AZ Alkmaar coach Louis van Gaal discusses Arsenal

[Mac 10 †]

AZ Alkmaar coach Louis van Gaal discusses Arsenal


Q. How impressed have you been with Arsenal's progress in the Champions League this season?

They have been close to making this stage of the competition in the last few years but now things have really come together for them.

When you look at the quality of the squad they have had for a while, I think they should have made the semi-finals before.

They have struggled in the Premiership but it is hard to combine doing well in the League and excelling in Europe.


Q. Can Arsenal win the Champions League?

It will be tough but Villarreal in the semi-finals is a good draw. The other match, between Barcelona and AC Milan, would have made a nice final.

If Arsenal do make it through to the final, it will be tough for them. That game would depend on the circumstances of the day and injuries.


Q. Does this Arsenal team remind you of the Ajax side you led to Champions League glory in 1995? There seem to be a lot of similarities - Ajax were also made up almost entirely of young and relatively inexperienced players.

There is actually a big difference between the two sides. That Ajax team consisted mainly of Dutch players who had come through the youth ranks at the club, whereas Arsenal's squad has hardly any English players in it.

I was watching their recent Premiership game against Manchester United (which Arsenal lost 2-0) and they did not use a single English player. Even the substitutes they brought on were foreign.


Q. But Arsenal play the same brand of football as your old Ajax side - all their players are comfortable on the ball and capable of playing in a variety of systems.

Former Holland coach Rinus Michels introduced the term 'total football' and I also like to have players who are multi-functional and can play in different systems, so you can surprise your opponents.

My style is to play attacking football and at AZ we try to play 3-4-3 or 4-3-3, depending on the opponent of course.

I like the way Arsenal play. It is a good combination of physically strong and creative players and individual talents who can decide a game in the blink of an eye.


Q. Will Arsenal be a force in European football for the next few years?

That depends on whether they can keep their team and coaching staff together. If not, it is vital they are able to fill the gaps when key players leave.

With television rights, their commercial contracts and the new possibilities of the Emirates Stadium, I think they should have the funds to be able to do that and keep a top squad on the pitch.


Q. You have finished second in the Dutch league behind PSV Eindhoven. How big an achievement is it for a club like AZ Alkmaar to finish ahead of the likes of Feyenoord and Ajax?
 
Finishing second for a club like AZ is beyond expectations. Many people would have thought we could not improve ourselves after last year's season.

Of course every coach loves to win the league but, looking at it financially, it is a great achievement to finish second.

Our goal for this season was to qualify for the play-offs (the second to fifth-placed teams in the Dutch league compete for the chance to take part in the Champions League qualifiers) which we did a few weeks ago.

Only after the play-offs will we know if we can go and play in the qualification round for the Champions League.


Q. How does managing AZ compare to your time with Ajax, Barcelona and Holland?

Circumstances everywhere are different but I always try to work in the same way.

In foreign countries the influence of the media is bigger. I suppose the stage we are at here at AZ is comparable with my time with Ajax in the final years of the De Meer Stadium but things will be different next season when we move to the new DSB Stadium.


Q. How far can you take AZ? Can you win the league next season and even make an impression in the Champions League?

Even getting into the Champions League depends on the play-offs but I think we should be able to win the league. However, that will depend on the transfers everyone makes around the time of the World Cup and how strongly we can start the new season.


Q. PSV Eindhoven manager Guus Hiddink will be leaving Dutch football at the end of the year to become the coach of Russia. Will you miss him?

No, I do not think I will miss him personally but, for sure, he has done good work for the Dutch coaches.

[mauzip]

RETTEKETET!