Monday 21 December 2015 14:43, UK
Steve Round believes Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal will change his style of play if he thinks it will improve on recent results.
United have failed to win in their last six games in all competitions, a run which has seen them knocked out of the Champions League and fall out of the top four in the Premier League.
However, former Old Trafford assistant Round rejected the idea that the Dutchman was being stubborn in refusing to change his possession-based tactics.
"That is his philosophy and that is what the Manchester United board and ownership invested in when they brought him in. That's the way he plays, that is the style he wants his team to play like," Round told Sky Sports News HQ.
"I think he is a flexible coach, I don't think he will be that stubborn and that dogmatic that he wouldn't change if he thought he could get better results.
"The players he has got out there and the style he is playing at the minute is the Louis van Gaal way. It has brought him massive success at other clubs and has got him social capital, so he can go on a small run where he is not winning so much and stay with it, and stay true to himself.
"Whether that in the long run will be enough for Manchester United, we'll see."
Van Gaal's side have scored just 22 goals in the first 17 games of this campaign, while David Moyes' team had managed 28 by the same stage of his season in charge.
"The only criticism of the way that Manchester United are playing at the moment is they are very possession-based and control-based," Round said.
"I've always felt that Manchester United, when I competed against them coaching for other teams, were very direct, a team that was always forward-running, forward-thinking, forward-passing.
"I think they have always been that sort of team that does dominate going forward and once they go one or two goals up, they come off the play, they keep the ball and make you tired and then they might get a third.
"That was always the style; that energy and that verve and directness and they seem to have just come away from that a little bit.
"At the minute, they are a little bit more possession-based, so they are going to create less opportunities. When those one or two opportunities come along, they have got to be more clinical."
While still surprising, Round says Norwich's 2-1 win over United at Old Trafford on Saturday should not be seen as a total shock, given how other results have gone so far this season and he insists that players and staff should take responsibility for recent form.
"Norwich can beat Manchester United, Watford can beat Liverpool, Leicester can beat Everton at Goodison Park," Round said. "It is that type of league this year and it is wonderfully competitive. It is why we all love the Premier League - it is fantastic to watch.
"Blame is always a difficult word to use; there is a collective responsibility to win. Whether that is through the manager, the coaches, the staff, the players, it is their collective responsibility to win football matches for your football club, to play well and to win.
"I don't think you can ever really single it out for one person."
