Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal hit back at West Ham boss Sam Allardyce for calling his team "Long-ball United" following Sunday's 1-1 draw at Upton Park.
In a news conference at the AON Training Complex in Carrington on Tuesday, Van Gaal pulled out a four-page pamphlet of statistics and diagrams when asked about Allardyce's comments.
Here is the full transcript from the news conference:
Louis van Gaal: "Good afternoon."
Reporter: "Paddy McNair's new contract. What can you tell us about that?"
Van Gaal: "Yes, you have seen that I let a lot of players play in the first squad this season and I think that he has developed himself the most, so I am very happy that he has signed already.
"And I am always happy to sign young players because that gives a good spirit to the youth academy of Manchester United, and also the culture of Manchester United is to produce youth players. I am very happy, he is very happy, and I hope that he shall develop himself still, and more and more, and that he has a great future here in Manchester."
Reporter: "This is the first time we have spoken to you since Sam Allardyce said you were a 'long-ball' side. How do you feel about that?"
Van Gaal: "What do you think? What is your opinion?"
Reporter: "My opinion doesn't count for anything."
Van Gaal: "And that's enough? You have seen the match? You have your opinion. When a colleague of me is saying this kind of thing then, yeah, you have to see the data and you have to put the data in the right context, I believe. And I think media is also coming to the match and you have a lot of opinion about me, or about the game, or about the players and now you say that you have no opinion.
"When you have nearly 60 percent ball possession do you think that you can do that with long balls? Yeah, long balls, in the width, to switch the play. You have to look at the data and then you will see that we did play long balls, but long balls wide rather than to the strikers. And a ball to the forward striker is mainly called long-balls play.
"Now because I expected this question, I have made an interpretation of the data of this game and then I have to say that it is not good interpretation of Big Sam. It is not so difficult also to read that. So I am sorry, we are playing ball possession play after 70 minutes we did not succeed, in spite of many chances in the second half, then I changed my play style.
"Then, of course, with the quality of [Marouane] Fellaini we played more forward strikers... errr, forward balls and we scored because of that also, so I think it was a very good decision of the manager. But when you see overall the long ball, and what is the percentage of that, then West Ham United have played 71 percent of the long balls to the forwards and we 49.
"So I give you this (points at pamphlet) and you can see that also the blue ones (arrows) are the good ones because long balls are mostly very difficult, that is why I began with the explanation of ball possession. When you have 60 percent ball possession you cannot play long balls only. So again, they did it 71 and we 49 percent, and I give it you, you can copy it and then you go to Big Sam and maybe he can give a good interpretation."
(Van Gaal gets up and hands pamphlet to reporter)
Reporter: "But people will look at your team and say Marouane Fellaini is playing up front..."
Van Gaal (interrupts): "No, no, no, no. You start wrong because Marouane Fellaini was not playing before 70 minutes [against West Ham]."
Reporter: "But against Cambridge he was and that built up the belief that you were hitting it long..."
Van Gaal (interrupts): "We did not do that. I am sorry, you are saying what is not happening. We can play also along the floor against Cambridge and we did it, so it is not true what you are saying. But because of Big Sam you are talking him in behind, but it is not like that. Therefore, I ask this gentleman 'OK, what is your opinion?'"
Reporter: "Are you satisfied with the attractiveness of your team's play though?"
Van Gaal: "I think we have played attractive games and less attractive games, with every club I think, so there's no discussion."
Reporter: "When you look at the players you have got... are they going to reach their potential this season or next?"
Van Gaal: "You can always improve, there is never a perfect match which I have said once in the press conference. You have to improve and every team has to improve, that is why we are training."
Reporter: "But are you happy with the progress your team is making?"
Van Gaal: "I am happy with the results but I also think we can improve which is also the process. We have talked about already from my first day I arrived here, but we have to improve."
