Manchester United - West Ham Preview: Bilic defends Van Gaal from 'boring' tag

Posted Sunday, December 06, 2015 by Goal.com

The Hammers are looking to complete an impressive Premier League first by beating their opponents on Saturday but will be without the injured Diafra Sakho and Dimitri Payet

Slaven Bilic has defended Manchester United from accusations they play "boring" football as he prepares to take his West Ham side to Old Trafford on Saturday.

Louis van Gaal's tactics have come under increasing scrutiny following back-to-back draws with PSV and Leicester City and a run of results that includes four 0-0 draws in their last eight games in all competitions.

Rumours have emerged this week that United are already considering replacements for Van Gaal, with Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri named in one report as the prime target to restore some attacking style.

Bilic, however, has praised the 20-time champions for their results so far this season, with United boasting the best defensive record in the Premier League and remaining unbeaten in the league since the 3-0 loss to Arsenal in early October.

"They are different than, let's say, the [Alex] Ferguson era, when especially at home they were electric, playing more vertically," he said. "But you say narrow victories, but they are victories.

"They're not conceding goals and somebody said they are boring, but they are not a team that is giving you the ball and defending.

"Especially at home, when the opponents are defending with numbers and are compact, you can't play very vertically. You need gaps and space behind or in between the lines of the opponent. That's hard to find.