Louis van Gaal versus Jose Mourinho – who really is the most boring Manchester United manager?
LVG sensationally claimed his successor at Old Trafford is playing even less attractive football than him - so Football Whispers decided to find out if he really was telling the truth
FORMER Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal launched a stinging attack on Jose Mourinho this week and claimed his successor at Manchester United is producing “boring” and “defensive” football.
The outburst by the veteran tactician following United’s 2-1 defeat at home to rivals Man City certainly raised a few sniggers and led to accusations of hypocrisy.
The Dutchman, who seemed to forget that he was blasted for his often tedious, possession-heavy football at Old Trafford claimed: "If you ask me how did I do at United, I will say it was my best year ever, given the circumstances I was working under.
"We played football that was quite alright. But it's not football that is appreciated in England.
"And yet, right now, looking at United, I have to conclude Mourinho is not being criticized while it's far more boring football.
"I would rather watch City play than United. You need quality in a squad and it's clear City have a better squad.
"What United produce now is defensive football. I always played attacking football. The proof is that the opposition were always parking the bus.
"They don't do that now because Jose Mourinho plays so defensive."
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Incredibly, an exclusive Sun poll found fans are split exactly down the middle when it comes to choosing which of the two managers’ teams they would prefer to watch.
So, in light of that and Van Gaal’s extraordinary assessment of Mourinho’s methods, our friends at Football Whispers have delved into the stats to see which manager can claim the upper hand when it comes to the most exciting – or perhaps accurately least boring - style of play.
Throughout his career, Mourinho has certainly been labelled as a defensive coach, and his approach to big games against high-calibre opposition suggests he prefers to limit risk rather than bank on outscoring an opponent.
But those who regularly watched United under Van Gaal will remember a side whose football was slow, turgid and rarely much fun to watch.
While Mourinho’s style is not as expansive and easy on the eye as his great rival Pep Guardiola’s, few would claim the Portuguese tactician has offered less entertainment at Old Trafford than his predecessor.
And the stats prove it. In almost every metric, Mourinho’s United side are outperforming the Dutchman’s.
Purely in terms of goals, since Mourinho took over in the summer of 2016, United have averaged 1.67 per game in the Premier League, an increase from 1.46 during van Gaal’s two seasons, or 76 games, at the helm.
In terms of shots per game, Mourinho – who has led United in 54 top-flight games so far - leads with 15 to LVG’s 12.39.
Last term, United created over 100 more scoring chances (447) than LVG’s men managed in his final season in charge (312).
The Red Devils are still very much a work in progress under Mourinho, and there have certainly been times when they have set up in an ultra-cautious manner in an effort to eke out a result.
But perhaps most importantly, they have – just - achieved a greater points per game total of 1.93 compared to 1.89.
They have also won the Europa League and League Cup, compared to LVG's solitary FA Cup.
And they have also scored four goals in a game on eight occasions already this term, evidence that they are capable of turning on the style when the opportunity presents itself.
Many analysts feel Mourinho’s lack of a prescriptive attacking blueprint holds his sides back somewhat, but few would argue that Van Gaal’s rigid short-passing philosophy produced greater entertainment at Old Trafford.
Perhaps Van Gaal would contest that had he been afforded the transfer budget to sign the likes of Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku then maybe he’d have offered a more free-flowing style of football.
But he was able to call upon such attacking talents as Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie during his reign, with little return.
Although they are a long way behind City in terms of both entertainment and points in the title race, all the signs point to United being better to watch under Mourinho than they were when Van Gaal was in charge.
Not that the Dutchman would agree.