The midfielder says his present trainer has a great deal in common with the Dutchman he played under during his time at Old Trafford.
Paris Saint-Germain ace Ander Herrera has attracted comparisons between Thomas Tuchel and Louis van Gaal, highlighting how they create teams” organised by place”.
Herrera became the first signing of Van Gaal’s tenure at Old Trafford in the summer of 2014, committing to a four-year contract with the Red Devils.
The Spanish midfielder took in 70 appearances across all competitions, while the Dutchman was accountable, but struggled to nail down a regular place in the starting XI.
Van Gaal guided United to fourth position during his first season at the helm but was dismissed a year later despite masterminding an FA Cup triumph.
Herrera spent the next three seasons in the Theatre of Dreams before moving on to pastures new last summer, registering for PSG on a free transfer.
Injuries have disrupted the 30-year-old’s debut effort in Ligue 1, but he’s still played a small role in the French champions’ most current title defence and run into the Champions League quarter-finals.
Tuchel has had his critics because succeeding Unai Emery from the PSG hot seat back in 2018, and it’s been suggested that the club could make a different shift in the dugout at the end of the season.
Herrera admits that Tuchel favours the identical pragmatic training style as Van Gaal, which will be a far cry in the doctrine he used to when playing for Marcelo Bielsa in Athletic Club prior to his move to United.
“In broad summary, he makes me think of Van Gaal. He enjoys football organised by place,” Herrera said of the PSG boss during a meeting with Stadio TV.
“He’s nothing to do, by way of instance, with Marcelo Bielsa, a coach who favors attacking play, but that is looking for soccer in constant movement, where you need to break the lines, go get yourself.”
PSG are on course to end their long wait for European Cup glory this year, having dispatched Borussia Dortmund 3-2 on aggregate at the last-16.
Tuchel’s men were defeated 2-1 in Westfalenstadion but made a much-improved performance in the second leg in Parc des Princes to conquer the German outfit 2-0 and progress to the last eight years for the first time in four decades.
Herrera added on the burden of expectation being shouldered by the PSG players: “The requirement that there is in Paris, I had never understood it before.
“Here, winning is an entire obligation, otherwise, it’s a tragedy. We lost two -1 in Dortmund. In the Champions League, it was a good away result. Nevertheless, it was considered a complete tragedy. In the return, the group cohesion was incredible and it gave us the victory. ”
The Spain global went on to tackle Tuchel’s penchant for tinkering with his group and formation, a ploy which finally paid off in PSG’s newest Champions League tie.
“The system has changed a lot during the season, but folks do not watch much of Ligue 1,” Hererra added. “We played several times with a defence of four, but with a guardian who incorporates into the midfield.
“At the end, we were used for this system. But from the Champions League, I believe we never did it. Folks keep these games in your mind and look for controversy. He’s a mentor who also likes to alter the machine a lot during games.”
