At a club like Manchester United, there is never a ‘honeymoon’ phase for the manager. Louis van Gaal learnt this after a shock home 2-1 defeat at Swansea on the opening day of the league season. Van Gaal endured a difficult few months at Old Trafford, but there have been signs of excellence from the Dutchman and his new-look United team. Understandably, Van Gaal at the start of his United reign asked Manchester United fans to be patient. He inherited a lackluster group of players, who under Moyes showed nothing but uninspiring performances, with the exception of David De Gea. In general, the squad lacked balance.
So far, United have been inconsistent with results and performances. Wins against West Ham, Everton, Arsenal and Southampton could’ve easily ended differently. Since the start of the season there has been an improvement in the style of play. It is clear to see Van Gaal’s ‘philosophy’ has started to be implemented into the manner in which Manchester United play. Pushing for the title this season may be unachievable for The Red Devils, however, United have the firepower to cruise into the Top 4, with rivals Tottenham, Everton, Liverpool and Arsenal all encountering difficulties of their own. There should be no excuse for United not to finish in the Top 4, especially if key players remain fit for a majority of the remaining season.
Assistant manager Ryan Giggs said:
“We’ve shown glimpses over the last few weeks and hopefully we’ll have a lot of players coming back for these next games. We want to be up there testing ourselves against Chelsea and City. We feel that we do belong up there but we perhaps haven’t shown it consistently this season. The form has slowly begun to get better and better and we want to hit form going into those matches”.
United definitely have the attacking options to threat any team now, but the defence is a major concern. Injuries have struck United severely. The likes of Luke Shaw and Rafael Da Silva, have missed out on a lot of football because of injuries, which forces wingers such as Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia to play in their undesired positions; although they have done reasonably well in defence, in the long run it will cost the team. Additionally, there hasn’t been many standout individual performances from United’s defenders when they have had the chance to play; Evans, Smalling, Blackett and others have put out some poor displays this campaign. Louis Van Gaal has taken some responsibility for United’s woeful defending, but says that the responsibility should lie with the players too.
As time will pass, the shocking injury crisis should fade away. Van Gaal hasn’t eased players back into action from injury; instead he’s rushed them back into the starting line-up, because of a lack of options in specific positions. The West Bromwich Albion game saw Phil Jones and Ander Herrera start when they both didn’t fully recover from their injuries. Marcos Rojo was also played vs Hull when he had just recovered from dislocating his shoulder in the Manchester Derby.
On a positive note, problems in the squad faced by Van Gaal have been resolved. This time a year ago United were desperate for a defensive shield and an injection of pace in midfield. With Marouane Fellaini finally finding his feet at Old Trafford, Van Gaal will have a selection problem when all midfielders are fit and available to play, with Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera also impressing this season. Àngel Di Maria should not be wasted on the wing; the concept of a player like Di Maria can increase the tempo of play from deep positions: something United obviously lacked under Moyes. The Argentinian in my opinion, should play in the middle of the park.
So, we’re just over halfway through the season and we’re sat in fourth, behind City, Chelsea and surprise package, Southampton. There have been talks amongst the Old Trafford faithful of a possible title charge, but personally I don’t think United are ready just yet. Consistent results and improved results away from home is what United are lacking. Sir Alex once said: ‘Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.’ I think United should be aiming for a Top 3 finish and an FA Cup win. It’s clear to see Van Gaal is hungry for silverware this season, and the most realistic form of it would be the FA Cup; Van Gaal started a strong team against Yoevil in the 3rd round, showing a desire to succeed in the competition. With Di Maria back from injury, De Gea playing fantastically and Falcao finally scoring, every United fan should be confident about the upcoming half of the season.
