5 things Louis van Gaal changed behind the scenes at Manchester United

Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal is a curious man who has his own way of dealing with things which some players appreciate while others loathe (just ask Ibrahimovic) and he has indeed left his mark on Old Trafford with now the club unrecognisable from Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United both on and off the pitch. From picking out players from the youth squad who have gone on to become legends to picking needless fights with players due to his ego, the former PSV manager has never backed down from his methods.Ringing in the changes in training ground pitches to lunch timings, Van Gaal has completely laid down his own style of management on the Manchester United players and staff. After scraping through the top four and now in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League, expectations from the Dutch manager and his team are huge especially after they invested heavily in the summer.So here is a look at five peculiar things that Van Gaal has done off the field at Manchester United:

#1 Importance to fans

Louis Van Gaal has established the importance of the Manchester United faithful

According to the Daily Mail, Van Gaal has told the players that the fans are the most important people at the club. Before Van Gaal was manager, players would drive out of the stadium so that they did not have to interact with the fans. But Van Gaal made sure that they would walk past the fans to their cars now signing autographs along the way.

The manager is also seen often interacting with fans and signing autographs, speaking about the support, he said: “Manchester United fans get behind their manager, they get behind their team. That is why United fans are the best in the world.”

#2 Changing training pitches

Van Gaal has made significant changes to the training methods at the Carrington training ground

When Louis Van Gaal came to Old Trafford and learnt that the training grounds at Carrington weren’t the same dimensions and nature as the one at Old Trafford, He immediately asked for changes.

He immediately called for specific changes to the training ground from the Manchester United board. The former Barcelona coach immediately demanded three Desso surfaces with identical dimensions to the Old trafford pitch.

He also asked for the installation of floodlights so his players could train in the evenings. His view that training times should be the same as kick-off times was another noticeable change made by the manager.

#3 Increase in the number of meetings

Van Gaal and his performance analyst Max Reckers are known for prioritising meetings.

Reports of United players confronting Louis Van Gaal about excessive meetings emerged yesterday with Rooney and Carrick at the front of the queue complaining about the flat atmosphere in the dressing room. Van Gaal in an interview to the Manchester Evening News described how the meetings take place at United.

He also revealed the number of meetings that take place between the coach, the players and the coaching staff that take place before a Premier League game.

“We make a game-plan because of the analysis. Then we discuss the game-plan. The next day we have to present it to the players. Giggs is doing that. So, another meeting with the players. They have to look. We explain. Then we go and train the game-plan 11 against 11. Ryan Giggs is coaching the opponent. He analyses them.”

“We film the training session. The next meeting is the ‘unit meeting’: we do defenders, midfielders and forwards. Albert selects the images of the training but also former matches that explains more of our game-plan. The set-plays! I forgot the set-plays! Also 25 minutes. Also a meeting. Also I’m checking. Frans Hoek, the goalkeeper trainer and coach, is doing that. Then we pick up the players who have to cover the players. 25 minutes.”

#4 Lunch rules

Van Gaal is known for his strange rules at the food table.

Louis Van Gaal is one quirky man and one of his most strange habits is that players have been told that they have to wait for the manager to return from the serving hatch before they can they can eat at breakfast or lunch.

Changes in the catering arrangements have also affected club staff. Previously the other club staff such as the security and the kitmen were allowed to eat lunch in the main hall along with the first team players. Now however they have to sit separate from the players. The players themselves are encouraged to interact with each other as the rectangular tables have been replaced with circular ones which psychologically promote interaction.

Van Gaal is very strict when it comes to dinner table rules. In an interview, the Belgian, Marouane Fellaini revealed how he and some other players were fined for arriving at the table a minute late as per the Mirror.

#5 Sacrificing the club creche

Manchester United boss Louis Van Gaal has gone to great lengths to make sure that the first team players train in the proper way by even getting the creches removed so that it can be used as a medical room for the treatment of injuries of players.

The play area where Manchester United’s first team players’ used to leave their young chidren on match days while they socialised with their wives and girlfriends in the players’ lounge next door has been converted into a medical room on the instruction of United’s new manager.

The old players’ lounge, which was also next to the home dressing-room at Old Trafford, has been split in two – one half is now a pre-match warm-up area and the other is an interview room for overseas media rights holders - while a new combined players’ lounge and children’s area has been relocated elsewhere in the stadium as per the Mirror.