If Louis Van Gaal was to take the Netherlands to the World Cup final and win it, he would barely have time to parade the trophy back home until he is due to go away with Manchester United on their pre-season tour to the United States. United play Los Angeles Galaxy on 23 July and they will want to get some time in on the training pitch with their new manager before then.

The Premier League is an all-consuming competition to manage in. To my mind it is the most competitive league in the world and for all Van Gaal’s experience, and all his success, he has never been there before. There is no time off in December and January as he has been used to in the Netherlands, Spain and Germany. There will be little time to acclimatise and get to know his squad. He cannot afford to miss one day of pre-season.

For a top manager like Van Gaal and a club the size of United, there is no breathing space. He goes straight from a World Cup, which continues today with the quarter-final against Costa Rica, to a pre-season with United. He will know that a good pre-season is essential to get to know his squad and to integrate his new players. He will know he cannot afford to waste any time spent with them. Then the new season begins and United fans want the best. They will expect to win the league.

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In the modern day, the biggest clubs go on big pre-season tours to the United States or to Asia. As managers you have to accept that it is part and parcel of the job. If a club wants to fork out the big money on transfer fees and salaries then commercial tours are part of earning that money.

As for the Premier League itself, it is unpredictable, even for a manager as experienced as Van Gaal. An understatement, but it is not an easy league to win. Every manager needs a pre-season to get to know his squad, and learn its strengths and weaknesses. So there will be no respite for Van Gaal as he goes from an exhausting World Cup finals straight into the build-up to the Premier League season.

Ideally you want to have the squad as near to complete when pre-season starts. United have signed Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw, which is a start. Last season, Tottenham made their signings in decent time but they still had Gareth Bale hanging around to the very end. Dimitar Berbatov went on the last day of the summer window in 2008. It is not always productive to have players sold at the last minute.

