There is nothing inherently unacceptable in scrappy a 1-0 victory. After all, with just five games to go in the Premier League season, three points carry a little more significance than normal – especially with Manchester United chasing unlikely qualification for the Champions League. They were three points that keep the pressure on Arsenal and Manchester City, even if United’s chances of returning to the top table of European football remain slim.
Except, of course, the definition of acceptability changes when the opponent is Aston Villa, the venue Old Trafford, and supporters’ patience remains incredibly thin. Despite Saturday’s victory over the Midlanders, two years of Louis van Gaal’s soporiphic football means that there is little room left for the Dutchman’s hackneyed excuses for poor quality on the field. To paraphrase Sir Alex Ferguson: there’s no value at Old Trafford these days.
Saturday’s performance might be forgiven if it wasn’t the norm and last week’s victory over West Ham United an aberration. Indeed, United’s reversion to type against Villa on Saturday should have surprised few, and not just because the Dutchman selected another Frankenstein-formation with a strategy based on circumspection.
United played poorly, in part, because of Van Gaal’s choice to field a half-fit Wayne Rooney in the team’s principle creative role. Yet, the Scouser isn’t the real reason for United’s limitations. Nor even is it because United’s engine room on Saturday contained Marouane Fellaini in the kind of deeper role to which he has never excelled.
Rooney’s inclusion as a creator has rarely paid dividends, even when the Scouser is fit, while Fellaini offers neither the subtly of defensive instinct, nor the box-to-box athleticism or passing range, to succeed at eight or six. Add the ponderous, if creative Juan Mata, and Morgan Schneiderlin’s willing but limited football to the mix, and it is little wonder that United’s attacking unit elicited a predictable level of ennui.
Yet, the real clue that Old Trafford’s supporters would head home frustrated lies in the pattern of a campaign. United’s ability to craft a result when Van Gaal needs it most has sometimes been impressive, as it was during the Reds’ victory over West Ham in the FA Cup. But with each step forward, Van Gaal’s team takes one even further back.
Victory at Upton Park was followed by another at the weekend, but against one of the Premier League’s worst ever sides, and marginally so in a game of such low quality that United might be flattered by and not disappointed in a fifth-place finish come 15 May. Whatever goodwill Van Gaal earned after United’s victory in the east end was rapidly lost at Old Trafford.
[blockquote who=”” cite=””]There is nothing inherently unacceptable in scrappy a 1-0 victory. With just five games to go, three points carry a little more significance than normal. Except that the definition of acceptability changes when the opponent is Aston Villa and the venue Old Trafford.[/blockquote]
There is no question that after two years Van Gaal has failed. Boardroom inaction speaks as much about executive incompetence at the club, as it explains the apathy in the stands. Van Gaal misunderstands United just as much as Ed Woodward and the Glazers exploit it.
In the aftermath of another disappointing game, in which United created just four chances from open play, Van Gaal sought easy excuses in the opposition’s tactics. It has always been a red herring for Van Gaal’s self-imposed limitations.
“It was not our best performance, of course, you have seen it for yourself,” he told MUTV. “I think we played too slowly and it was also difficult as they were playing very defensively and very compact. So then you need quicker play, quicker ball-speed and so on.”
The Dutchman argued that United could have scored more, although Marcus Rashford’s goal was the Reds’ first shot on target.
“In the first half we created enough chances to finish with two goals and then the motivation also with the players of Villa shall be less and the game is more easy. It is not like that though – we didn’t finish and, at the end, could have drawn which is not good,” Van Gaal added.
In a rare event the Dutchman at least acknowledged supporters’ frustrations. Fans “deserve more entertainment,” admitted the Dutchman, whose team has scored just 21 times at Old Trafford this season. It is rarer still for Van Gaal to climb down from his crumbling ivory tower; not when the opposition’s gameplan so effectively traps the Dutchman in his own introspection. The Reds’ inability to create is less about the opposition’s lack of ambition than the Dutchman’s.
Villa remains a tragi-comedy of Shakesperian proportions. It is a club without direction, fielding a team that was horrifically misshapen for much of Saturday’s game, and lacking neither the will nor the ability to attack the limited hosts. That United could not find a second against a team that conceded four to Chelsea and Manchester City, and six at Liverpool, is damning enough. That Villa, as good as relegated before kick-off, almost secured a point at Old Trafford should be unforgivable.
The Midlanders’ rally brought a fine save from an otherwise untroubled David de Gea, while the Spaniard was beaten by late header only for the strike to hit his left-hand post post. The visitors were inches from claiming just a 17th point of a cataclysmic season – a result that should, but wouldn’t, have brought instant dismissal for United’s ailing coach.
Once again it took 18-year-old Marcus Rashford to limit his manager’s embarrassment. The Mancunian’s run, check and finish brought his seventh goal in 12 games during an increasingly impressive debut season. Rashford is one of very few visions of light in a third disappointing campaign in succession.
“It was good movement, I have to say, as he runs for the first ball and then cut off because there was no space for that. Antonio Valencia was very good to see that and Rashford scored a very good and important goal,” Van Gaal added.
The goal did not mask United’s limitations or that of the Dutchman. Two years into his time at the club and Van Gaal continues to repeat the mistakes of old. Van Gaal’s selection and approach, which included two defensive midfielders again, brought a highly predictable outcome. So much so that it is apparently only the Dutchman who remains surprised at another prosaic display. This is, after all, the same introspective approach that brought defeat in home games against Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion, and so few results of note elsewhere.
