One of the things Tuesday night’s massacre denied us was a rematch of November 28, 1995. That was when, in Tokyo, the Ajax of Louis Van Gaal, Danny Blind and Patrick Kluivert beat Felipe Scolari’s Gremio on penalties to win the Intercontinental Cup.
It was – who’d have guessed it? – a grim affair during which Scolari’s mob sustained five bookings and a red card. Blind, currently Van Gaal’s assistant, scored the winning penalty for the Dutch. This was a rare highlight for Van Gaal, who has a choppy record, both playing and managing, against Brazilian and Argentinian opposition. And I believe that in football the present owes much more to the past than most people care to consider.
Between August 1999 and May 2000 Valencia’s Argentinian striker Claudio ‘Piojo’ Lopéz scored the goals which cost Van Gaal’s Barcelona first a Spanish Supercup then a place in the Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris. ‘Piojo’ means ‘louse’, singular of lice. Reports that Van Gaal made up his nickname are not confirmed.
In May 2000, the Dutchman was sacked after Deportivo pipped his Barcelona to the Spanish title – a Depo in which their Brazilian/Argentinian contingent of Djalminha, Flavio Conceição, Donato, Mauro Silva, Gabi Schürrer, Lionel Scaloni and Oscar Flores played 187 games, scoring 25 goals.
All that season I’d watched him struggle ferociously with Rivaldo, then World Player of the Year. Van Gaal demanded he play on the wing. Rivaldo occupied that space and persistently passed the ball backwards to Winston Bogarde. The Brazilian was there in body, but not spirit. On quitting, Van Gaal complained: “I had to struggle every day to convince everyone at Barcelona, and especially the players.”
When he was again sacked by Barça in January 2003, it was after a 4-2 home defeat to the Valencia of Roberto Ayala, Mauricio Pellegrino, Pablo Aimar and Fabio Aurelio, and then a 2-0 loss at Celta. The last goal ever scored against Van Gaal as Barça manager was by Sylvinho. A Brazilian left-back.
His third Champions League final, against the Inter Milan of his former protege José Mourinho, in 2010, ended with defeat for Van Gaal’s Bayern Munich thanks to goals from the Argentinian Diego Milito.
A central factor in his sacking, and ascension to his current job, was March 2011’s Champions League 3-2 home defeat – and elimination – by an Inter fuelled by Maicon, Esteban Cambiasso, Julio César, Coutinho, Lucio and Thiago Motta, managed by Leonardo. A smorgasbord of South Americans.
Now it’s Messi and his merry band. Perhaps I’m wrong but I think Van Gaal is one of the few men on the planet who wouldn’t buy Leo Messi if he were available. He wants 11 well-oiled cogs in a Van-Gaal-designed machine. Sorry United fans.
You can read in this piece I wrote for Paddy Power in May before he was appointed what that might mean for Wayne Rooney and United’s emerging academy graduates. You can find out tonight if he can improve his record against the giants of South American football.
All together now…
Louis Louis, oh no
Sayin’ we gotta go, yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
Said Louis, Louis, oh baby
Said we gotta go
Okay, let’s give it to ’em, right now!
*The author would like to note that while one name has been changed to protect the innocent, no Kingsmen were hurt in the making of this blog