Louis van Gaal: FA Cup win would be vital success to Manchester United
Friday 22 April 2016 23:46, UK
Louis van Gaal insists winning the FA Cup would make this a successful season for Manchester United, though he admits that qualifying for the Champions League remains a target.
United finished fourth in a promising first season under van Gaal, but his second campaign has been difficult and missing out on the Champions League looks a distinct possibility, despite having recently reduced the gap to the top four to two points.
Attention now turns to the FA Cup for the Dutchman, with a semi-final against Everton at Wembley on Saturday.
"I think it is always a success when you win a title," he said. "But for the club it is more important to qualify for the Champions League because we have to show ourselves at the highest level. That is also our aim."
FA Cup success would allow Van Gaal to continue a run of winning a trophy at every club he has managed, from the Champions League with Ajax to a pair of La Liga crowns at Barcelona, plus league titles at AZ Alkmaar and Bayern Munich.
"Always when you win a title it represents what Manchester United stands for," he added. "We have had a period of a lot of titles and we want to bring it back.
"And when you win the FA Cup, you have a title and a very respectable title and in England more than in other countries.
"When I see the people on the streets, they are so excited so you can feel already for the fans it is fantastic. But we are only in the semi-final and not the final and I want to speak about Everton because it is not a piece of cake.
"We have to beat Everton and in spite of the 4-0 loss [that Everton suffered against Liverpool], we have showed already this season that we have lost against Arsenal and the next match we won.
"That's the same after Liverpool - that we lost 2-0 there and then we played West Ham in the quarter-finals and made a 1-1 and that was very important.
"So Everton can do that also after Liverpool - and when you are winning, you can also lose. In spite of them having a lot of injuries I have read, still they have the chance to beat us."
