Louis van Gaal admits Manchester United come up short at set pieces

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/nov/01/louis-van-gaal-manchester-united

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Louis van Gaal has insisted he will continue to ignore suggestions he should buy tall players in an attempt to stop Manchester United’s set-piece frailties.

The Dutchman accepts that the diminutive stature of many of his players is one of the reasons his side has yet to win away from home this season, but is adamant the answer does not lie in the transfer market.

United conceded last week when Rafael da Silva ended up marking Chelsea’s Didier Drogba, who is five inches taller than him, at a corner, and they encounter another sizeable side in ’s Manchester derby. Vincent Kompany, Eliaquim Mangala, Yaya Touré and Edin Dzeko are all at least 6ft 2in, and could give Manchester City a similar aerial supremacy.

Van Gaal said: “We have it very difficult in set plays but that is because of the height of our team. Maybe you can advise me then to buy tall players, but I am not like that.” He studied the statistics as he shrugged off City’s height advantage, saying: “They scored only once from a set play [this season]. We did more.”

United have conceded seven goals in their past two away games, while CSKA Moscow, West Ham and Newcastle have all scored twice against City in the past fortnight – meaning both defences have been criticised. Manuel Pellegrini accepts United have had difficulties at the back and he City manager said: “We don’t know if they’ll continue to be weak at defending or continue to be strong in attacking.”

The United centre-back Marcos Rojo admitted that the back four can be exposed by their expansive game, arguing a commitment to attack is vital. “We go out to win every match, as is our duty at United,” he said. “That does imply a certain amount of risk-taking: you have to play high up and take your chances. We accept that the team has to play high, but we set out to win and that is what we’ll be doing.”

Rojo, a £16m signing from Sporting Lisbon in August, will be charged with stopping his fellow countryman Sergio Agüero. The United defender and the City striker were team-mates as Argentina reached the World Cup final this summer but have never lined up in opposition before.

Agüero struck four times in his last league game at the Etihad Stadium, against Tottenham, and has the best goals-per-minute ratio in Premier League history. Rojo warned the City top scorer to expect the close attentions of the United defence in a physical contest.

“He is one of the top players in the world,” he said. “He can be overcome, but it will take a great effort. You have to stick close to him and be very attentive. Certainly, in the penalty area, he is a very quick mover and gets into position very quickly. He can be controlled, but it is up to us to keep an eye on where he is at all times, and get into him with a degree of firmness.

“It will be a hard game, and you have to play in a hard way. I don’t mean go crunching in, but a tough way. You have to play with close marking and strong tackles.”

Rojo joked that Agüero was scared when the City striker missed a promotional event involving both, but vowed to put their friendship aside for 90 minutes. He explained: “You might exchange the odd word during the game but generally with opponents, you tend to forget if it is a friend or compatriot. He’s City. We’re United. And that’s it. You put all that behind you; you go out there for the team, and winning is everything.”

The 24-year-old was the sole centre-back signed during a summer when United lost Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, their long-term partnership, and the Argentinian came to Van Gaal’s attention as a left-back in the World Cup. “The coach certainly knows that I’m very happy to play in both positions – I can play left or central,” Rojo said. “At the moment I am playing more centrally, but I’ll happily play on the left.”

City have emerged victorious in five of the past six league derbies, but Rojo countered: “Historically, you have to say United have been superior.”

First-team players from both Manchester clubs were on hand to take part in a Premier League kicks session between City in the Community and the Manchester United Foundation