Manchester United and Barcelona face similar problems, says Cruyff

The Dutch legend believes Louis van Gaal will struggle to
fit the club's attacking options into a coherent team, much
like the Catalans with Luis Suarez
12 Sep 2014 14:26:56
Former Netherlands star Johan
Cruyff believes Manchester United
and Barcelona face similar issues if
they are succeed under new
managers.
While Luis Enrique has taken over
the helm at Camp Nou and added
Luis Suarez, among others, to the
squad, Louis van Gaal has overseen an overhaul of the United
squad, with six new faces arriving at Old Trafford before the
end of the transfer window.
The signings of Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria have led
some to question how Van Gaal will go about selecting a side
from a squad that already includes Juan Mata, Robin van
Persie and club captain Wayne Rooney.
And Cruyff believes his fellow
countryman will find it difficult to
manage the various egos in his
squad as he looks to improve on a
start to the campaign that has seen
the Red Devils fail to win any of
their four competitive fixtures.
"There should be a logic always
but the big problem is to manage
all these players," he told The
Guardian. "It’s the same thing with
Barcelona. They now have Suarez,
[Lionel] Messi, Neymar – how do
you play them together?
"If you see them individually then,
of course, they are great players.
It’s the same at Manchester United. Individually they are great
but they have to play like a team.
“So then you get another problem. They are all famous. They
earn a lot of money both on and off the field. How can you
create a team and bring all these egos together?
"The main goal for Manchester United is for them to play well –
and not have a player saying, ‘I play well, I scored two goals’.
Because if I score two goals but three goals go into our net then
we lose.
"They provide [Van Gaal] with a lot of good players but he has
to turn them into a team. And you can’t arrange the chemistry
of the team in two weeks. It needs time."
Van Gaal has previously stated that he could require up to
three months to mould the 20-time English champions into a
side that is able to play at the required level to challenge for
silverware as they look to adapt to a new 3-5-2 formation.
And Cruyff is in agreement that the former Bayern Munich
coach will need time to impose himself on the team, though he
does not feel that it will take a whole season to improve the
side sufficiently.
"No, no [it will not take a season]. That’s too long. But it doesn’t
mean they will win the league.
"You can see a better performance every week and you can
aim for a better fit as a team in the details. And [Van Gaal] is a
person of details. So it could be possible that things work.
"But, once again, can these people develop their own game for
the sake of the team? It’s not easy."
"No, no,” Cruyff says. “That’s too long. But it doesn’t mean they
will win the league. But you can see a better performance every
week and you can aim for a better fit as a team in the details.
And [Van Gaal] is a person of details. So it could be possible
that things work. But, once again, can these people develop
their own game for the sake of the team? It’s not easy.”
Van Gaal took over the helm at United following the sacking of
David Moyes in April, and Cruyff admits that the former
Everton boss was not the right fit after Sir Alex Ferguson's
retirement.
The 67-year-old feels that Moyes did not have the experience to
handle the calibre of player available to him while at Old
Trafford, though he does feel the Scot can still be seen as a fine
coach after the work he did at Goodison Park.
"I still like Barca very much. I also like [Real] Madrid. Barca
also went back a little because of the people they put as
coaches.
"I’m not saying they’re good or bad coaches but it’s very
difficult to control a Messi and a Neymar. If you don’t control
them it’s a problem. It’s the same thing with David Moyes and
Manchester United.
"Some people can control certain players and you need that –
otherwise it will not work. Moyes is a good coach – just not for
Man United."