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Man Utd hero Robin van Persie explains harsh rule Louis van Gaal broke at Old Trafford
Manchester United hero Robin van Persie played under Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford.
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Manchester United hero Robin van Persie has revealed Louis van Gaal broke his own penalty rule during their spell at Old Trafford together. The duo spent just a year in each other’s company in the Premier League having previously grown close while working for the Netherlands. And Van Persie has opened up on his compatriot.
Speaking to United’s official website he opened up on how Van Gaal would choose the club’s penalty taker, admitting his compatriot adopted a ‘harsh’ approach.
“Louis changed his rule to do a practice penalty shoot-out before every game,” he said.
“The one who took penalties before took it first and if you miss, you will then be number five as a penalty-taker.
“I was like ‘so if I miss once in training, I can’t take penalties anymore!? No, I don’t agree Louis, sorry! I’ve been taking penalties for you [for the Netherlands], I never missed and then you come with this rule?’
“He said he wanted us to feel the game stress and the game tension. I said that if I miss one penalty in training, it’s a bit harsh that I’m the number five on the list.
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“After a couple of weeks, we did this again and I missed it in training.
“I looked at him and said ‘trust me, I will take a penalty if we get one tomorrow!’ He said ‘we will see about that!’ We actually got a penalty, I took it and I did score.”
Van Persie also opened up on his penalty-taking techniques, adding: “At one certain moment, I changed my way of thinking.
“I was thinking about what the keeper was thinking and then it’s a gamble.
“It’s like 50 per cent it can go in, or over, or the keeper saves it. The moment I took control, that was after six or seven penalties.
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“I was just thinking about it and thinking long-term this doesn’t work. So I just changed my way of thinking. I said ‘I’m in control, I’m the one with the ball: not the keeper. I will try and choose my corner. I will practise on that corner.’
“So I practised daily, left corner, right corner. I never dared to shoot it through the middle.
“I thought about it a couple of times but it was too scary for me. I was thinking if the keeper saves it, it looks too bad. So I just made my left and right corners very strong. If you train it, it’s easier, there’s no pressure.”
One of Van Persie’s biggest penalties for United came in a narrow 2-1 win over Liverpool back in 2012.
And he admitted that the game was ‘one of the most difficult penalties’ he’s ever had to take.
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“That was one of the most difficult penalties I ever had to take, because there was the penalty and then I had to wait five minutes before I could actually take it,” he recalled.
“And then I was focused, in my zone, but then out of it. In, out, in, out, in, out. The only thing I said to myself was ‘my right side, keep your focus’.
“I was lucky there. Pepe [Reina] went to that corner as well, but it was a good pace and I stuck to my idea. I think you own your own luck there as well, if you just stick to your plan.”
Van Persie spent three years at United.
He won the title under Sir Alex Ferguson in his first season at Old Trafford but was sold to Fenerbahce in 2015 after struggling under Van Gaal.
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