Xavi Initially Thought Louis van Gaal Was an 'Idiot,' Surprised by Jose Mourinho
Barcelona legend Xavi has revealed he held doubts about the credentials of his former manager and current Manchester United boss, Louis van Gaal, although the Dutchman eventually won him over.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with ESPN FC’s Andy Mitten, in which Xavi also discussed the qualities of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, the former Blaugrana star hailed Van Gaal’s human attributes as well as his coaching acumen:
"[He is a] good person, very good trainer. He has a very strong character, but he's calm in the Premier League because there's less pressure. He's much calmer than when he was at Barca or Bayern Munich.
He's honest, methodical and a real perfectionist. He's very demanding, he's strict and he wants to achieve the highest levels possible. ...
... After two days of training under him, I thought, "Who is this idiot?" After a week, I thought, "He's right." He'll always be in my heart, Louis van Gaal.
"
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It’s certainly high praise from arguably the most talented Spanish footballer of all time. Xavi was still developing during Van Gaal’s stint at the Camp Nou, with the Red Devils boss playing an important role in his progression to arguably the finest midfield player in the world at his peak.
Despite this effusive praise, there are still some who have their doubts when it comes to the former Netherlands boss. United are just two points back on current joint-leaders Manchester City and Arsenal in the Premier League, but the style in which the team has played under Van Gaal has sometimes been soporific.
By contrast, defensively, they’ve been excellent, as is evident by their recent run of clean sheets, per Squawka Football:
While Van Gaal will always be scrutinised as United boss, he’s not under as much pressure as Mourinho, who has endured a wretched beginning to the season. Chelsea are currently down in 16th position in the Premier League table, having lost a whopping seven of their opening 12 matches.
Nevertheless, Xavi had some words of praise for Mourinho, who the midfielder suggested was much more than a translator during his time working at the Camp Nou, per Mitten.
“He was the assistant coach, someone who understood the philosophy of Barca and who shared many of the same characteristics of Van Gaal,” said Xavi. “He was very respected by the players. He trained us sometimes alone at Barca B and he was excellent. I'm surprised that he became known for another type of football, more defensive, because he wasn't like that with us.”
It’s certainly curious that despite the ties to Barcelona for both of these illustrious coaches, they each play a style that is castigated. In the case of Mourinho, it would at least make this poor run of results a little more tolerable to some if the Blues were giving their supporters an expressive brand of football to savour.
As noted here by BreatheSport, so poor is their form at the moment that Chelsea are in the midst of a relegation battle:
"Key games in PL relegation battle: 05/12: Chelsea v B'mouth 19/12: Chelsea v Sunderland 13/02: Chelsea v Newcastle pic.twitter.com/kUfxgXuoQM
— BreatheSport (@BreatheSport) November 8, 2015"
While Xavi is renowned for his technical traits, superb passing range and sharp football instincts, he is a tough player too. It’s a fortitude you suspect Mourinho and, even more so, Van Gaal had a big part in instilling and something the midfielder will surely recount himself should he ever go into management.
It’ll be intriguing to track the progress of both Van Gaal and Mourinho this season. The latter, in particular, has a massive test ahead of him given the disarray the club is currently in. For all the honours he has savoured in his distinguished managerial career, turning this team around would be his biggest achievement to date.
