by LFC2007 » Tue May 22, 2012 11:23 pm
Wrote this a while back (2009/2010), but it fills in some of the gaps in his managerial record:
Louis Van Gaal
As manager of Ajax in the early-mid 90s, he brought through and oversaw the success of a golden generation of players. The likes of Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, Edwin Van Der Sar, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, Jari Litmanen, and the De Boer brothers, burst onto the world stage under his tutelage. In his six seasons at Ajax he guided the club to three league titles, three Dutch Cups, one UEFA cup, and a Champions League title. He left Ajax to join Barcelona in 1997, where he won successive league titles and the Copa Del Rey in two seasons at the club. His tenure there was cut short because, according to reports at the time, he had difficulties adapting to the different culture, manifesting in difficulties with certain players and the Spanish media. That presaged a difficult period in his career.
His failure to qualify Holland for the 2002 World Cup (as Irish reds will recall) as manager of his native Holland, a brief and frankly disastrous return to Barça, and his early resignation as Ajax technical director due to a management dispute saw his reputation take a bit of a nosedive. Getting back in the game in 2005 as manager of AZ Alkamaar proved to be an astute career move, however, as - with gradual improvement that culminated in a league title win in 2009 - he began to restore his reputation close to what it once was. That was enough to earn him the Bayern job, where in his first season he guided the club to a league and cup double, and a Champions League final berth. His Bayern side are currently 14 points adrift of the leaders, Dortmund, in the Bundesliga and qualified for the UCL knockout phase. He was sacked by Bayern shortly thereafter.
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All of this came before his dispute with Cruyff over him taking a position on the Ajax board. Given that and his previous disputes at Barca and Ajax, his ability to work with the manager and club officials is the major concern I would have with his appointment. His actual achievements as a manager are very impressive, though.
Last edited by
LFC2007 on Tue May 22, 2012 11:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.