• Mishits

Van Gaal raises the bar

Louis van Gaal joked he would need a "bar stool" to be able to see what was going on at the Estadio Beira-Rio for the game between the Netherlands and Australia © ESPN.co.uk

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Move over Jose Mourinho - it looks like there will be a new managerial diva in the Premier League next season.

Louis van Gaal, who will take over at Manchester United after his duties as Netherlands manager come to an end at the World Cup, was a bit unhappy ahead of Wednesday's game against Australia.

You might think that, fresh from thrashing reigning world champions Spain 5-1 in their opening game, Van Gaal would have been in good spirits.

However Van Gaal had a right old moan about the view from the dugout, which sits below ground level, at the Estadio Beira-Rio, ahead of Wednesday's game and even joked he would need a "bar stool" to be able to see what was going on.

He was seen giving a FIFA official an earful during the Netherlands' training session at the stadium in Porto Alegre on Tueday and was asked at his pre-match press conference what he was remonstrating with him about.

"The dug-out is at a lower level than the pitch and from where I sit there is also a camera directly in front, so I will be like this [motions from side to side] to try to watch the game," said Van Gaal. "I will need a bar stool to watch the game properly.

"The key issue is football and the manager is part of football and I have no view. Because in the middle of the pitch [on the touchline] there is a cameraman who deprives me of the view, and with me all the coaches and managers sitting on the ground, because we are dug under rather than dug out.

"That obliges us to stand up. I'm a sitting-down coach, not a standing-up coach."

It seems Jose will have some way to go to top that next season.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd