Manchester United vs Liverpool: Louis van Gaal insists 'I'm no dictator' amid reports of unrest, but says players need reason to change tactics

The Old Trafford boss was defiant ahead of his side's match against Liverpool

Louis van Gaal (GETTY IMAGES)

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has admitted that it was "alarming" to have been told by Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick that the side’s dressing room had become "flat" but insisted that he is open to their requests for change, declaring last night: "I am not a dictator, I am a communicator."

The Dutchman said he had made a change after the club captain and vice-captain expressed their concern to him – by now asking for players’ input to the game strategy, rather than simply dictating it. But he suggested it would take a very convincing argument to change his methods.

“Yes, I have changed the way that I say the game plan to them, for example,” Van Gaal said when asked if Rooney and Carrick’s intervention had prompted a rethink. “Now I ask in advance and they can say what they want. Most of the strategy is always the same because they like the way we have done it.”

The central complaint about Van Gaal is that the training sessions do not allow enough self-expression and are too dominated by study of video analyst Max Reckers’ work. The Dutchman, who insisted he has a “superb relationship” with his players, said there would, of necessity, be many meetings to discuss the opposition.

“Yeah, that’s the philosophy: that you have to make an analysis of the opponents, then you need a meeting to show that,” he said. “Then you have to make a game plan. Then you have to hold a meeting about the game plan. Then you have to practise. Then we have to discuss with the players, on the pitch, how they feel. And maybe we have to change [our approach]. And when they have good arguments [in favour of change], we change.

“So you want to change something in that process? Then you need fantastic arguments. But [the players] are in agreement with that.”

Van Gaal added that goalkeeper David De Gea’s head was now “empty” and that he was able to “focus” on football after not moving to Real Madrid and signing a new contract.