Sport
VAN GAAL MUST RETURN TO HIS DEFENSIVE PRINCIPALS AT MAN UTD
Louis van Gaal hasn’t faced many defining games as Manchester United manager. Many supporters would look back to last year’s run from March to April—in which the Red Devils beat Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City to secure Champions League qualification—as the Dutchman’s most important run in charge. However, having suffered humbling defeats to Wolfsburg and Bournemouth in the last week, the eventual success shown last year is no longer in the mind of many fans, and indeed, the press.
Van Gaal’s emphasis on keeping possession and putting defence first has pushed an alien Manchester United into public view. A cautious approach—one in which the team regularly passes sideways—has allowed United to get within touching distance of the Premier League’s summit. Despite the fans’ audible calls for the team to attack and plenty of negative attention from newspapers, it seemed Van Gaal would stick to his dissected approach. Eking out a bland win still amounts to three points, after all.
One has to ask what happened against Wolfsburg and Bournemouth, then. Van Gaal’s selection of youngsters was almost forced with nine injuries in the squad, but his abandoning of defensive principals appears odd and ill-timed. United were torn apart in Germany and outfought against the Cherries. Granted, the side played a more exciting brand of football, but this came at the expense of losing their solid base.
Whether you like Van Gaal or not, it has always been easy to respect his narrowmindedness. The Dutchman is an expert at giving the impression he knows what he’s doing, even if it’s questioned by others. While he was always going to switch United to a more attacking outlook at some point, the decision to do so ahead of Wolfsburg hinted at a man who isn’t sure of what he wants to accomplish. A crack in his vision is all the more obvious due to his usual singleminded style.
Jose Mourinho has recently suffered the same problem at Chelsea. His decision to drop Diego Costa and employ Eden Hazard in the Blues’ most advanced position barely helped matters at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho was better placed to switch things up, as unlike United, Chelsea desperately needed to try something different in order to improve their results.
As much as Van Gaal suggests he isn’t bothered by what the media thinks about United’s boring style of football, he’s starting to show otherwise. Last year’s ‘dossier’ was evidence of this. He does care, and does find it difficult when people react badly to his decisions. It’s difficult to imagine Van Gaal of yesteryear sending a team of untested youngsters to Wolfsburg without trying to make a point.
Was he trying to show the media his way is best? Or is the sudden influx of teenagers a note for Ed Woodward and the club’s money men? Does Van Gaal genuinely believe the teams he sent against Wolfsburg and Bournemouth were likely to come saga with two wins?
Even though United played more offensively, they were hardly entertaining. Van Gaal must stick to his guns, which ironically, means limiting the killer instinct. It’s not the United way, but results mean more than performances when the team is in transition. There will be a time for swashbuckling attacking antics and joyous football. Right now it’s about results, something LvG seems to have forgotten.
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