Louis van Gaal has been here before with the press questioning him, his players seemingly confused by his philosophy and the public bemused as the season tailspins into mediocrity. The only difference on the previous occasion was that Van Gaal tired of the challenge and gave up. It was 2008 and he was at AZ Alkmaar, an admittedly different proposition to Manchester United. But the ingredients were similar. The club was under-achieving, languishing in 11th place when they had been expected to challenge at the top of the table. And it seemed as if the players could not grasp what he was demanding from them. So Van Gaal walked out. He resigned from Alkmaar in March 2008. Louis van Gaal, pictured in training on Friday, takes Manchester United to face Liverpool at Anfield . Wayne Rooney celebrates scoring United's final goal in their 3-0 win against Tottenham last weekend . Van Gaal, pictured in 2007, resigned as manager of AZ Alkmaar only to return to the club and win the title . But then something remarkable occurred in the form of a players' mutiny. The team rebelled against Van Gaal's own decision to walk out leave them and demanded him back. Led by captain Stijn Schaars, central defender and vice-captain Kew Jaliens, midfielder David Mendes and Australian goalkeeper Joey Didulica the team leaders asked for a crisis meeting with the directors and the owner of the club. 'We felt insulted when the club told us Van Gaal was leaving,' said Kew Jaliens. 'The entire squad, felt that Van Gaal is the right man and the only man who could take this club and our squad to a higher level.' As United travel to Liverpool on Sunday with Champions League qualification hanging in the balance, the question is whether United's players and directors would do the same for Van Gaal today. Of course, thing aren't quite as bad as they were at AZ. After all, three defeats in 24 games would be satisfactory for most clubs. And last week's 3-0 win against Tottenham was a possibly the first sign that a new successful United team could emerge in the post-Ferguson era. Stijn Schaars, pictured during his days as an AZ Alkmaar player, did not want Van Gaal to leave the club . Antonio Valencia, Ander Herrera and Radamel Falcao (left to right) train ahead of their trip to Anfield . Indeed before Sunday's game at Anfield, Van Gaal was confident enough to talking about extending his time at Old Trafford beyond his current three-year deal. 'This will be my last job but there could be five years to go yet,' he said. 'I can extend my contract. You never know. I'm in a situation where I signed for three years because you can build something up in that time and the club agreed with that. I don't know how I would react in the circumstances when Manchester United ask me to extend, and if I should do that.' Perhaps their 3-0 win over Tottenham last weekend could be viewed as the United players own vote of confidence in their manager. Wayne Rooney later revealed that he had spoken to the team the night before and certainly it seemed as though they might have finally 'got' the elusive Van Gaal philosophy. And not before time: Sunday's clash with Liverpool could be defining for judging Van Gaal's first season a success or failure. Put baldy, finish fourth and Van Gaal can be broadly satisfied; finish fifth and he can expect to be questioned as to whether he is still among the top coaches in the world. It is crude and unsatisfactory measure of his first season – a point here or there might make the difference between fourth of fifth. Van Gaal has revealed the United job will be his last but he could extend his contract at Old Trafford . But Van Gaal needs to demonstrate that United are making progress and qualification for the Champions League is the only tangible way to do so. Last Sunday's victory was welcome, but was notable for being one of the few outstanding performances this season. The defeats at Swansea and to Arsenal in the FA Cup are still fresh in the mind. At times United's players seem to be inhibited by Van Gaal. Some at United believe he has been in danger of losing credibility among the players at times when he spoke about his 'philosophy', given the amount of times he has changed his formation. In addition, the players have seemed 'strangled' by Van Gaal at times, said one United source. His sheer intensity seems to overwhelm them. At Bayern Munich they would relate to that. They remember him there as coach brought back discipline to the squad and who introduced fresh intensity and a crisper, sharper passing game, a tactical prerequisite for a modern elite Champions League club. The Bayern players found their standards had to rise considerably to meet Van Gaal's expectations of passing accuracy and the foundations he laid have helped build the success of the club since he left. The Bayern Munich players felt they had to raise their standards considerably while Van Gaal was at the helm . But his discipline eventually was perceived as eccentric and bizarre, according to some at Bayern. The self-confidence, which helped underpin the team as they won the German League and Cup double in the first season and reached the Champions League final, became a liability as he sought to control more and more areas of the club. They still talk with wide-eyed astonishment about the day he dropped his trousers in team talk to demonstrate that he had the 'balls' to drop any of the star players. And they still raise their eyebrows at the manner in which Van Gaal organised meal times after training. Lunch time was a communal affair. And at Bayern, the whole team had to be assembled in matching kit before Van Gaal would give the signal for the meal to start. He once refused to allow the highly-respected club doctor, Hans Mueller-Wohlfahrt, who was then in his 60s, to join in lunch until he had gone back to change his socks. Mueller-Wohlfahrt was in his white club socks and the stipulated dress code was red socks. His obsession with order carries over on the pitch and his greatest strength for some and his biggest weakness for others. Johan Cruyff, his great football adversary, is one of those unimpressed with his need to control. Johan Cruyff says Van Gaal is a very good organiser but that's not the way he likes to do things . 'The difference is that he always organises a lot of things for people,' said Cruyff. 'I always use the basic quality of people to achieve what I want to achieve. That's a different way of thinking. I always love that they do things. And when it goes wrong, well, try to correct it in one way or another. His way is more as a very good organiser. That's the way he is' Of course, when he gets it right and a club or a group of players buy into what he has to offer, Van Gaal can be phenomenally successful as his time, at Ajax and his early days at Barcelona and Bayern demonstrate. And, of course, at AZ Alkmaar. That famous meeting, when the players begged him to stay at the Dutch club was a heated and emotional affair in which Van Gaal demanded the fill support and commitment of the players if he were to stay. The players agreed. The following season they won the Dutch league, the first time for 27 years that it had been won by a team other than PSV Eindhoven, Ajax or Feyenoord. If he can do the same for United next season, his genius will be confirmed. If they lose on Sunday and the club's trajectory doesn't change, he won't need to worry about what to do when he sitting down with the Glazers to extend his contract. Manchester United face Liverpool in a crucial Premier League fixture at Anfield on Sunday .
Louis van Gaal resigned at AZ Alkmaar but the squad demanded his return . He came back and led the Dutch outfit to the Eredivisie title in 2009 . Van Gaal is now trying to implement his own philosophy at Old Trafford . United take on fellow Champions League chasers Liverpool on Sunday .