After yet another ludicrous performance from Van Gaal’s side, the continuous pressure is mounting up on the Dutchman’s shoulders, but is Manchester United’s situation fixable under the current manager?
Manchester United are facing colossal amounts of problems under Louis Van Gaal this season particularly and after dropping down to ten points from the league leaders in Leicester, there doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. After yesterday’s loss against Southampton there was yet again clear signs of the fans disappointment, evidently shown as Van Gaal exited the pitch yesterday to boo’s and verbal abuse from many Manchurians, so how much longer can the Man United man last?
League Position
With this season arguably being the most open campaign to date, including high flying Leicester, Pochettino’s Spurs and Mesut Özil’s master class firing Arsenal above expectations, the points gap from the top and the red devils is unmistakably widening week in week out. To add to United’s worries, time is running out, with only 15 games left of the 2015/2016, they find themselves sitting in fifth place, despite spending £250million. On multiple times this season Louis Van Gaal has been reported to be sacked, with the likes of Mourinho and Guardiola looming over him, but has somehow stayed in his position and with last nights result it’s becoming increasingly difficult to see Manchester United achieve anything other than top four, although having a huge mountain to climb to reach it with the current performances being shown on the pitch. For a team that once filled with despair and embarrassment if they fell short of the title, it’s unacceptable to let the standards of such a great club drop by aiming for a champions league qualification every year and things must change, and fast.
Goals And Exciting Football
Despite a better start to 2016 by Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney, the contribution to goals from the other members of the squad is appalling, but can you blame them? Without trying to pile more problems on top of Van Gaal’s already sky high list, with counter attacks being cut short by a backwards pass it’s hard to find a way not to blame the manager. United’s boring style of football hasn’t gone unnoticed this season, with videos going viral of fans falling asleep it’s almost at crisis point. Relegation battling teams replace results over goals and style of play, and that’s the utter opposite to what Manchester United has been built on for numerous decades now. Now of course, with a new manager comes a new philosophy, a new style of play and a new way of doing things, yet when you undertake a job of the size of Manchester United, with twenty league titles to their name,in addition to three Champions League titles, you are expected to win, whatever the philosophy. The Red Devil’s goal average per game is currently at 1.22, the worst in their Premier League era, leaving it clear to see why Manchester United fans are thoroughly overhauled in disappointment.
Ed Woodward
During the build up to this season you wouldn’t even dream of discussing Ed Woodward in negatory terms after he was labelled as a hero for the unknown antics that occurred over the transfer of David De Gea and the well known fax machine saga, in addition to the signing of world cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger. But, the cracks are starting to appear from the Executive vice-chairman after United’s horrendous season. Woodward was quite clearly played by Angel Di Maria which saw the club lose money after the sale to PSG, Di Maria, who’s enjoying Ligue 1, is said to have used United to hold out for the French champions transfer ban to be lifted, and when it did, the Argentine dispersed. Not to forget loosing out on Cesc Fabregas last season and former Barcelona man Pedro this season, but the main concern is Woodward seems more worried about announcing new sponsorship deals than Premier League titles. Now of course, improving revenue is a part of Woodward’s job but he is also partly responsible for club decisions and according to reports has talked Van Gaal out of resigning on two,possibly three occasions. Since Woodward’s appointment at United, the funding into the famous youth academy has been reduced, leaving the progression at a halt after United’s under 18’s are second bottom in the league, thirty points behind rivals Manchester City. Leading to the next problem.
Youth Academy
Perhaps being best known for the production of young talents that have gone on to win major trophies, United have now hit rock bottom in their youth academy policy with the Under 18’s second bottom and the investment seriously lower than rivals such as Manchester City and Chelsea. Paul McGuiness who’s in charge of the under 18’s has lost the last 10 games and with City 30 points ahead of them it’s a worrying situation for what was the creator of the ‘Class Of 92’. Tottenham’s academy director John McDermott turned down the job at United’s academy despite being a boyhood fan, reason being because of the positive things happening at Tottenham at the moment. The Red Devils are currently pumping 3.5million a year to run their academy, which in retrospective of City’s £12million and Chelsea’s £7million is quite a disgrace to what was such a accomplished set-up.
Loss Of Fans
Ultimately United’s biggest problem has now occurred almost everywhere, the loss of fans support. Even under David Moyes’s reign, sitting in 7th, it wasn’t that uncommon for see a Manchester United fan believe that Moyes needs time, he didn’t complete a season and still performed better than Van Gaal this season, in contrast you would have to book the week off work to find a Manchester United fan still believing in Van Gaal, other than the Glazers of course. There’s no belief, desire or passion from players wearing the shirt anymore, epitomized by United legend Paul Scholes who said players, fans and even the manager looks bored. The fans have finally been noticed by Van Gaal who said after the Southampton loss ‘They have a right to boo me’, the first time he has significantly noticed the hostile atmosphere at Old Trafford. The atmosphere is piling up pressure on the players and staff and it’s not going to change until a new appointment is made, or a miracle happens to United’s season. Even with Van Gaal in charge, fans were literally begging on social media for the appointment of Mourinho at one point, and followed by media headlines about Mourinho and Van Gaal’s crisis resulted in LVG walking out of a post match conference.
Whatever happens in the near future for Manchester United and most importantly Louis Van Gaal, a big turn-around is needed to get the club back to winning games and escape the trap of mediocrity that Liverpool are only now exiting. Whether under Louis Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho or even Pep Guardiola if managing to snatch him from City’s grasp, the famous image of Manchester United needs to be restored, and fast. Watch Louis Van Gaal’s reaction to the home defeat to Southampton below.
Article By Jordan Clarke (@FourFourJordan)