5 striking similarities between Sir Alex Ferguson and Louis van Gaal

Sir Alex Ferguson and Louis van Gaal have a number of similarities which are evident in the way they manage the club, players and mediaIt is not apparent at first and there are many who would argue to the contrary, but Louis van Gaal is more like Sir Alex Ferguson than he gets credit for. After David Moyes' reign, there is a hesitation at Old Trafford to draw comparisons with their greatest ever manager, and rightfully so. But if there is a list of managers that can measure up well in a comparison with the great Scot, Van Gaal is firmly in it.We have seen many facets of Van Gaal in his first season at Manchester United and, though a great manager in his own right, here are five areas where the Dutchman bears an uncanny resemblance to Sir Alex Ferguson.

#1 Handling the media

Louis van Gaal famously defended himself in front of the media when Manchester United were guilty of playing long-ball football

This is one aspect in which the managers can claim to be of the same ilk. Their relationship with the media is so convoluted, it could make the script for a sitcom.

Sir Alex Ferguson famously banned the BBC from Old Trafford for seven years. In his autobiography, he admits to having a hard time with the media saying, "There was an intensity and volatility about the modern media I found difficult." He is also scathing when describing modern journalists and revealed his distaste for the "young reporters who dressed more casually".

Louis van Gaal is a man in a similar vein. Don't let the calm facade that he has put on show since his move to United fool you. Van Gaal is known for his bust-ups with the media, most famously the Catalan media. The relationship between him and the media had soured to the extent that they cheered his dismissal from the Barcelona job, but not before he had a chance to have his say, "Friends of the press, I am leaving. Congratulations!"

#2 Commitment to youth

Louis van Gaal with 19-year-old Manchester United striker James Wilson

In all his years at Old Trafford, Sir Alex was a staunch believer in producing home grown talent. His belief that a team should be built from the academy and only supplemented from outside if absolutely necessary holds true to Van Gaal as well.

Most of Sir Alex’s legacy was built by academy graduates and young talents bought from outside. The likes of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck et all have been instrumental in bringing success to the red half of Manchester.

Similarly, even Van Gaal has acquired his successes on the back of smart utilization of young academy graduates. He firmly believes that young players bring additional energy to a team and, therefore, must be given a chance with the first team. He lays a claim to giving the likes of Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Clarence Seedorf their first taste of professional football.

At United too, he has been relentless in promoting young players. He has already handed out first team debuts to Paddy McNair, Tyler Blackett, Jesse Lingard, Saidy Janko, Andreas Pereira, Reece James and James Wilson.

#3 Getting the best out of players

Ander Herrera and Juan Mata are slowly proving their worth under Van Gaal

This is, perhaps, Van Gaal's true gift. He excels in bring out in players their full potential. He has had hugely successful periods as manager and also some disastrous stints; but the one thing that has been common in all his time as manager is the ability to get the best out of players available to him.

This was also a disposition of Sir Alex who managed to win titles, repeatedly, despite not always having the best of squads. It is a testament to him that he managed to win the title in his last season as manager with a squad which was mediocre at best. David Moyes got pulled under by the weight of ineptitude in that squad and yet Sir Alex managed to win the title with the same players at a relative canter. The likes of Tom Cleverly, Anderson, Darren Fletcher, Chris Smalling have all played important roles in United's title-winning days. It is hard to even believe that looking at them these days.

Van Gaal too has done the same with his past teams and players. Dennis Bergkamp was considered useless by Leo Beenhakker, the manager preceding Van Gaal. Arjen Robben was also moulded into one of the world's finest wingers under the tutelage of Van Gaal. The others who benefited from his presence are David Alaba, Iniesta, Ivica Olic, Moussa Dembele, Robin van Persie and Graziano Pelle, among others. He displayed this inherent ability further by taking an unfancied Netherlands side to the semi-finals of the FIFA world cup where they only lost on penalties in the semi-final.

His reign at Manchester United hasn't been long enough to draw proper conclusions, but he has again shown an ability to ignite a player's hunger. The upturn in form in the likes of Juan Mata, Marouane Fellaini and Ashley Young is a testament to that.

#4 The Hairdryer Treatment

The ‘Hairdryer Treatment’ is a trademark of Sir Alex Ferguson. Media personalities, journalists, players and even the coaching staff have found themselves at the end of it. He was like a vicious warlord that would strike down anyone that drew his ire.

The David Beckham incident and the falling out with Roy Keane are probably some of the most famous incidents in a long list of transgressions against his players. Ferguson didn't shy away from a conflict and it often caused some very public falling outs with his players.

Louis van Gaal, too, has a penchant for this. If a player does not fall in line, he is made an example of, and eventually pushed out. The falling out with Rivaldo is the finest display of Van Gaal taking on a player he thought had outgrown the team and the club. The falling out ultimately cost him his job as he refused to back out.

He had similar tiffs with Mark van Bommel, the then captain of Bayern Munich, and Luca Toni. His eventual unraveling at Bayern was because he alienated his entire playing squad.

#5 Authority

And finally, the most important trait that these two men share. Anybody can become a good manager, but to be a truly great one requires the gall and authority which these two men possess in abundance.

It was David Moyes' inability to reign in big personalities and stamp his authority on the team that caused his downfall. If you can't convince the team of your ideas and philosophy there is no chance of success. Everything Moyes did raised several doubts which he wasn't able to answer.

Van Gaal, on the other hand, had made some very prominent changes at United without anyone ever questioning his methods or ideas. If anyone dares to do so, he strikes them down with panache. His control is absolute and nothing but failure can prove him otherwise.

This characteristic has been immense in helping Van Gaal deal with the pressures that have come his way as a consequence of managing a struggling United side. It is only now, almost two years after the departure of Sir Alex, that the supporters feel assured that they have the right man at the helm.