It has been called the best job a manager can have, but maybe David Moyes would argue with that assessment. Louis van Gaal however has no doubt about it. “Manchester United are the biggest club in the world”, the 62-year-old said. To be appointed Red Devils boss is the fulfilment of a long-held dream for Van Gaal – to work in the Premier League. He has chosen a team that he needs to rebuild, but in many ways that is business as usual for the Dutch coach, who has always had to deal with pressure. Working for teams such as Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Van Gaal has never escaped the need to win. No boss is a guarantee of success, but Van Gaal is amongst the few who can improve a team’s chances, as 19 trophies so far, including seven league titles and a Champions League, clearly shows.
We assess Van Gaal’s managerial career, season by season.
Ajax, 1991/92
In September, Van Gaal was drafted in as coach of the Amsterdam side to replace Leo Beenhakker. He had a tough start, with four defeats in his first eleven games. Things however changed after the winter break, when Ajax began to play extremely creative and attacking football, dropping only two points along their way. Van Gaal’s team finished second, three points behind PSV Eindhoven, but with the league’s best attack, Dennis Bergkamp top scorer with 22 goals. In Europe, Van Gaal picked up his first trophy, thanks to a series of draws, 2-2 and 0-0, against Torino in the UEFA Cup final.
Season rating: Excellent
Ajax, 1992/93
Bergkamp (once again Eredivisie top scorer) and Wim Jonk waved goodbye at the end of the season after Ajax thrashed Heerenveen 6-2 in the Dutch Cup final. That was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dull sky for Van Gaal’s men, with a league finish of just third. The coach did begin to make a name for himself developing young talents though, handing them first team chances. Those rewarded were Edwin van der Sar, Ronald de Boer, Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids and Jari Litmanen.
Season rating: Average
Ajax, 1993/94
Van Gaal’s first Eredivisie title came thanks to a breakthrough season from Finnish talent Litmanen, who finished as the league’s top scorer with 26 goals, deployed by the coach as a number 10 behind three strikers in a 4-3-3 system. Another tactical masterstroke was moving veteran midfielder Frank Rijkaard, who had returned to Amsterdam in the summer after years of success at AC Milan, back to defence. Two other newcomers who impressed were Nigerians Nwankwo Kanu and Finidi George.
Season rating: Good
Ajax, 1994/95
Despite new arrivals, such as Kiki Musampa, Michel Kreek and Noordin Wooter, who failed to impress, Ajax won their second title in a row, with 106 goals scored in 34 games and not a single defeat. Patrick Kluivert was top scorer with 18 goals and the man who scored the decisive goal in the Champions League final against Milan; the Rossoneri were also defeated in the group stage. Van Gaal took Ajax to the top in Europe and his side only lost one official game in the whole season – the Dutch Cup quarter-final against Feyenoord.
Season rating: Excellent
Ajax, 1995/96
Follow the leader. Ajax continued to be the guiding light of Dutch football, with ten players on international duty for the country, winning the Intercontinental Cup (on penalties against Brazilian side Gremio) and complete control of the Eredivisie. After 18 games, Van Gaal’s men had won 17 and drawn one, with 62 goals scored and just six conceded. Much was down to new pair Danny Blind and Frank de Boer, who built a wall in the heart of Ajax’s defence. In the Champions League, the Dutch team progressed once again to the final, after exciting wins over, amongst others, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, but this time they were defeated on penalties by Juventus.
Season rating: Excellent
Ajax, 1996/97
42 fewer goals scored than the previous season showed the magic moments were evaporating in Amsterdam, with Van Gaal unable to find a competitive team after the departures of Davids, Finidi, Kanu, Michael Reizinger and Sonny Silooy. Ajax finished fourth, 16 points behind PSV Eindhoven, the new champions. In the Champions League semi-finals, Juventus proved to be too strong for the Amsterdammers. Kluivert and Litmanen finished as joint top scorers, with just six goals each.
Season rating: Poor
Barcelona, 1997/98
Van Gaal’s debut season in La Liga brought Barcelona the 15th Spanish title in their history. One year prior, the Bosman ruling had changed the footballing world. The Catalans had an influx of top foreign players, such as Rivaldo, who top-scored with 18 goals. The team however lacked balance, as 56 goals conceded in 38 games clearly showed. A disappointing early exit from Europe, and Real Madrid winning the Champions League, left Barcelona with a bitter taste.
Season rating: Good
Barcelona, 1998/99
At the end of November, Barcelona sat ninth in La Liga. However, after four consecutive defeats, Xavi scored a winning goal against Real Valladolid to put Van Gaal’s men back on track. It was the beginning of an exciting recovery and Barcelona added to their squad by signing the De Boer brothers from Ajax in January, while Pep Guardiola finally recovered from a long-term injury. 16 wins in 20 games gave Barcelona their second title in a row, with more goals scored (87) and less conceded (43) than in the previous season.
Season rating: Good
Barcelona, 1999/2000
Second place could never be an option for a team with 21 top players. But despite having the best attack in La Liga, Barcelona lacked consistency at the back and finished second, five points behind Deportivo La Coruna. The Champions League went better, with no defeats in the 12 group stage games and an exciting 5-1 win in the quarter-final against Chelsea. Barcelona’s next opponents though, Valencia, ended the Catalan dream.
Season rating: Below average
Holland, 2000 – 2002
“I am the man who will bring the World Cup to Holland”, explained Van Gaal in his first press conference as Holland coach. To win a World Cup however, it is essential to qualify for the finals. The Oranje didn’t, finishing third in their group behind Portugal and Ireland. In the last, crucial game, Holland died from shame as they were beaten by ten-man Ireland. Van Gaal resigned and headed back to Barcelona.
