2. Don’t play two holding midfielders together…
I’ve seen this routine being practice in every game United play and being a United fan myself, I sometimes feel that the team’s central midfield is as slow as a tortoise. Van Gaal has deployed the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Michael Carrick in the central midfield and we know how slow they actually are. Even against PSV at home, United play with Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger and both happen to be deep-lying midfielders, with no pace whatsoever.
It’s being done to dictate possession in those key, central areas such that United can take control of the game fully but doesn’t lead to any end product, leading to a shortage of goals. And even otherwise, there’s no pace in the lineup and this pair of slow sitting midfield players doesn’t help in any way too. Playing Ander Herrera in that area would help a lot, adding more energy and pace to the side.