Louis van Gaal doesn’t blame the players or the managers for the failure of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City to progress in the Champions League.
Rather he blames the fact that the Premier League does not incorporate a winter break system to keep the players fresh.
“The world is changing, it’s not the same world as twenty years ago,” van Gaal said today.
“Twenty years ago the English Premier League was up here, it had a lot of money. A lot of players came to the Premier League because you are paying well and the Premier League has a high standard.
“But the other countries are developing themselves but they always have a winter break.”
This is the second time in the last three seasons in which no English team will compete in the Champions League quarter-finals and the Dutchman points to the jam-packed fixture list as way of explanation.
“We have to play four or five matches in two weeks and they have a break of two weeks,” the Red Devils manager said.
“How many matches have Bayern Munich played, for example? That’s the difference.
“They are much fresher than players of Arsenal or Chelsea. That, in my opinion, is the difference because players need rest.”
The man’s got a point.
