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TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015 SPORTS Look at places, not points: United better off under Van Gaal LONDON: There’s a simple way of measuring if For Moyes, 37 points was only adequate for sev- a “Plan B” to outwit opponents as he did at the steering United into the fourth round of the FA Cup, there has been any progress at Manchester United enth place during a season when he only spent the World Cup last year with the third-place albeit against weaker opposition. under Louis van Gaal: the Premier League position first week in the top four. And the downfall for Alex Netherlands. The former Barcelona coach talks And Van Gaal’s job seems far more secure than and the points tally. Ferguson’s anointed successor was United only col- about imposing a “philosophy” that remains a mys- his ill-fated predecessor. The air of gloom and nega- After Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Southampton, with lecting 20 points from the next 13 matches. tery to many. Equally mystifying was the complete tivity that pervaded Old Trafford last season has United on 37 points after 21 games, it was On paper, United has the attacking potency to absence of Radamel Falcao from Sunday’s squad gone, and fan dissent has been quelled with a cock- inevitable comparisons would be drawn with Van avoid such a slump in the second half of the season, when United required all the attacking vigor in its sure coach in the dugout. Gaal’s predecessor. After 21 games, David Moyes without the distraction of European football. armory to break through such a sturdy back-four. Publicly, Van Gaal is saying the right things. had also collected 37 points. But the so-called Gaalacticos aren’t always living Paying more than $60 million to turn that loan from Moyes was ridiculed for saying of Manchester City: So after a year of turmoil, despite more than up to their star billing or mega salaries. It was risible Monaco into a permanent deal at the end of the “It’s the sort of standard and level we need to try $250 million spent revamping the squad, United that a team featuring Angel di Maria, Robin van season seems unthinkable at the moment, but pre- and aspire to get ourselves to.” Whereas Van Gaal has made no progress? “You have been waiting for Persie and Wayne Rooney couldn’t manage a shot dicting how the next five months will unfold would just last week issued a typically crowd-pleasing dec- the moment to tell me I have the same points as on target, albeit against a Southampton team that be foolish. “As a coach you have to take decisions laration: “My ambition is that I have the best players David Moyes,” Van Gaal snapped after Sunday’s loss. has defied expectations to rise to third - above and you have to look at the composition of your who can collaborate with each other to form the The Dutchman’s irritability is partly justified. United on Sunday - with the league’s stingiest team and your selection and you have to look at best team in the world.” The priority is restoring United to the Champions defense. your game plan,” Van Gaal said. “We have a lot of The starting point is ensuring strikers perform League, ensuring this is a one-off season jettisoned “They came for a draw, I believe, and they go players who are coming back and (Falcao) has their primary function and find the net more consis- from Europe’s elite competition. So with United in away with a victory,” Van Gaal said. “That is disap- played the last five matches in a row.” tently. Only then will the comparisons with the fourth place, Van Gaal is on target (even if United’s pointing.” United, though, expected it was hiring a Those five games capped an 11-game unbeaten mediocrity under Moyes stop, even though United budget projections are for a third-place finish). manager with the tactical acumen to come up with run in all competitions. Unlike Moyes, that included is in a more elevated league position. — AP Equatorial Guinea braced for Cup of Nations tourney MALABO: The Africa Cup of Nations begins in and the quality of the venues questionable. Equatorial Guinea on Saturday, with organis- “The accommodation in Ebebiyin and ers crossing their fingers for a successful tour- Mongomo is perfect and ready...there is no nament after a build-up dominated by problem,” the country’s sports minister Morocco’s refusal to act as hosts amid fears Pascual Eyegue Obama Asue insisted last over Ebola. week, before adding that “everything is being The small, oil-rich central African state resolved” to get the stadia prepared on time. stepped in to save the day for the However, Algeria coach Christian Gourcuff, Confederation