Van Gaal : We will fight until the end
A perfect blend of results from Sunday’s final Barclays Premier League fixtures would propel Manchester United into fourth and Louis van Gaal insists his players will “fight until the end”.
To earn UEFA Champions League qualification, the Reds must first beat Bournemouth at Old Trafford and then hope that Manchester City simultaneously lose against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.
United could have avoided this scenario with a victory over West Ham in midweek, but van Gaal’s men were disappointingly beaten 3-2 in the last-ever match held at Upton Park. But the manager is bullish about his side’s chances of finishing fourth and believes anything could happen on Sunday.
“We are now dependent on Manchester City and that is the difference,” van Gaal said in his pre-match press conference. “That is also frustrating because we had the chance, with two games to go, to keep that advantage. We were 2-1 ahead [at West Ham] with 15 minutes to play and we gave it away. That is frustrating as now we are dependable. It is still possible, so we fight for it until the end.”
There have been some reports in the Welsh press this week that Swansea manager Francesco Guidolin could rest several of his first-team players against Man City on Sunday afternoon, given that his team are currently 11th in the table and have little left to play for other than pride.
Van Gaal was asked during his press conference if that prospect would harm United’s chances of finishing fourth and the manager agreed, though he was reluctant to criticise his fellow boss.
“Yes, but I have also rested players so that it is also possible for Swansea City,” van Gaal told reporters. “It is the responsibility of the manager to do what he thinks is right for the team and I cannot judge that. My task is the same. We play against Bournemouth, not against City.”
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