Shape Created with Sketch. Netherlands 2 Mexico 1 player ratings Show all 23 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Netherlands 2 Mexico 1 player ratings 1/23 Jasper Cillessen Looked nervous in the early stages but stood up firm when called upon. Very little he could have done about Giovani dos Santos’ wonder strike. 7 Getty Images 2/23 Paul Verhaegh Did the unglamorous, but essential, job of mopping up after any Dutch mistakes in front of the backline. A composed and measured performance from right-back. 7 Getty Images 3/23 Daley Blind Raced forward wherever possible but lacked the desire to get back when needed. Appeared complacent with Dirk Kuyt as cover. 6 Getty Images 4/23 Ron Vlaar The Aston Villa man delivered a typically stern and imposing performance. Did very little wrong and posed a threat from set-plays. 7 Getty Images 5/23 Bruno Martins Indi Replaced Nigel de Jong after just nine minutes and delivered a combative and committed display. 7 Getty Images 6/23 Stefan de Vrij Desperately unlucky not to have scored, forcing Guillermo Ochoa into a stunning second-half save, but kept his head up and delivered a good shift. 7 Getty Images 7/23 Georginio Wijnaldum The PSV starlet was muzzled for much of the first half but found more joy in the second. Ran at the Mexico defence to some success. 7 Getty Images 8/23 Dirk Kuyt Playing more defensively than British audiences will have been expecting, after featuring in attack for Liverpool, Dirk Kuyt delivered an impressive shift. Never stopped running on his 100th cap. 7 Getty Images 9/23 Wesley Sneijder Will be remembered for the bullet finish which got the Netherlands back into the game. Had a quiet game though which, like his tournament as a whole, lacked penetration. 6 Getty Images 10/23 Arjen Robben Eventually won his side a penalty after many failed attempts at allegedly deceiving the referee. Had one decent shout in the first half. The Bayern Munich man was tireless, however, and never gave up in his pursuit of a goal. 7 Getty Images 11/23 Robin van Persie Despite the expectations on his shoulders, this was a decidedly quiet afternoon from the Manchester United striker. Was substituted for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who ultimately won the game. 6 Getty Images 12/23 Klaas Jan Huntelaar Despite only being on the pitch for little over fifteen minutes, the Schalke striker made his mark. Scoring the penalty which won Netherlands the game, Huntelaar was confident enough in his own abilities to take the spot-kick. 8 Getty Images 13/23 Ochoa.jpg A stunning display defaced by two late, unstoppable, goals. After brilliantly saving Stefan de Vrij’s point blank effort, it was clear that it would take quite a strike to get past Ochoa tonight. Lightning struck twice. 8 14/23 Paul Aguilar Striving to get forward, while remaining wary of the Dutch counter attack, this was a decent if unremarkable outing for Paul Aguilar. 6.5 15/23 Rafael Marquez After earning many plaudits over an illustrious career, the former Barcelona centre-back had an afternoon to forget. Clumsily bundling into every Dutch attacker in sight, it’s no great surprise that he gave away the late penalty. 5 16/23 Francisco Rodriguez An excellent first half display wasn’t built upon and Francisco Rodriguez ultimately struggled to handle the Netherlands’ attacking prowess in the final stages. The heat will surely have been a factor. 7 17/23 Miguel Layun Began the game by showcasing his abilities to shoot from distance but rightfully opted to shift his focus towards firing crosses into the Dutch area. Cutting inside dangerously, this was an impressive performance. 7 18/23 Carlos Salcido With a frightening ability to shoot from distance, Carlos Salcido will perhaps wonder if he could have contributed more. 6 19/23 Hector Moreno Standing up to the Netherlands attack for much of tonight’s game, Hector Moreno will be bitterly disappointed to have been part of a defence which conceded two late goals. 6.5 20/23 Hector Herrera Tried to join the Mexican strikeforce whenever possible but was understandably nervous about leaving the door open behind him. A mature, if unadventurous, display. 7 21/23 Andres Guardado Was occasionally isolated on the left flank and struggled to create chances with such little cover. Unlucky not to have scored with a long-range effort in the second half. 6.5 22/23 Giovani Dos Santos Scoring a stunning goal to set Mexico up for an unlikely victory, the former Tottenham Hotspur man was a delight to watch. A regular thorn in the Netherlands’ side, this was an exciting performance. 7 23/23 Oribe Peralta With the weight of a nation’s expectations on his shoulders, Mexico’s Mr. Reliable failed to live up to his billing. 6 1/23 Jasper Cillessen Looked nervous in the early stages but stood up firm when called upon. Very little he could have done about Giovani dos Santos’ wonder strike. 7 Getty Images 2/23 Paul Verhaegh Did the unglamorous, but essential, job of mopping up after any Dutch mistakes in front of the backline. A composed and measured performance from right-back. 7 Getty Images 3/23 Daley Blind Raced forward wherever possible but lacked the desire to get back when needed. Appeared complacent with Dirk Kuyt as cover. 6 Getty Images 4/23 Ron Vlaar The Aston Villa man delivered a typically stern and imposing performance. Did very little wrong and posed a threat from set-plays. 7 Getty Images 5/23 Bruno Martins Indi Replaced Nigel de Jong after just nine minutes and delivered a combative and committed display. 7 Getty Images 6/23 Stefan de Vrij Desperately unlucky not to have scored, forcing Guillermo Ochoa into a stunning second-half save, but kept his head up and delivered a good shift. 7 Getty Images 7/23 Georginio Wijnaldum The PSV starlet was muzzled for much of the first half but found more joy in the second. Ran at the Mexico defence to some success. 7 Getty Images 8/23 Dirk Kuyt Playing more defensively than British audiences will have been expecting, after featuring in attack for Liverpool, Dirk Kuyt delivered an impressive shift. Never stopped running on his 100th cap. 7 Getty Images 9/23 Wesley Sneijder Will be remembered for the bullet finish which got the Netherlands back into the game. Had a quiet game though which, like his tournament as a whole, lacked penetration. 6 Getty Images 10/23 Arjen Robben Eventually won his side a penalty after many failed attempts at allegedly deceiving the referee. Had one decent shout in the first half. The Bayern Munich man was tireless, however, and never gave up in his pursuit of a goal. 7 Getty Images 11/23 Robin van Persie Despite the expectations on his shoulders, this was a decidedly quiet afternoon from the Manchester United striker. Was substituted for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who ultimately won the game. 6 Getty Images 12/23 Klaas Jan Huntelaar Despite only being on the pitch for little over fifteen minutes, the Schalke striker made his mark. Scoring the penalty which won Netherlands the game, Huntelaar was confident enough in his own abilities to take the spot-kick. 8 Getty Images 13/23 Ochoa.jpg A stunning display defaced by two late, unstoppable, goals. After brilliantly saving Stefan de Vrij’s point blank effort, it was clear that it would take quite a strike to get past Ochoa tonight. Lightning struck twice. 8 14/23 Paul Aguilar Striving to get forward, while remaining wary of the Dutch counter attack, this was a decent if unremarkable outing for Paul Aguilar. 6.5 15/23 Rafael Marquez After earning many plaudits over an illustrious career, the former Barcelona centre-back had an afternoon to forget. Clumsily bundling into every Dutch attacker in sight, it’s no great surprise that he gave away the late penalty. 5 16/23 Francisco Rodriguez An excellent first half display wasn’t built upon and Francisco Rodriguez ultimately struggled to handle the Netherlands’ attacking prowess in the final stages. The heat will surely have been a factor. 7 17/23 Miguel Layun Began the game by showcasing his abilities to shoot from distance but rightfully opted to shift his focus towards firing crosses into the Dutch area. Cutting inside dangerously, this was an impressive performance. 7 18/23 Carlos Salcido With a frightening ability to shoot from distance, Carlos Salcido will perhaps wonder if he could have contributed more. 6 19/23 Hector Moreno Standing up to the Netherlands attack for much of tonight’s game, Hector Moreno will be bitterly disappointed to have been part of a defence which conceded two late goals. 6.5 20/23 Hector Herrera Tried to join the Mexican strikeforce whenever possible but was understandably nervous about leaving the door open behind him. A mature, if unadventurous, display. 7 21/23 Andres Guardado Was occasionally isolated on the left flank and struggled to create chances with such little cover. Unlucky not to have scored with a long-range effort in the second half. 6.5 22/23 Giovani Dos Santos Scoring a stunning goal to set Mexico up for an unlikely victory, the former Tottenham Hotspur man was a delight to watch. A regular thorn in the Netherlands’ side, this was an exciting performance. 7 23/23 Oribe Peralta With the weight of a nation’s expectations on his shoulders, Mexico’s Mr. Reliable failed to live up to his billing. 6

