Remembering Louis Van Gaal's controversial Barcelona stint
Louis van Gaal has been an extremely successful manager since his beginnings with Ajax but there is no denying that he is as controversial as he is highly regarded. While the Dutch manager has gone down in history as one of the best coaches in the sport, the truth of the matter is that he has built a reputation as a person who is difficult to work with, thus making his time at FC Barcelona the most prominent example of that.
The context
Englishman Sir Bobby Robson, a notorious coach known for his work with Ipswich Town, Porto, PSV Eindhoven, and the England national team, was Barcelona's manager in the 1996-97 season after Johan Cruyff's legendary stint at the helm of the club. Robson won a Copa del Rey, a Supercopa de España, and a European Cup Winners' Cup in the sole season he was there, with a prime Ronaldo Nazario having one of the best individual seasons in football history.While that was all well and good, Ronaldo left the club that summer to join Inter Milan in a record transfer and Louis van Gaal's arrival was all but a fact near the end of the season. The Dutchman led a resurgence for Ajax in the 90s, leading a young and talented side to win the 1994-95 UEFA Champions, being, as of this writing, the last Eredivisie team to achieve that accomplishment.
Van Gaal won multiple trophies with Ajax and seemed like a natural fit for Barcelona, especially considering that the club had a strong connection with the Dutch school of football. And while there were a lot of reasons to get excited, analyzing van Gaal's time at the club has to be seen beyond just numbers or trophies.
The issues
Despite the fact that, on the surface, Johan Cruyff and Louis van Gaal could be seen as similar coaches, the truth is that the difference in their ways of coaching was seen during their Barcelona eras. Cruyff and van Gaal both believed in control and having the ball, but the former allowed more creative freedom and the latter was more about the system.This created an issue from the get-go at Barcelona where Cruyff was perceived as a borderline deity and there were still several players from his era, such as a now-seasoned Pep Guardiola in midfield. And this caused a schism in the dressing room as van Gaal brought several of his former players, creating a division that was never properly fixed during his stint.
Rivaldo was Barcelona's big star at that time
Rivaldo wanted to play in the middle and van Gaal saw him as a left winger, which was the root cause of them having a strong fallout that reached its peak in 2002 when the manager came back, with the Brazilian leaving the club because of the Dutchman's return. He wasn't the only one to have issues with van Gaal's more systematic approach but he was the most prominent example.
There were also issues with the press, constantly mocking his accent and difficulties speaking Spanish. Such was the case that when he announced his departure from the club on May 20, 2000, his final words were "Amigos de la prensa. Yo me voy. Felicidades." ("Friends of the press. I am leaving. Congratulations.")
His second was one failure after the other as the club struggled for consistency in the 2002-03 season. This was a tumultuous period for Barcelona and van Gaal's arrival was meant to stabilize the ship but the club ended in mid-table when he was sacked in the middle of the season, probably being the lowest point in the manager's career until that point.
The positives
There is no denying that Louis van Gaal's Barcelona was an inconsistent side that never lived up to the expectations of his now-legendary Ajax side and didn't give the Spanish club the UEFA Champions League they wanted to achieve. However, that doesn't mean that there weren't any positives during his tenure.Most people are going to point out the league titles he won in the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons, plus the 1997-98 Copa del Rey, which were definitely significant accomplishments, but his work with young players deserves a lot of recognition, especially in this day and age in the game.
Van Gaal has always been very bold when it comes to giving young players a chance, often giving them a role in his squads so they can play regularly. His Ajax side was built on job talent but that has always been that club's philosophy, which makes the decisions he made later all the more notorious.
It was him who gave debuts to defender Carles Puyol and midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who would go on to become Barcelona legends. It was also van Gaal who gave goalkeeper Victor Valdes and midfielder Andrés Iniesta his first runs as senior players during his second stint, despite how chaotic that period was for everyone.
Louis van Gaal's Barcelona was an era of highs and lows and a lot of controversy. But there is no denying that it always had something worth talking about.
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