Ryan Giggs explains how Van Gaal not Sir Alex Ferguson helped him in tactics with Wales

Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs enjoyed a long and triumphant career with the Red Devils, before he ventured into team management, taking up the main role with the Wales national team. The Welshman has, however, claimed that his managerial tactics were not inspired by Sir Alex Ferguson, rather from Dutch manager Louis van Gaal.

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Ryan Giggs sheds light on management under Sir Alex Ferguson

In an interview with The Athletic recently, Ryan Giggs was quizzed about his strategy in Wales' qualification for Euro 2020. Giggs revealed that he played under Sir Alex Ferguson for around 20 years, and he would often name the squad half an hour before the game. There were games, such as that against Barcelona in 2008, when Ferguson would want to work on something, which would lead to changes, but players knew their job most of the time, said the Wales manager. 

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Ryan Giggs lauds Van Gaal's management strategy

Ryan Giggs claimed that even if the players were surprised by any of Sir Alex Ferguson's decisions, they couldn't do much about it due to the paucity of time. However, it was Louis van Gaal who focused more on the tactical aspects of the game, different players and philosophies, forcing Giggs to think that Van Gaal ventured into club management with the mentality of managing an international team. Van Gaal was sacked by Manchester United in 2016 just days after winning the FA Cup.

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Ryan Giggs follows Van Gaal's tactics during Wales vs Slovakia

Ryan Giggs acted as Van Gaal's assistant at Manchester United for close to two years, having learnt the nuances of management under the Dutch manager. He asserted that Van Gaal's philosophy impacted him a lot, courtesy of it being his first managerial job. Giggs revealed that he followed Van Gaal's strategy against Slovakia of informing the players about the playing XI 24 hours before the game so that it would come as less of a shock to certain players.

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