Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has defended his decision not to field Memphis Depay in the latter stages of Thursday’s game against Liverpool in the Europa League.
The Red Devils sought to overturn their 2-0 deficit from the Round of 16 first leg, which they lost 2-0 at Anfield a week ago, subsequently drawing first blood when Anthony Martial won and executed a penalty in the 32nd minute.
Any hopes of turning the tie in their favour were dashed moments later when Philippe Coutinho embarked on a solo effort, dancing around Guillermo Varela before chipping David De Gea to equalise just moments shy of half-time.
The draw sees United’s miserable season continue as they lost 3-1 on aggregate to their fiercest rivals, despite high hopes that they could salvage silverware on the continental stage following their Champions League elimination late last year.
The Old Trafford outfit were unable to build any momentum in the final 45 minutes of the tie, with Van Gaal to substituting like-for-like players rather than employing an ‘all-out attack’.
Despite providing an invaluable spark in their win over FC Midtjylland in the previous round, winning an incredible 15/19 take-ons, Memphis was not used at all against Liverpool on Thursday.
Late on, with the Red Devils desperately seeking three goals, Van Gaal substituted on midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and full-back Matteo Darmian, rather than the lively Dutch No.7.
And the manager has now responded to criticism that he wasn’t bold enough to bring on the likes of Memphis, explaining his move was as much a tactical as it was a physical decision.
“You can always discuss after the match when it is not like what everybody wants. Then you can discuss every change but you never know how that develops and I had to change players because of the tiredness,” Van Gaal told United’s official website.
“[When Schweinsteiger came on,] I had already made two changes and only had one change left and my change was that we play one against one on the whole pitch, with [Marouane] Fellaini in front and maybe you remember he had chances to score – one with his head and one with his foot. So it’s not so bad but, when he scores, yes that’s different.”
The defeat could see Manchester United miss out on silverware again this season, with the FA Cup remaining as the club’s only hope of a title.
It also damages their chances of qualifying for the 2016/17 Champions League, as the Red Devils have won just five of their last 16 Premier League games, leaving them outside the top four places.
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