Brendan Rodgers on why he spurned chance to work with Van Gaal as Reds prepare to face United
Liverpool take on Olympiakos at the Soldier Field Stadium in Chicago, Illinois in the International Champions cup. Brendan Rodgers before the game.
It certainly adds some extra spice to an age old rivalry.
Brendan Rodgers and Louis van Gaal could have been working together to plot Manchester Unitedâs downfall.
Instead the duo will go head to head for the first time when Liverpool face United in Monday nightâs International Champions Cup final in the sweltering Miami heat.
In May 2012 Van Gaal was interviewed by the Reds following the sacking of Kenny Dalglish as owners Fenway Sports Group considered appointing the experienced Dutchman as sporting director with a young coach operating below him.
However, those plans were shelved when Rodgers sold John W Henry his vision for the club and informed him he wouldnât work in that kind of structure.
The Northern Irishman insists it was nothing personal, he simply needed control in order to mastermind Liverpoolâs revival.
The Redsâ remarkable resurgence from also-rans into title contenders during his tenure has proved him right.
âIâm not sure how many people the club spoke to but certainly for me coming in, I was always going to work with a team of people, rather than for a director of football,â Rodgers said.
âI always think the manager is the technical director. He is the man who oversees the football development of the club, and I believe you should take on that responsibility when you are manager.
âI work best whenever I have clear communication lines with owners.
âMy only failure â if you can call it that â was when I had something in between at Reading, which was when I had a director of football.
âOne of my strengths is to communicate upwards, and if I canât do that, or if the message is watered down then I donât work the same.
âFor me it was important that when I came in (to Liverpool) I didnât want those lines blocked.
âItâs not that I can never work with one. But I felt it was important, with all the work that needed to be done, and the size of the job I took on, that I needed to have the full responsibility in order to do that job. And I think the owners backed that.â
Former Barcelona boss Van Gaal was out of work back in 2012 after parting company with Bayern Munich.
After being spurned by Liverpool, the 62-year-old soon returned to management with a second spell in charge of the Netherlands, who he led to third place in this summerâs World Cup finals in Brazil.
His new mission is to pick up the pieces at Old Trafford following Unitedâs dramatic demise during "The Chosen One"â shortlived reign.
Van Gaal has enjoyed a promising start with wins over Roma, Inter Milan and Real Madrid securing their passage to Miami.
Rodgers is relishing going up against the Champions League-winning veteran, who has won titles in Holland, Germany and Spain.
âIâve never met Louis van Gaal before, but obviously I know of him through Jose Mourinho, and I know he was very instrumental in mentoring Jose at Barcelona,â Rodgers added.
âIâm aware of the methods, Iâm aware of how he works, and obviously heâs had a very good career.
âHeâs a very experienced manager, a very good manager and heâs gone into them, and heâll look to make his mark.
âIâm very much into the tactics of the game and I am looking forward to it in that respect.
âWe played a variety of systems last season that worked well for us, and Louis has come in and adopted the 3-5-2.
âHe obviously had success at the World Cup with that, and is looking to roll it out at Manchester United, so yeah, itâs not what youâd call two standard systems or two standard coaches, itâs two coaches who are thinkers of the game.
âObviously he has far greater experience than I have, and been around for so many years. But I have learned from the best, and that is what I have always done.â
Tonight will be the first meeting between Liverpool and United outside of normal competitions since Billy Drennanâs testimonial in Belfast in 1983.
It maybe a friendly in name but Rodgers admits there will be an edge to the Redsâ fifth game on US soil in the space of 12 gruelling days.
Liverpoolâs progress to the final at the Sun Life Stadium has banked the club an extra ÂŁ2million in prize money and having come this far Rodgers wants the Reds to return to Merseyside on Tuesday with the trophy.
âLiverpool v Manchester United is arguably the biggest game in the world and for it to be here in the United States is great viewing for the supporters and the tournament organisers,â he added.
âIt will be a fantastic game and we are looking forward to it. Both teams will want to win it.
âThe priority is the fitness at this stage, and you donât want players injured, but you will have two committed teams who are at the stage in pre-season where they are starting to turn the screw a wee bit.â
Liverpool flew to Miami following Saturday nightâs comfortable 2-0 victory over AC Milan in front of a 70,000-strong crowd in Charlotte.
Liverpool take on AC Milan in the Guinness International Champions cup at the Bank of America stadium in Downtown Charlotte North Carolina. Fans shows their support.Liverpool take on AC Milan in the Guinness International Champions cup at the Bank of America stadium in Downtown Charlotte North Carolina. Fans shows their support.
The Reds were already assured of progressing from their group following Manchester Cityâs defeat to Olympiacos on penalties earlier in the day.
During a one-sided opening 45 minutes Joe Allen fired Rodgersâ men in front and Rickie Lambert saw his penalty saved by Christian Abbiati.
The pace and power of teenage wingers Raheem Sterling and Jordon Ibe tormented the Serie A outfit, who resorted to kicking lumps out of them.
âThere were some hefty challenges in the game,â Rodgers admitted.
âThe way we played frustrated Milan, and they got physical. But we showed maturity in handling it and maintaining our concentration.â
A host of substitutions dented the flow of the game in the second half as Rodgers rested players ahead of the United clash but Suso put the result beyond doubt late on with a sweet left-footer from the edge of the box.
Liverpool take on AC Milan in the Guinness International Champions cup at the Bank of America stadium in Downtown Charlotte North Carolina. Suso scores Liverpools second.Liverpool take on AC Milan in the Guinness International Champions cup at the Bank of America stadium in Downtown Charlotte North Carolina. Suso scores Liverpools second.
âWe were excellent and continued a lot of the good work that has taken place over the pre-season,â the manager said.
âI was delighted with the performance. Defensively, we were very strong and pressed the ball well.
âWe were very hungry to get the football and some of our play was outstanding.
âWe have that belief that we can win games. Even in pre-season creating that mentality is very important.â
With Daniel Sturridge having flown home for treatment to a hamstring injury, Lambert is the Redsâ only senior frontman for the final. Rodgers admits that illustrates the pressing need to bring in more firepower ahead of the Premier League campaign getting underway.
âYes. Getting another striker in is crucial for us,â he said.
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