Van Gaal stood at the touchline, his body was rigid.
This scoreline was genuinely unexpected.
Since taking over at Manchester United, he had always treated Liverpool as his most direct benchmark.
Last season's Premier League champions—a stable squad with seamless understanding between the players and even without a single summer signing, they were still showing dominant, crushing quality.
What unsettled him even more was that this was Liverpool without any reinforcements.
Liverpool simply hadn't signed anyone yet—not that they wouldn't all year. If they were already this strong, what would they look like once they did bring players in? He almost didn't want to imagine it.
Taking over United really was a colossal challenge.
Van Gaal had never imagined that the team he'd spent a hundred million pounds rebuilding over the summer would be reduced, by half-time, to a rout like this.
Before kick-off he'd still been riding the high of four straight wins, believing that under his tactical guidance the team was gradually finding its footing—that even against a rival as formidable as Liverpool, they had a chance to compete.
Reality had just crushed him.
Liverpool, relying purely on last season's title-winning core, had played with such fluency and such incisive attacking that their front three—led by Julien had basically torn United's back line to shreds.
A hard-to-describe unease swept over Van Gaal.
He had taken on United carrying the weight of restoring the Red Devils' former glory, and Liverpool was the mountain he had to climb to get there.
Liverpool's Premier League title last season had shown, for all to see, exactly what they were capable of—and this new season, they would very likely make their mark in the Champions League too.
And now, his own team couldn't even hold their own against them in a friendly. Slaughtered like this, with no mercy—how were they supposed to cope with the new season ahead?
Was the hundred million pounds poured in over the summer really going to come to nothing?
Gaps in the back line, a lack of understanding between the players, a tactical system that hadn't settled in—the problems rose in his mind one after another.
He had believed that his own coaching ability, combined with the strength of the squad's reinforcements, would let him quickly close the gap with Liverpool.
But this half-time collapse had made it starkly clear to him: rebuilding the Red Devils would be a far harder road than he'd imagined.
Out on the pitch, the United players had long since lost their fighting spirit.
Truth was, most of them had already carried some fear of Liverpool ever since being thrashed by them last season.
If anything, a scoreline like this felt almost normal to them.
After all—this was Liverpool.
The strongest attacking side in the Premier League right now.
Out on the pitch, play resumed quickly. But there was barely any time left, and it wasn't long before the referee blew the whistle for half-time.
Peep!!
The whistle seemed to draw a formal line under United's collapse for this stage of the match.
Van Gaal took a deep breath, pushed down the tangle of emotion in his chest, and turned to walk toward the dressing room.
The United players followed close behind, heads down, walking to the dressing room in silence.
The Liverpool players, by contrast, walked off together laughing, Klopp's face full of satisfaction as he spoke in a low voice with his coaching staff.
A 4-0 lead at half-time had, for all practical purposes, already locked up the final.
And this win let everyone see it clearly: the new season's Liverpool remained one of the favourites to win it all, in the Premier League and in Europe alike.
Meanwhile, England's broadcast commentator, as the half came to a close, said this: "I imagine, like me, you're feeling utterly stunned by this first half.
4-0—Liverpool have delivered a devastating, one-sided performance, dealing Van Gaal and Manchester United a heavy blow, and showing us exactly what last season's Premier League champions are made of.
Let's talk about this match. On Liverpool's side are no summer signings, still relying on the exact same squad that won the title last season and yet this is the group producing this level of understanding and this level of fight, enough to make any opponent wary.
The front three of De Rocca, Suárez, and Sterling were firing on all shots—De Rocca's two goals and an assist were about as complete a performance as you'll see, Gerrard's long-range strikes were as sharp as ever, and with Van Dijk back organising the defence, the back line has been rock solid. This Liverpool side hasn't dropped off at all for lack of new signings—if anything, they look even more mature.
United, on the other hand—a hundred million pounds spent in the summer window, Di María, Shaw, Herrera and a host of other big names brought in, everyone was expecting Van Gaal to lead the Red Devils back to glory, and that run of four straight wins before the season had fans believing it too.
But with Di María injured and unable to play today, the rest of the side's performance in this first half can only be described as a flop.
The back line showed no resistance at all, the new signings clearly lack any understanding between them, the attack has struggled to create any real threat, and Rooney and Van Persie have given everything without being able to turn the tide.
Of course, we shouldn't write off United totally on the back of one friendly.
