Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has claimed that Liverpool’s collapse against Southampton was due to his side tiring the Merseysiders out.
Liverpool let slip a 2-0 lead at half-time to lose at St. Mary’s against Southampton. The loss was the first for the Reds after leading by two goals at halftime since 1964.
Claiming credit for their defeat was Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, who said that the defeat was due to his side wearing down the Anfield outfit in midweek.
Van Gaal takes credit for Liverpool collapse.
Liverpool drew 1-1 at Old Trafford, with a much sharper Manchester United team threatening to come back in the tie having lost 2-0 at Anfield.
The match left United weary, as admitted by their manager, who also expressed that the Anfield outfit must have felt the same tiredness that ultimately led to their defeat.
Van Gaal was quoted as saying by the Liverpool Echo: “I thought we played fantastic in the first half and the second half was a test of survival because we were very tired.
“We had only two days to recover after the Liverpool game and that is almost not possible.”
Van Gaal added: “We have seen the result from Southampton today. Liverpool were 2-0 up at half-time and at full-time it was 3-2 to Southampton.
“I have not seen the match but I can only conclude it was because of tiredness and that is what we have done to them.”
Van Gaal trying to get back into the good books of Manchester United fans?
Liverpool have not played a lot of games recently. However, 5 of the 10 players on the pitch post the Daniel Sturridge substitution, when the score was 2-1, did not take part in the game in midweek.
Moreover, the goals that Liverpool conceded were due to individuals making errors, with Jon Flanagan, Simon Mignolet, Emre Can, Joe Allen playing a hand, and Martin Skrtel playing a major role. 3 out of the 4 outfield players did not play any part in midweek and the other one is a goalkeeper.
One of the long term problems that the Liverpool squad has faced repeatedly over the years is their defensive unit’s inability to remain consistently error-free. This cost them in their latest match against Southampton too.
Van Gaal’s attempt to take credit for his arch-rival’s loss seems like just another tactic by a manager under pressure to improve his popularity among his club’s fans.
