Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho Criticised by Johan Cruyff

Barcelona icon Johan Cruyff has criticised Manchester United chief Louis van Gaal and Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho for their managerial styles.  

Cruyff spoke to Sky Sports News HQ (via Sky Sports), and when talk turned to Van Gaal—the pair are known to have had a rocky relationship in the past—the Dutchman was critical of the manner in which his compatriot sets his teams up:

"

He doesn't dominate. I like dominating football. Manchester doesn't play like that. 

I don't think so [Van Gaal is too cautious], but it's strange that against strong teams they've got good results and with weak teams they've had difficulties. That's a strange situation. 

But the results I think are second. The game is first. Money is very important but always second. In England they play different, everybody has their own style. A mix of styles is always good. The most important part are the fans, that people going home are happy. It's their time off and you should give them something to enjoy.

"

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Van Gaal drew some criticism for the style his teams played earlier in his United tenure. Often, the Red Devils seemed content with keeping the ball for the sake of it, which made them one-dimensional in their forward forays and easy to defend against.

In fairness, the summer additions of Anthony Martial and Memphis Depay have given United a refreshing edge and a youthful fearlessness in possession. The former Barcelona and Ajax boss does remain a little stubborn in his decision-making at times, though, as noted by Matthew Stanger of Joe.co.uk after the recent 3-0 defeat to Arsenal:

Cruyff also moved on to discuss Mourinho, who is having a torrid time with Chelsea at the moment. The Oranje icon claimed the Blues boss creates a “good ambience within the players,” but he doesn’t like Mourinho putting himself on the “front row.” 

Cruyff continued, suggesting the fact Mourinho didn’t play to a high level may be what makes him want to be centre stage so often:

"

It's probably because of his background, where he's never been cheered by 100,000 people, or whistled at by 100,000 people. Maybe it's because of that, maybe because of the interest from the press, but I don't think he is educating children to play football or educating for life. 

He should behave better because he will be in the press all over the world.

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Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Mourinho is often lauded for wanting to take pressure off of his players, but so far this season, Chelsea have been so poor that there are concerns festering about whether or not he can turn it round. Indeed, the Portuguese didn’t emit the aura of a man in control when he gave a seven-minute answer to a reporter’s question after the 3-1 loss to Southampton at the weekend.

Football journalist Henry Winter thinks Mourinho needs to focus on football, not stirring up animosity:

Both managers are under big pressure at the moment, with each searching for a formula that’ll see their sides find some overdue consistency. The past pedigree of both Van Gaal and Mourinho suggest things will fall into place eventually, as they have long been two of the best managers in world football. 

Cruyff is better qualified to make assessments on football than the majority, but given he has a pure, romanticised take on the game, it’s little surprise to hear the former Barcelona man be critical of pragmatists in the mould of the aforementioned pair.