New signings need time to bed in after all, the tactical system needs further work, and I'm sure as the season goes on, Van Gaal will gradually find the team's rhythm.
While we're here, with this big Liverpool occasion on show, let's take the opportunity to look ahead at how the new Premier League season might shape up.
First, Liverpool. With last season's title-winning core kept fully intact, they remain, by some distance, the biggest favourites to defend the Premier League title this season.
Having no new signings for now has, if anything, let the squad's understanding carry straight through—Julien's development has been there for everyone to see, and with the steady contributions of core players like Suárez and Gerrard, as long as the squad keeps deepening from here, the odds of Liverpool retaining the title are very high indeed.
Then there's Manchester United. Yes, they were routed in this first half today, but we can't ignore the scale of their signings—Di María's pace out wide, Herrera's creativity in midfield, these are exactly the qualities United have been crying out for.
The issue right now is simply bedding in. As long as Van Gaal can adjust his tactics quickly, get the new signings integrated, and shore up the gaps at the back, United will absolutely have something to say for themselves this new season.
They'll be genuine contenders for the Premier League title again—the Red Devils still have that pedigree underneath it all, and that hundred-million-pound sum is not going to come to nothing.
Beyond these two giants, there's plenty more to watch in the new Premier League season.
Manchester City have also been busy in the summer window, continuing to strengthen their squad in a push for the title; Chelsea are showing no less ambition, spending big and sharpening their squad as they look to return to the summit.
You could say this new Premier League season is shaping up to be the most fiercely competitive in years.
Liverpool, United, City, Chelsea—all the big clubs gathered together, every single fixture between them will be loaded with tension, and absolutely worth every fan's anticipation.
And if we're talking about what people are most looking forward to, it's unquestionably how Liverpool perform in the Champions League.
Winning the Premier League title last season showed just how strong this side is, and now, with the squad settled and core players like Julien in hot form, on top of Klopp's tactical work, Liverpool are fully capable of making a real breakthrough in the Champions League—even challenging for the title itself.
Remember, Liverpool are a legendary name on the European stage. It's been far too long since the fans have seen them stand at the summit of Europe.
This new season, this Liverpool side... they just might have a surprise in store for us."
During the half-time break.
Fans on both sides kept up the debate, each holding firm to their own side.
In the dressing rooms, Both head coaches were making their own arrangements for the second half.
Before long, the break ended, and both tea's players returned to the pitch.
What caught a great many people by surprise was that United's lineup had undergone a complete transformation. Van Gaal waved his hand and, in one sweep, sent on a string of substitutes—Rooney and Van Persie both taken off.
In their place came young players and fringe reserves.
It was obvious to anyone watching: United had, for all practical purposes, already given up on this match. The huge 4-0 deficit at half-time, combined with the sheer gulf in quality the team had shown, had drained Van Gaal of any will to keep fighting for the result.
Rather than run his first-choice players into the ground for nothing, he might as well use the chance to give the fringe squad some minutes, banking experience toward the bedding-in process for the new season.
Van Gaal stood at the touchline, and what showed on his face now was, more than anything, a kind of weary acceptance.
As far as he was concerned, the result of this final no longer mattered. What mattered now was finding the problems within this defeat and getting the squad working together—that was the one thing that actually counted.
The half-time collapse had already delivered its warning loud and clear: the road to rebuilding this new season would be nothing but rocky.
Seeing United bring on their substitutes, a little while later, Klopp made his own adjustments in kind, rotating out several of his own starters.
Julien, Suárez, and Gerrard, among other key players, were all taken off to rest.
Coutinho and Henderson came on.
After all, the International Champions Cup was, at its core, a pre-season friendly. Winning the trophy mattered, sure but sharpening the squad and managing player condition was the real point of the competition.
And with Liverpool already holding such a strong lead, there was no need to run the starters into the ground any further either.
Once the second half got underway, the picture on the pitch looked completely different from the first. United, without their first-choice players, still lacked any cohesion going forward, but with the pressure eased off, their defending actually looked comparatively solid.
On Liverpool's side, though the lineup had been rotated, they still kept up a decent attacking rhythm.
Coutinho's introduction injected fresh energy into the team's play going forward—his close control and passing kept creating chances for his teammates.
The intensity of the contest had dropped off noticeably, both sides now were settling more into finding their rhythm, without anything like the crushing attacking force of the first half.
In the 62nd minute, Liverpool were the first to break the deadlock of the second half.