of African Football (CAF) in whose team will be based in Mongomo in the mid-November when they agreed to host the group stage, admitted his concerns last week, competition, despite having barely two saying: “We know in advance that we are months to prepare. going to have infrastructural problems which Morocco had initially asked the CAF to is why we put back our departure for postpone the event to avoid any risk of a Equatorial Guinea until four days before our spread of the Ebola virus, which has so far first game.” The leading team on the conti- killed more than 8,000 people in the worst-hit nent according to the FIFA rankings, Algeria countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. find themselves in one of two incredibly However, that request was dismissed, and tough groups, with the Desert Foxes drawn Morocco were thrown out of the competition. alongside Ghana, Senegal and a resurgent And excitement about staging the 16- South Africa in Group C. team event in football-mad Morocco has giv- The winners of that section can look for- en way to hope that Equatorial Guinea will be ward to a quarter-final tie against the run- able to stage a satisfactory tournament. “We ners-up in Group D, which contains much- are disappointed because Morocco is a great fancied Ivory Coast, Mali, Cameroon and country with lovely stadia and fervent sup- Guinea. In contrast, the other half of the draw, port,” Tunisia’s Wahbi Khazri told Le Point featuring Tunisia, 2013 runners-up Burkina Afrique. “Equatorial Guinea is a different Faso and the hosts, lacks the same strength in country and the organisation will be different. depth. Playing down claims that Algeria are We will just have to get on with it.” The the favorites, Frenchman Gourcuff said: “We Equatoguinean government have taken must guard ourselves from any excess of con- measures to prevent Ebola from reaching fidence. It would be a major mistake to listen their soil, including hiring the expertise of a to such predictions.” team of Cuban doctors, At least Algeria need not worry about but as for the football, many matches are Nigeria, with the 2013 champions unable to likely to be played in front of largely empty defend their trophy after surprisingly failing grounds in the former Spanish colony, which to qualify despite a good World Cup. AUSTRALIA: Japan’s Yohei Toyoda is tackled by Palestine’s Musab Battat (left) and Tamer Salah (right) during the AFC Asia Cup soccer match. — AP has a total population of just over 700,000. Record seven-time champions Egypt also The country ruled with an iron fist by pres- missed out, and so others, such as South ident Teodoro Obiang is not a footballing Africa, will hope to make their mark. “I have Kasim inspires Iraq hotbed, although it does have experience of told the players not to fear anybody because organising the CAN, having co-hosted the we have no reason to feel inferior,” said Bafana 2012 tournament with Gabon. The capital Bafana coach ‘Shakes’ Mashaba, who went Malabo, on the island of Bioko in the Gulf of unbeaten through qualifying but have had to Guinea, and the largest city Bata, on the deal with the loss of murdered captain and as Japan hit four African mainland, both hosted games then goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa. and will do so again, with Bata the venue for Meanwhile, little is expected of the hosts- the final. who face Congo Brazzaville in the opening SYDNEY: Yaser Kasim’s wizardry earned Iraq a 1-0 However, organisers are taking a step into game-after they were initially disqualified win victory Jordan yesterday, while defending the unknown with matches also being played from the competition for fielding an ineligible champions Japan were disappointed despite slam- in the interior towns of Mongomo and player and only appointed a coach in ming four past Palestine. Ebebiyin, where facilities are seemingly scarce Argentine Esteban Becker last week. — AFP The late match between the Middle East rivals looked to be heading for a gritty draw before Kasim slalomed through three defenders to scored via a deflection deep in the second half. It was the touch of class that the game sorely needed and it sealed the points for Iraq as they strive to recapture the title they won in fairytale fashion in 2007. Iraq now sit behind Japan on goal difference after the opening games in Group D and they will have high hopes of reaching the last eight, where they could potentially face bitter rivals Iran. Kasim-style heroics were hardly required by Japan, who have won four of the last six Asian Cups and were up against a team playing in the conti- nent’s showcase tournament for the first time.