Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal may have been in defiant mood ahead of his side’s FA Cup fourth round tie at Derby County on Friday but a defeat by the second-tier club could push the Dutchman to breaking point.
Van Gaal was booed by his own fans following Southampton’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford last week which left United five points off the Champions League places.
Failure to qualify for a place among Europe’s elite would be a huge blow but some of the pain could be offset by a good Cup run.
Indeed United’s victory over Everton in the 1995 FA Cup final is now widely regarded as marking a turning point in the career of celebrated manager Alex Ferguson, whose early tears at Old Trafford offered no hint of the sustained run of trophy-laden success that was to come.
United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward had been rock solid so far in his support of van Gaal, which is perhaps hardly surprising since he appointed him but losing to Midlands side Derby would be something else.
“It is fantastic of course, but that also gives you a lot of pressure,” said van Gaal of Woodward’s support at a news conference on Thursday.
“When the board has such confidence, the pressure is much higher than when they say it is your last game or something like that.
“When your confidence is not so high, you can fight against it. When you can fight, you have bigger motivation than when they support you.
“But I am always fighting.”
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