Van Gaal has no issue dealing with pressure

Louis van Gaal has no problem dealing with the pressure at Manchester United and praised the performance of his players under the spotlight against Chelsea.

Van Gaal has come under intense scrutiny on the back of a run of eight games without a win in all competitions.

A 0-0 draw with Chelsea, in which United largely dominated proceedings, ended a streak of four straight defeats going into Saturday’s visit of Swansea City.

And Van Gaal said: “I’m always doing my work. You have to do what you have to do.

“There are members of my staff who are coming to me and saying ‘boss, how can I help you more or in another way?’ I say ‘you are helping me by doing the things you have to do and as good as possible’. Then I am satisfied.

“I expect that also from my players, to do the same things. This is not my first club. It may be the last club as I have said but it is not the first club where I have had a bad period.”

Asked if the pressure on him is easing, Van Gaal added: “I don’t know because the pressure is also what you experience by yourself and also by the players because they have to perform in a certain time.

“They have to give everything and that’s the most difficult aspect of players’ function.

“In 90 minutes you have to show it and against the resistance of the opponent, under the pressure of the environment but also under the pressure that you put on yourself.

“You have to cope with that. The way we played under that pressure in the style we want to play [against Chelsea], that was fantastic.”