The coach of Malaysian side Kelantan FC, George Boateng, has thrown light on how he used Louis van Gaal’s beloved 3-5-2 formation to perfection, beating Group C opponents Armed Forces at Shah Alam Stadium on Saturday 3-0 in the Malaysia Cup competition.
Born in Nkawkaw, Ghana, Boateng got his first cap for the Dutch national team under the newly-appointed Manchester United manager in 2001 and has since adored his way of managing clubs.
When Manchester United first appointed Van Gaal, Boateng was quoted to have told Talksports:“He is a man of discipline but if you buy into what he is selling you and what he is teaching you, you are almost guaranteed to succeed.
“This is a man that will change the whole formation of the club. He will even try and get the youth and reserves all to play the same system as the first team and he likes to give youth players a chance.
“He is a top-class manager, and he has also brought through many talented players that we didn’t know before, like Jari Litmanen, like Patrick Kluivert, like Marc Overmars. He is a tremendous coach to develop players,” he added.
Van Gaal however has clearly struggled in his first two matches in the English Premier League with the 3-5-2 formation, losing one and drawing one, a situation Boateng has confirmed he faced in the early stages of the match with Armed Forces and still thinks it will take some time for his players to adjust to the formation.
“Understandably, my players took some time to figure out how to penetrate Forces before scoring three goals,”Boateng said.
“I like the system and I am happy my players responded well. However, the team will need about five or six weeks to get going with it.”
Stuck at 6th position on the league log in the 12-team league (Kelantan’s position before predecessor Stephen Darby was fired), it has not been all roses since Kelantan appointed rookie Boateng in April this year. The 38-year old believes the 3-0 win is his best match yet.
“This is the best match we played since I became the coach. I implemented the 3-5-2 formation today (Saturday) after only trying it out in training for two days.”
By KWAKU AHENKORAH, KESSBEN FM & KESSBEN TV