Season rating: Very poor
Barcelona, 2002/03
In the first round of the Spanish Cup, Barcelona were beaten by third tier outfit Novelda – and things went from bad to worse in La Liga, with the Catalan side closer to the relegation zone than the top; in November, Real Madrid were 22 points ahead. In December, after a 2-0 defeat against Celta Vigo, Van Gaal was sacked. The only bright spot in the Dutchman’s return was his decision to hand Andres Iniesta a first team debut on 29th October 2002, against Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Season rating: Very poor
Ajax, 2003/04
Van Gaal returned to Ajax as technical director following his disaster at Barcelona. The Amsterdam side won the Eredivisie with a team built before the return of Van Gaal, who signed Yannis Anastasiou and Tom Soetaers from Roda JC and brought Tom De Mul and Thomas Vermaelen from Belgian satellite club GBA. On 16th October, Van Gaal left the club due to repeated clashes with then-coach Ronald Koeman.
Season rating: N/A
AZ Alkmaar, 2005/06
Van Gaal succeeded Co Adriaanse on the bench of the ambitious Alkmaar club, who in the previous season had finished third in the Eredivisie and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. With a renewed team, containing Shota Arveladze, Joris Mathijsen and Stijn Schaars, and two youngsters promoted from the academy in Ron Vlaar and Jeremain Lens, AZ ended the season in second place, though lost the playoff for a spot in the Champions League against Groningen.
Season rating: Good
AZ Alkmaar, 2006/07
Led by 22 goals from Danny Koevermans, AZ were leading the Eredivisie before facing relegation candidates Excelsior in the last round of games. The Rotterdam minnows however won 3-2, leaving AZ finishing just third. In Europe the Alkmaar team progressed to the quarter-finals, where Werder Bremen proved too strong. Despite a bitter end to the season, Van Gaal was nevertheless voted Dutch Coach of the Year.
Season rating: Good
AZ Alkmaar, 2007/08
Veterans such as Arveladze, Mathijsen, Barry van Galen and Danny Landzaat were all gone and newcomers such as Graziano Pelle – AZ’s most expensive signing –, Mounir El Hamdaoui, Sebastian Pocognoli and Sergio Romero needed time to settle in the Eredivisie. In January, AZ lost 6-1 against Ajax, 4-0 against Heerenveen and 3-0 to Willem II. Then, the team were able to stop free-falling and find the consistency needed to avoid the danger zone. However, nobody could be satisfied with a finish of eleventh.
Season rating: Poor
AZ Alkmaar 2008/09
Van Gaal’s side started the Eredivisie with two defeats against mid-table sides NAC Breda and ADO Den Haag. At the end of August his job was in danger, but AZ won a crucial clash against PSV Eindhoven and from that moment the Alkmaar team were unstoppable, especially due to a defence that conceded only 17 goals in 31 games. Van Gaal didn’t fear to deploy a team with a defensive 4-5-1 formation that played on the counter-attack. In the end, AZ won the title, finishing with eleven points more than FC Twente and clinching the second title in their history.
Season rating: Excellent
Bayern Munich 2009/2010
After a rocky start to the new season, Bayern Munich began to pick up steam in late autumn, led by new signings Arjen Robben and Mario Gomez. A win against Juventus in a vital Champions League group stage match was the turning point for Van Gaal’s side, who won the Bundesliga, the German Cup (4-0 against Werder Bremen in the final) and reached the final of the Champions League, only losing out to Inter, 2-0. Despite the defeat to the Italian side, the season was Bayern Munich’s most successful in almost a decade. David Alaba, Holger Badstuber and Thomas Muller were amongst a number of talents introduced into the senior side by Van Gaal.
Season rating: Excellent
Bayern Munich 2010/2011
This time a difficult start to the season came about mainly through injuries and players returning from the 2010 World Cup in poor shape. Once again, Bayern Munich improved during the season’s second leg, scoring the most league points of all the teams. However, it was not enough to grab a second consecutive Bundesliga title, the crown won by Borussia Dortmund. In the Champions League, Inter were once again the Bavarians’ nightmare, with a Round of 16 exit after an incredible 3-2 home defeat. In April, a blunder from young goalkeeper Thomas Kraft against Nurnberg ended Van Gaal’s time at the Allianz Arena.
Season rating: Average
Holland, 2012 – present
Van Gaal didn’t fail to qualify Holland for a World Cup finals twice, with the Oranje placed first in their group after nine wins and a draw. Since 2012, 26 players have made their debut under Van Gaal, who in the process became the coach to hand the highest number of debuts out in his reign. Robin van Persie is the top scorer under Van Gaal with 14 goals and the former Bayern Munich coach helped him become the country’s best goalscorer ever, with 41 goals. In Brazil, Holland will face Spain, Chile and Australia in the group stage.
Season rating: N/A
Manchester United, 2014
Given the upcoming World Cup, Van Gaal has said the time is not right to talk about Manchester United’s transfer targets. It is no secret however that he would enjoy signing players whom he knows well, such as Robben, Toni Kroos and Muller, all from Bayern Munich, or Holland stars Bruno Martins Indi, Jordy Clasie and Memphis Depay. Off the pitch, Van Gaal has already taken Marcel Bout, who worked with him at AZ, Bayern Munich and Holland, and goalkeeping coach Frans Hoek, to Old Trafford with him. Ryan Giggs will be his assistant and working with someone who knows the club’s culture deeply has always been Van Gaal’s way. In Barcelona it was Jose Mourinho and, in his second spell, Antonio de la Cruz, while at Bayern Munich he selected Hermann Gerland.
