Manchester United: Dutch legend criticises Louis van Gaal for style of play

Dutch legend Johan Cruyff has stuck the boot into Louis van Gaal following Manchester United's 3-0 loss to Arsenal. The former Barcelona manager accused Van Gaal of not being able to dominate games and resorting to a style of football that was not pleasing to the eye.

Arsenal started the game on the front foot and caught United unawares, who were 3-0 down under 20 minutes. Alexis Sanchez's brace on either side of Mesut Ozil's goal ended whatever chance the Red Devils had of coming back into the game

United never got a foothold as the Gunners brushed past their midfield and made easy work of a makeshift defence. The decision to start Bastian Schweinsteiger and Michael Carrick in midfield backfired for the Red Devils as the pace with which Arsenal attacked exposed their deficiencies.

Cruyff, who has worked with Van Gaal in the past during his time in Ajax, insists that the setup that United are trying to follow is not working for them as they are being bullied by the smaller teams but are somehow getting by over the more established opponents. The Red Devils have beaten Liverpool convincingly this term, but have been found wanting against the likes of Swansea. In the previous season, they boasted of wins over Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, with only Chelsea keeping them out among the teams in the top four.

"He doesn't dominate. I like dominating football. Manchester doesn't play like that," he told Sky Sports. When asked if he considers Van Gaal cautious, Cruyff added: "I don't think so, but it's strange that against strong teams they've got good results and with weak teams they've had difficulties. That's a strange situation.

"But the results I think are second. The game is first. Money is very important but always second. In England they play different, everybody has their own style. A mix of styles is always good. The most important part are the fans, that people going home are happy. It's their time off and you should give them something to enjoy."