Leicester winning title will be 'good for the Premier League' - Louis van Gaal - 7M sport

Leicester winning title will be 'good for the Premier League' - Louis van Gaal



Posted Saturday, April 30, 2016 by ESPN

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal said that a Leicester City title win is "good for the Premier League", but he claimed that circumstances have been in their favour.

The Dutchman wants to "postpone" Leicester's party, as Claudio Ranieri's men travel to Old Trafford on Sunday, knowing that a win over United would guarantee the title for the Midlands club.

Leicester becoming champions by beating United at  home would be a difficult sight for the fans to take after their own problems this season, with the manager admitting the club remain "under pressure" in the top-four battle.

Van Gaal's own position as manager is also under scrutiny, although he said he has stayed involved in talks about planning for next season.

The United boss, though, pointed out that Leicester have benefited from consistent team selections and fewer games. Despite United's heavy summer spending, Van Gaal's squads have often been depleted due to injuries this season.

"They [Leicester] had the circumstances to play always with the same team and didn't play as many matches as the other teams in the Premier League, so it's possible, always possible," Van Gaal said in his news conference on Friday.

"I think it's good for the Premier League and for football that not always the same teams are champions."

Van Gaal said that he saw Leicester's success coming long before it happened.

"I was the first who said that they could be the champions, so for me it is not a surprise," he said. "I have seen it many, many times, I believe in team-building and this manager has done that with this team."

Leicester winning title will be 'good for the Premier League' - Louis van Gaal
Claudio Ranieri's Leicester will win the Premier League if they beat Louis van Gaal's Man United on Sunday.

Second-placed Tottenham Hotspur are seven points adrift with three games to play, so if Mauricio Pochettino's men drop points then Leicester could still be champions even if they fail to win.

The United manager said: "We cannot allow them to become champions at Old Trafford. I think that they shall be champions a week later, so we won't spoil their party, just postpone it a little."

Discussing Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri, Van Gaal added: "It was never easy to beat his teams. Valencia against Barcelona is more or less a derby, so it's always a difficult match and he has always organised his teams very well."

The United manager confirmed there are no fresh injuries following the FA Cup semifinal win over Everton. He said both Luke Shaw and Bastian Schweinsteiger were making positive progress in their recoveries.



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