Coutinho picked up the ball in midfield, combined smoothly with a teammate, drove forward with the ball all the way to the edge of the box, and then let fly with a long-range shot—the ball flew straight for the top corner. De Gea threw himself at it, straining every muscle, but couldn't keep it out. 5-0!
Liverpool extended their lead further. Coutinho ran toward the touchline, exchanging high-fives with his teammates in celebration.
United, for all they were behind, hadn't completely given up. The substitutes out there wanted the chance to prove themselves too.
In the 78th minute, United's substitute striker seized on a lapse after Liverpool rotated their back line, took a pass from a teammate in the final third, and with one touch, drove a shot into the net. 1-5!
United had pulled one back even if it couldn't change how the match would end. But that goal did bring Van Gaal a small measure of comfort, and he gave a slight nod.
For the rest of the match, neither side created many more meaningful chances, and the pace of the game eased off.
In the end, when the referee blew the final whistle, the scoreline stood at 5-1. Liverpool, with a thoroughly one-sided victory, had beaten their fiercest rivals Manchester United, and claimed the title of this year's International Champions Cup!
On the pitch, the Liverpool players erupted in celebration all at once, Coutinho, Henderson, and the others hugging and high-fiving one another.
Even a friendly-competition trophy—it was still a trophy!
And there was prize money to go with it!
On the touchline, Klopp broke into a broad, beaming smile, hugging each member of his coaching staff in turn before walking over to the players to celebrate the win together with them.
Van Gaal took a deep breath, walked over, and gently patted a few of the young players on the shoulder, murmuring something to them in a low voice—perhaps words of encouragement, perhaps a summary of the lessons from this heavy defeat.
For United, this final had been a heavy blow but it might just as easily be called a moment of insightful reckoning.
One that let them see with precision exactly how far they still had to go to catch Liverpool.
The trophy presentation was brief.
The Liverpool players lifted the International Champions Cup trophy and posed together for photos on the pitch, the cameras froze this moment of glory in place.
It was, in the end, only a commercial pre-season fixture but this trophy nonetheless marked a strong opening note for Liverpool's new-season campaign.
And it left everyone even more convinced: this Liverpool side, holding onto its title-winning core and playing with this kind of form, was bound to create even more glory in this new season's Premier League and Champions League campaigns.
As the ICC final drew to a close, Liverpool had beaten Manchester United 5-1 to lift the trophy.
After the match, despite his team's heavy defeat, Van Gaal held on to his usual firmness. Facing a reporter's question about whether "the half-time collapse reflected the team's true gap in quality," Van Gaal frowned and answered,
"First of all, I have to stress—this is only a friendly of a commercial nature. It doesn't represent anything, and it certainly doesn't reflect Manchester United's true strength this new season."
"We brought in a number of new players this summer, and they've only been with the club a short time—there's still a long way to go before they build understanding with their teammates, and the tactical system still needs further work. The back line's performance today certainly left something to be desired, but that's only temporary. As the season goes on, they'll gradually settle into the team, and I have full confidence in my players and in this team's future."
When a reporter followed up by asking whether he was "worried about being unable to match Liverpool this new season," Van Gaal gave a small shake of his head.
"What Liverpool won today was only a friendly. They kept the same squad from last season, and that gives them an edge in understanding between the players but that doesn't mean they'll keep up this level of form all season long.
Rebuilding at United takes time. I believe that, given enough time for the new signings to settle in, we'll show a very different level of quality—returning to the top is only a matter of time."
In another place, Klopp was also asked by reporters about the question fans cared about most: transfers.
Klopp answered, "Transfers have never been my job. That's a matter for the club's leadership—David and his team have been working hard for this club all along, and I trust they'll bring us some surprises. My job is to lead the team in training and in matches, and to get the absolute most out of the squad we already have."
When asked to look ahead to the new season, he actually broke into a smile. "Today's win is just the start of the new season.
We have core players like Julien, Steven, Louis—we have more than enough quality to fight for every single trophy out there.
Defending the league title, winning the Champions League, and every other competition we're part of—we're going after all of it, right?
We've got the belief for that. And we've got the ability for it too."
That same night, just as Liverpool's fans were still talking about the positive momentum this pre-season trophy had brought, Liverpool's official social media accounts suddenly dropped a bombshell—announcing three major, heavyweight signings!
Liverpool's fans absolutely lost it.
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