(Manchester United News)
Louis van Gaal has heaped praise on his Manchester United players for the manner in which they have adapted to his philosophy and flourished throughout the Barclays Premier League season.
United were 10th in the table after losing the last Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium on 2 November and seven points behind City. But now, some 21 games later, the Reds are third and sit one point ahead of Manuel Pellegrini’s men with only seven games left to play.
In the six months between the two derbies, United have registered 15 wins, four draws and two defeats to earn 49 points from a possible 63. That tally is higher than any other rival based on top-flight fixtures over the same period.
Asked about the most influential factor behind United’s vast improvement, van Gaal told MUTV: “The key is the players, who are developing themselves in the process of what we have done with each other. I believe because it is not only the last five matches. I think in more than 20 games we’ve only lost two times, so it’s a long row of matches that we win or at least don’t lose.
“You have very good performances and you also have bad performances, but at the end the result is good and the key is always the players. The players have to do it at the right moment, at the right time against resistance. We have one more point than City now, and we’re one point behind the second position in the table [Arsenal], so that speaks for itself, I think."
