MANCHESTER, England (AP) – Explaining his team’s latest humiliating loss, Louis van Gaal used an adage to sum up the beleaguered state of Manchester United.
“It is the law of Murphy, I think,” the bewildered Van Gaal said, recalling a saying that means anything that could go wrong, is going wrong.
A great footballing institution is crumbling before his eyes. And Van Gaal, one of Europe’s most celebrated and experienced coaches, is at a loss as to how to fix it.
A 2-1 defeat at little-known FC Midtjylland in front of fewer than 12,000 fans in the Europa League on Thursday was perhaps the low point in Van Gaal’s turbulent 20-month tenure at Old Trafford. It sparked vitriolic abuse from a section of travelling United supporters and apologies from United’s players.
Local paper Manchester Evening News decided to bare its teeth, taking the bold step of calling for Van Gaal to be fired on its back page on Friday.