'Triangle' tactics responsible for Manchester United's improvement

The Manchester Evening News covers the story, suggesting that "Van Gaal’s much-fabled philosophy is finally getting through to his players," and quoting the United boss himself explaining how it all works.

"It’s always dependent on the players involved, but everybody knows the system I prefer is 1-4-3-3 with a number 10 [playing behind the strikers] or a number six [as a holding midfielder],” he said.

"It’s dependable of the quality of the players, but also of the opponent.

"But I prefer it because that’s the easiest system to dominate the game because it is over the whole pitch triangles and that gives the players always two options at least.

"But I have played with several other systems because of the quality of the players who were available in that moment.”

Van Gaal added that he believes United have only been comprehensively outplayed "three or four times" this season, despite their string of poor results.

"I think that in general we were the better team," he said.

"So when you analyse our teams I think only three or four times the opponents were better in dominating or playing the game, so that’s also important.

"In attractiveness I think we could have done better, but very important are also the results."

He also played down his fearsome reputation, saying that he is far nicer to his players than his reputation suggests.

"For a manager it is always better to give compliments than always corrections,” he said.

"I think the players know me in another way than the media...

"Most of the players doesn’t dare to [tell me if they think I'm wrong], but they can when they have good arguments.

"I listen to their arguments. That’s the main thing.

"I listen to their arguments and when the argument is better than my argument then maybe I change my opinion."

If only the Manchester Evening News had pushed LVG on just how many times this season he's admitted that one of player's arguments was better than his. Our guess? Even fewer than the shockingly low "three or four occasions" the Dutchman conceded his team have been outplayed.