Blind pleads for fans’ patience

Date published: 22 January 2015


Daley Blind has told Manchester United fans they must keep faith with Louis van Gaal.

Though United are fourth in the league, they haven’t provided supporters with the thrilling expansive play they enjoyed under Sir Alex Ferguson.

During last Saturday's win at QPR, fans started questioning Van Gaal's tactics and demanded he ditch the 3–5–2 system, which some feel makes United too slow and predictable.

Blind is familiar with such criticism. He was part of the unfancied Dutch team that finished third in the World Cup despite playing with three defenders at the back.

The midfielder thinks United's star players will begin to excel once they get to grips with the new system and he feels there is no better man to lead United than Van Gaal.

"He makes players better and he makes teams better. I like that in a coach. That is his most important asset," the former Ajax man said.

"It was the same when I was with him with Holland. He wanted to make the team better. As the team gets better, individuals started standing out as well.

"We didn't play very great football at the World Cup but we were a team and we were winning games, and we started playing better after winning.

But Gary Neville singled out Blind as one of the reasons United's tempo has at times been slow this year.

The former United captain accused the 24–year–old of playing it too safe at Old Trafford.

"Blind has got to start looking up more and playing forward, he plays far too many square passes and takes the easy option," Neville said two months ago.