Liverpool are getting their business done quickly. They completed the deal for Emre Can this week plus they already have Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert which gives Brendan Rodgers the chance to work with them immediately. It does not look like they are messing about with Luis Suarez either. That is how a manager likes it. If the decision is to let a player go, then get the deal done. Don’t hold out until the last day for the very last pound.

Once Van Gaal is into the season, there is very little respite – although he will not have the pressure of mid-week European football. At Spurs last season I found that the games came thick fast. The stress of it was a shock at first but you get used to it. I liked the fact that I did not have long to stew on a bad result. Just as you could not be too pleased with yourself after a win. The pre-season is so important. It is when you lay down the foundation for the season. I picked up a Spurs team that was on the slide midway through the season and I had to change the mindset of how we played. We needed to score more goals and I had to change the tactics accordingly. It took some time but we got there in the end.

As a manager you need some time when you can be alone with your thoughts and try to solve the problems you are facing. I would run on the treadmill in the gym at the training ground and that was my time when I relaxed and turned things over. A lot of managers told me that they did that in the drive into the training ground. For some of them it was a four-hour round journey but it was there that they got all their thinking done and made their phone calls.

You have to be in regular contact with the chairman, and there are always agents on offering players. At Spurs I made sure that I was watching a lot of under-16s, youth teams and under-21s. I would try to get to other games in the Premier League if I could. Or I would watch a game on a DVD. It was non-stop. But I loved it.

When you are that worn out at the end of the day there is no problem going to sleep. The problem comes if you wake up, because there is so much on your mind you can’t drop off again. It’s always the case that the manager cares more than the players. It has always been that way.

United will be keen to support Van Gaal as much as they can. The history around a lot of the big foreign managers who have come into the Premier League in recent years is that they get big transfer funds to spend. United want to succeed and they have already spent well over £50m. That’s where it was hard for Pepe Mel, who took over at West Bromwich Albion in mid-season with no knowledge of the Premier League. He came into a club where there was never going to be the funds and the battle for survival was hard.

I will be interested to see how Van Gaal uses his new assistant Ryan Giggs. Ryan should not be there to put the cones out. He can’t be that man. They will have to use him properly in the training session. He should not be a dog’s body, not with everything he has achieved in his time at United. He knows the club better than anyone. He knows the Premier League and English football well.

In many leagues in Europe, the big teams can go to the smaller clubs and win at a canter. You cannot do that in the Premier League. Every club, big or small, presents a challenge. Ryan will be able to help Van Gaal a great deal. He knows the league, he knows the players. He knows the challenges that certain clubs will present. That will be vital for Van Gaal as he is new to English football.

Ryan can also learn from the new manager and in time he could be taking sessions himself. There is nothing worse than standing there on the side of the pitch, doing nothing. Why have people there if they are going to be redundant? Why have coaches who are just there because they are the manager’s mates? They have to be contributing something.

I wouldn’t want to work anywhere I was just reduced to the role of an observer. As a manager of a Premier League club, Van Gaal will know that there is more than enough to be done. So he will have to get the right people doing the right things. He needs to use Ryan in a role where he is contributing.

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