Mata’s substitution for a defender, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, as United clung to victory at the death explained everything about Van Gaal’s tenure – and why he must not continue beyond the summer. Fosu-Mensah will become a fine United player, but on Saturday he was the symbol of a coach that has let fear guide his decision-making.
Still, there are opportunities for Van Gaal to leave a final mark at United – one more positive than anything that has he has offered to date. The Reds face five winnable Premier League games and an outside chance at Champions League football, albeit it is a run that includes a game against Champions elect Leicester City and another trip to Upton Park.
Then there is an FA Cup semi-final against Everton next weekend, another once great club that is now in the third decade of a slump, and suffering a palpably below-par season. There but for the grace goes United. Victory will bring a final against Crystal Palace or Watford – and United’s best shot at silverware since Ferguson’s retirement.
The carrot is clear. Whether Van Gaal has the vision to seize it remains to be seen.
Enjoyed the piece. It’s almost unthinkable that this could go on for another season; it’s just so dull. I’d put nothing past the worm that is Woodward though.
Not much to disagree with there. Poor old Villa. If they had started Gestede instead of chucking him on to try and rescue the game, they might have gone away with a point.
To me, it looks like the players are going through the motions. They’ll all be on holiday soon and coming back to a new manager, perhaps. We played in fits and starts. Blind showed a good range of passing and Tony V gave him an outlet on the right for those long diagonal balls. Even so, we rarely troubled Villa’s defence. I don’t think Lescott broke sweat all afternoon.
The semi-final beckons and I wonder which United will show up; or which Everton for that matter. I expect Van Gaal will elect the cautious approach and Rooney will start. I wish they’d go back to having the semi-final at a neutral ground. I have great memories of Hillsborough in 76 and 77, and Villa Park in 83. Wembley, or at least the new version, is as soulless a place as you can get.
Why does United only perform when Van Gaal is on the ropes? It’s a mystery to me. Would love to hear your thoughts on that Ed. Also, I wasn’t sure: was Fosu-Mensah brought on to defend or play in Mata’s position? The former might actually be understandable given that’s where he’s been playing for under-21’s. I didn’t see the subs as particularly criminal this week, but to see us line up so conservatively against a team as VG said himself was set up to defend makes no sense at all.
Two defensive midfielders at home to Villa. Got to be a sackable offence.
No doubt that under van Gaal the very good performances are the aberration and the mediocre ones are the norm. Cannot see anything changing if he remained next season.
Van Gaal’s main problem is between his ears. He’s not a man for changing.
I’ve been looking for incisive analysis and educated debate and I must say I am happy that’s stumbled upon this page. To the owners, keep it up!
On Van Gaal next season, I believe he will remain at the helm if he can secure Top 4 and FA cup. While this is certainly possible, let’s just say I would not bet a penny on it. United’s recent results mask the fact that they are just scrapping by at the moment. They have no self-belief. They can’t control games. In fact even when we’re ahead, you fear that the side can capitulate at any point and relinquish their advantage.
Mourinho certainly has he’s weaknesses. But I believe he can at least inculcate a spirit of belief, and he will also make United a cool side to play for once again.
United has great new talent. It’s pretty much the only positive one can draw from LVGs reign, even though you can also argue that he did this inadvertently, because he trimmed his squad so thin. But what we are failing to accept is that many of them may be good now, but they may hold the team back from getting world class status. Can Lingard, CBJ, Januzaj, Perreira, Wilson, etc go head to head against the current UEFA top brass? If not now, how long do we give them? Are fans going to be patient with JM when those results don’t arrive? I believe that JM will need to let some of these guys go in the end. It pains me to say it. How JM will be treated should he come, and make these tough decisions, will certainly be interesting.
The problem goes back to 2013. If we had brought in two or three good new players that summer we would have kept momentum. The team in 2013 was good, but key players were getting too old. The lack of succesion planning left LVG, one year later with a team that had slipped way too far. I think he has done a good job of building a fine young squad and we therefore will soon see success if………………….LVG goes. The tactics this year have been bizarre and playing people out of position surreal. One more year of this and we will miss out again on CL.
As the kit deal, and I guess other deals, have success clauses that allow for substantially reduced payments after two years out of the CL, it is a certainty that the decision as to who will be manager next season is commercial, rather than purely football. It does mean managerial change and it is down to whether it is Giggs or Jose. I believe the safest financial choice is Jose, so it will be him..
Should have been sacked in December. The fact it’s just more dross now surprises no one — save Woodward perhaps?
Looking at the fixture list – UTD have five more matches = 15 points.
In LvG’s alternative universe, TheLads will win them all but the key crunch will come when – in the penultimate weekend – ManShitty host TheArse. A tie would result in both teams falling behind UTD and the club with the worse goal-difference finishing fifth.
Or, as Sherlock Holmes said, “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”
Completely agree… we just need Arsenal to drop points one more time before that game with Shitty. Then we are almost surely 5 wins away from 4th/3rd place trophy…
‘There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.’ – Sherlock Holmes.
You lot are dreaming if you think we win five games in a row and finish in the topi four.
what part of “LvG’s alternative universe” didn’t you understand ?
Winning the cup and finishing fourth would be an absolute disaster