2015-16 BPL Day 1: Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Coach Louis van Gaal reacts after the game:
“It was a very difficult game because it was two teams who wanted to press, so every player was on the ball for a small amount of time. We didn’t keep the ball too much but, in transitions, we created a few chances. We could not cope well with their pressure but we had a lot of possibilities. They had the first chance through Christian Eriksen and then it [would become] another game, so we were lucky today.”
On the new signings..
“It is always difficult because it is the first time they have played at Old Trafford and the fans are very supportive. I told Memphis [Depay] that he doesn’t have to play with too much eagerness and passion and that applies to the whole team. I liked the performance of Matteo Darmian. He played a good match in the Spurs half and when they had the ball, plus he didn’t lose the ball much and was very good in his ball position with the opponent. When I have to think of one player, it’s him, as he was the best performer. Sergio Romero kept a clean sheet and made some wonderful saves but [was not so good] in building up situations. That is understandable because he didn’t play with the boys [before] and he has only been with us for a week so it is a process that we have to wait for. We decided, as staff, on Wednesday and with David on Thursday that he could not play. So Sergio has only trained two days with his players – you always train with the group who will play to intensify the preparation.”
De Gea’s situation..
“He has been our best player for two years chosen by the fans so we cannot let him go easily. We have to pay a lot of money for all the players we want and we want to sell at the same level. We want to keep him, of course. As a keeper, you need the highest concentration for 90 minutes and it’s difficult for David to do that in his current situation. We saw that in the tour matches. When the situation is cleared after 1 September, we’ll look again.”
“(Bastian) Schweinsteiger has a lot of experience of course but he has never had applause and support like this at Old Trafford. That makes you a little bit nervous I think but they [the new players] did it very well.
