Van Gaal Wins 4-0 From His Wheelchair

Louis van Gaal may be the type of guy you want to avoid a party, so legendary are his social skills, but you’ve got to respect what he did this weekend. The coach broke his leg and ankle on Friday while doing a guest lecture at a Sports Academy but (like The Offside) he refused to take the weekend off, and was quickly patched up and ready for action, coaching AZ Alkmaar from a wheelchair on Saturday. That bit of classic van Gaal arrogance/bravery/showmanship – delete as appropriate – inspired his team (which has been struggling for form) to a thumping 4-0 win over NEC Nijmegen that should kickstart their season.

The Dutchman may be used to the more glamorous life of coaching Ajax to Champions League glory or winning La Liga titles with Barcelona, but he had been doing sterling work at AZ until this season. He had taken the well run but unfancied club to the next level in 2006/7, getting them heavily involved in the Eredivisie title race right up to the final day, eventually finishing in third place, behind more famous winners PSV and runners up Ajax.

Then it all went a bit wrong in 2007/8, with AZ struggling for any consistency and stranded in mid-table. But this win gets them up to 8th in the Eredivisie table, so maybe Van Gaal’s refusal to stay home and recuperate could be where AZ’s season begins.

Here’s footage of Van Gaal in action, with thanks to Makki for tracking it down. Seems those double doors offered Van Gaal more resistance than the NEC defence did to his team.

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Category: Dutch Eredivisie