adminLONDON. — Brendan Rodgers has warned new Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal that the fierce competitiveness of the English Premier League will make it difficult for him to win the title in his first season. The Liverpool manager believes that, despite Van Gaal’s experience of winning titles in Holland, Spain and Germany with clubs such as Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, he will be surprised when the Premier League kicks off again on August 16.
Van Gaal, who arrived in Manchester fresh from leading Holland to the semi-finals of the World Cup, has enjoyed a strong start to life at Old Trafford with his side unbeaten so far in his first pre-season campaign.
But van Gaal is unlikely to get carried away by the fact that Manchester United touched down in England with the Guinness International Cup in their possession.
The Dutchman is experienced enough to know that victories like the one over Liverpool in the final in Miami might score a few points with the supporters but are worth very little else. There are far bigger tests to come.
However, the manager he defeated at the Sun Life Stadium believes the new United boss might still be in for a rude awakening when the new Premier League season starts a week on Saturday.
Rodgers warned that Van Gaal will not have experienced the type of intense competition inherent to English football during his spells in charge at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Ajax, in countries where one or two clubs routinely dominate.
Van Gaal has won titles at all three clubs in Spain, Germany and Holland. But Rodgers believes he will have a battle on his hands to add the English Premier League to that list.
“I think he’ll find the competition in this league will be different to any other league that he’s worked in,” said the Liverpool boss.
“In a lot of the other leagues, there are one or two teams and those are the teams that are expected to win. “This is a league where the top team plays the bottom team and on any given day you can lose.
“I think the competition will probably take him by (surprise), and that’s from foreign managers I have spoken to over the years.
“I’ve worked closely with foreign players, and that real physical competitive nature will be different to anywhere else he’s worked before.”
Despite the fierce rivalry between the two clubs, Rodgers also admitted that he is an admirer of van Gaal and what he has achieved in his career.
“I’ve obviously been an admirer of his work and his career,” he added.
“He’s a very experienced manager and a very good manager who has worked at some big clubs.
“When you come through as a coach, you look at the guys who have a vision and a philosophy, and he was obviously one of those guys.”
Liverpool certainly did their best to emphasise the point in Miami. —Mailonline.
Online Reporter