Great Johan Cruyff (Former Netherlands greatest Player) told Louis van Gaal has no right to
complain about the hectic holiday season programme in the Premier League when
he chose to go and work there.
Writing
in his weekly Article,
Cruyff said the Manchester United manager had to accept the English way of
running their league without a winter break.
Cruyff said: "If
you choose for England, then you choose for their successful system,
which is based on the proposition that the stadiums open as soon as the fans
are available to watch, which is the holiday period."
Playing
football between Christmas and New Year is a war of attrition and thus in
favour of physically stronger teams. Any
attempt by Van Gaal to try to change the system would be doomed to failure,
added Cruyff, who has had a strained relationship with his compatriot and has
criticised Van Gaal’s organisation of the United team since taking over in
July.
"It
has been working (well) since time immemorial and in 100 years it will still be
so," Cruyff said.
"Complaining
makes no sense if everyone else around you is happy. Moreover, everybody is
well paid for working over the holiday period.”
“Everybody
knows the body cannot recover within 48 hours,” he said last month. Therefore
there is a rule within UEFA and FIFA that you cannot play the games within two
days. The scientists have proven it, everybody knows it and, in spite of that,
we have to play.
Van Gaal said “It
is the culture of England. I don’t mind, but it’s not good for the players, for
the health of the players, and it’s not good for the game.”
