Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace: Louis Van Gaal's Key Presser Comments
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal believes Wednesday’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace is a must-win contest for the Red Devils, and he won’t rest any players with an eye on the upcoming FA Cup semi-final against Everton.
As reported by the Daily Mirror’s Liam Prenderville, Van Gaal still believes in his team’s chances to finish the season inside the top four, as United’s main competitors are dropping points. But given the current gap in the standings, his team needs to win its matches "more” than Arsenal or Manchester City:
"I cannot predict; you have to win your own games, and then, you shall see. Our competitors are losing also.
For us, this game against Palace is important. We have to win, we need to win.
We need to win this game more than Arsenal or Man City; they have the 4-point gap.
"
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Per Andy Hampson of the Press Association, the Dutchman added he won’t be rotating his side with an eye on Saturday’s FA Cup clash:
United beat Aston Villa 1-0 in their last Premier League match, and following Arsenal’s shock draw against Crystal Palace, both the Gunners and City now have just a four-point lead in the standings.
The race for the final UEFA Champions League spots remains wide open with five matches left to play, although United also have to look at the FA Cup, while City are still active in the Champions League.
The win over Aston Villa was hardly inspiring, and some fans called for a more exciting brand of football after the contest, despite the win. Per Metro’s Chris Winterburn, Van Gaal will continue to prioritise winning over excitement:
Per ESPN FC’s Ben Dinnery, he also revealed star youngster Marcus Rashford has missed training this week, as Van Gaal wants to keep him as fresh as possible:
Several players were given a rest against Villa, but the in-form teenager wasn’t one of them, and that decision paid off in a big way. Rashford scored the winning goal against Villa, his fourth in seven Premier League starts, per WhoScored.com.
Van Gaal also provided an update on left-back Luke Shaw, who has missed the majority of the season after suffering a gruesome knee injury in a Champions League match against PSV Eindhoven.
As shared by Winterburn, the Dutchman revealed Shaw is making strides in his recovery, but he’s yet to take part in training with a coach:
Crystal Palace showed their resilience in the draw against Arsenal, and unlike Aston Villa, who entered last week’s contest all but assured of relegation, the Eagles still have plenty to play for.
A positive result at Old Trafford would all but assure Palace their spot in next year’s Premier League, while just about knocking United out of the top-four race at the same time. That could seal Van Gaal’s fate as manager, so expect the Dutchman to do everything possible to grind out a win.
