da betsul： “It was very stupid to say three months because then the media are only talking about three months.”
da dobrowin： The regretful words of Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal after his claim at the beginning of the Premier League season that he should be judged on his first three months at Old Trafford has come to fruition. The media was always going to keep the Dutchman to his word, and van Gaal will be delighted to know that here at Football FanCast we have also been scrutinising the early days of his reign. So how exactly have things gone so far?
With regard to the players that he fields on a weekly basis, van Gaal has been Janus-like in his approach; famed for giving many established world-class footballers their first opportunities in senior football (Xavi, Andreas Iniesta, Clarence Seedorf and Thomas Muller to name but a few), he has embraced his past reputation whilst also accepting that Manchester United’s future needs to be safeguarded through forking out record-breaking sums of money on the best players. His continued faith in youth at United has been combined with a penchant for heavily expensive, proven world-class attacking talent, which makes for an intriguing combination.
The Dutchman’s Manchester United side is one in which academy graduates Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair – still relatively unknown in the English game – have lined up alongside Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao, two of the most famous faces in world football. Van Gaal therefore certainly deserves credit for continuing the much-trumpeted United tradition of nurturing locally-produced talent and giving them a chance in the first team, and although flaunting obscene amounts of cash to lure superstars to Old Trafford is hardly an admirable trait, United have been known to do so in the past (albeit in a cheaper and less desperate manner) and in truth are no different to any other team in a similar financial position. In terms of his commitment to youth and his ability to attract high-end footballers to the club, there is much to be encouraged about the opening three months of van Gaal’s reign.
How about van Gaal’s overarching football philosophy at the club? The use of the p-word in football has become in vogue in recent years, and is ultimately nothing more than a sophisticated, slightly ambiguous synonym for a style of play or a way of running a football club. Van Gaal is known to bandy the word around in press conferences and interviews, so he clearly has an idea of how he wants the club to be run. In a footballing context, van Gaal’s philosophy has appeared a little confused – the three-man defence which he favoured at the beginning of the season wasn’t exactly a success, and his prompt switch to a conventional back four suggests that the Dutchman is not yet completely sure of what his own philosophy entails. However, this insecurity can only be natural for a man working in English football for the first time and who is in all likelihood still getting to know his own players. His careful observation of his players during pre-game training on matchday, which marks a departure from the methods of Alex Ferguson and David Moyes, as well as the drastic renovation of United’s AON training complex which was initiated soon after his arrival are evidence of an impressively detailed and considered plan with regard to how he wants the club to be run.
Adhering to a particular philosophy means absolutely nothing in football if results aren’t favourable, and no matter how eclectic or thorough van Gaal’s philosophy may be, an evaluation of how his United side have performed on the pitch is what counts the most. The first month was calamitous – a home loss to Swansea in his first competitive game in charge was followed by two drab draws against Sunderland and Burnley, not to mention a 4-0 humiliation at the hands of League One side MK Dons in the League Cup. However, the arrival of a number of deadline day signings has unsurprisingly coincided with an upturn in the club’s performances, and three wins in four games has seen optimism slowly creeping back to Old Trafford. Unlike last season, the Premier League’s top sides will feel genuinely threatened by United given that they now boast one of the most fearsome attacks in world football. The biggest task at hand for van Gaal is shoring up the leaky, lightweight defence so that their recent improvement does not prove to be a flash in the pan.
Louis van Gaal was probably right in saying that judging his performances after quarter of a year is premature. Nevertheless, there are enough signs to suggest that his debut season at Old Trafford will at least be an improvement on David Moyes’ short-lived tenure. A serious title challenge remains highly unlikely, however the Dutchman needs to be afforded time, a luxury which Moyes was deprived of during his ill-fated time at the club. His start has been far from perfect, but neither has it been a disaster – it is in May, with a full season under his belt, that we can begin to judge whether he has improved Manchester United or not. When that time comes, van Gaal can have no excuses.