Manchester United fans must have been extremely gleeful when the Dutch national Louis Van Gaal agreed to replace the not-so-successful David Moyes, whose first year with the Red Devils was disastrous. Van Gaal appointed Ryan Giggs as his assistant manager, the player turned coach who replaced Moyes in the interim last season after the manager’s sacking.
Much was expected with the arrival of Louis Van Gaal, and, looking at his track record it was definitely something the Glazer family too had put their faith in. Back to back losses against weak teams had made the team susceptible to criticism from fans around the world. This is something which was not quite common with United when the enigmatic Sir Alex Ferguson was around.
Ferguson was responsible for winning 49 trophies managing United. It was under his reign, Manchester United re-gained the reputation as one of the best and most successful clubs in the world. Moyes was expected to carry on his legacy, but his tactical expertise didn’t seem to help him and the team succumbed to their poor form.
Eventually, Moyes was sacked and Van Gaal was brought in. A contrasting comparison between the two recent managers reveal a result which none of us would have expected.
The Scotsman seemed to have a much more firm grip on the team’s performance by picking up 17 points, four more than his Dutch counterpart subsequently after 10 games. Not only this, Moyes managed to outrank Louis Van Gaal in nearly every department; be it goals scored or goals conceded.
The factual analysis raises more questions than it actually answers. Moyes sympathizers would have a concrete argument as to why the Scotsman was not given an opportunity to prove himself in the long run, given the fact that the team was just learning to survive the competition without Ferguson for the first time in years. The two discernible signings which we saw during the Moyes era, was the two-time Chelsea player of the year Juan Mata and the Belgian international Marouane Fellaini.
Manchester United, under Van Gaal, have already witnessed record signings worth £150 million. This includes players like, Ander Herrera (midfielder), Luke Shaw (defender), the Argentinean sensation Angel Di Maria, Ajax defender Daley Blind and last but not the least Colombian international Radamel Falcao on loan from AS Monaco. Such a massive spending, you would certainly expect some positive results, wouldn’t you? Well, unfortunately this hasn’t exactly been the case. There are several reasons as to why nothing has worked out perfectly for the Dutchman.
He has been completely rooted in his transactions this summer. Making big signings is something every team fancies, but those particular signings need to click together to have any kind of impact over rivals. Bringing in expensive players is half the battle won. It is a difficult task for the existing players to get accustomed to a meticulous formation, much less if the formation keeps changing. Van Gaal has been trying out to work out a winning combination, however such frequent changes deter the confidence of players, leading to inconsistency in the various aspects of the game.
Wayne Rooney could well hold the key to United’s success. His extensive experience coupled with killer striking instincts have been testimonial to the numerous wins which he has delivered single handedly for his team. LVG needs to build his club around Rooney, rather than Robin Van Persie. With Rooney now playing the role of a central attacking midfielder, his striking options have considerably diminished, which is not something he was very happy about early in the season.
With the winter transfer window right around the corner, rumours are spreading like wildfire that Manchester United are on track to make some more big signings. The question is, having already spent £150 million in the summer signing spree, are more signings actually required? If yes, will these signings guarantee them a spot in next year’s Champions League?
Lately, the kind of form they are in, with all the inconsistencies, injuries, not to mention the lack of wins at away fixtures, their chances of holding on to the top four spots is extremely feeble. The players as well as the manager need to work out the issues as a team and give their best. Louis Van Gaal needs to find his winning XI soon before the hopes for another title run are crushed by the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City.
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