 2022. It will be interesting to see how Di Maria fares against Van Gaal's Oranje at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on Friday.
Netherlands coach Louis Van Gaal wants to exploit Argentina star Lionel Messi’s weakness
Argentina captain Lionel Messi is widely hailed as one of the best players in the world, and Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal is no different. However, he does not believe that Messi is flawless and has formulated a plan to exploit the PSG superstar’s most glaring shortcoming.
At a press conference, Van Gaal hailed Messi as a dangerous player but added that he can leave La Albiceleste vulnerable, as he's not as potent off the ball.
"Messi is the most dangerous creative player, he is able to create a lot and to score goals himself. But when they lose the ball, he doesn't participate much, this gives us chances,” Van Gaal said.
Messi has had a brilliant World Cup campaign, registering three goals and an assist.
