Louis van Gaal has had a promising pre-season with Manchester United so far and it seems interesting to see how the team has come together so quickly. Van Gaal’s effective usage of players like Ashley Young, who were terribly out of form for the last two seasons and Johnny Evans who looks a completely new and powerful performer for the team, it seems that it wasn’t only the players who let down the club last season.
Louis van Gaal’s philosophy seems to be working.
Van Gaal comes with a philosophy. It is either his way or the highway. He chooses his players, his formation and his tactics and yes, he has been there and done that with top clubs like Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Ajax. With his experiences with top players and teams, he is not going to be intimidated by the top players in Manchester United. Nor is he going to lack the killer instinct required to manage the team.
David Moyes struggled more because he had no experience in handling big players in a big club. Plus, he came with no specific philosophy and idea. With Everton, Moyes handled a team which could stretch itself and finish 6th or 5th. For this, it was more about the necessary steps that they had to take while playing against tougher opponents. Moyes always had a go-to man in Fellaini and the rest of the players knew they had to pass to him. In Manchester United, he struggled to implement any sort of top tactics.
The new formation change looks refreshing.
The 3-5-2 seems to work well for the Red Devils. It is a significant change from their famous 4-4-2. Playing with three central defenders, all decent but not yet the world class levels of their competitors, van Gaal seems to have gelled work rate and philosophy well into his team. With two out and out wingers Valencia and Young, he has made them players who are willing to run down the flanks and help well in defence as well, while using their crossing skills to supply to the central players.
Playmaker Juan Mata gets a spot in between two central midfielders and two strikers. This seems to be his best position on the pitch, dictating play and creating chances for the strikers and getting some goals himself. Moyes could have changed the formation to his liking if he was uncomfortable with 4-4-2, which he clearly was. Getting Fellaini ahead behind Rooney or van Persie could have worked in his favour even if it meant rotating either of the strikers.
Key Players are fitting in well.
Ander Herrera and Juan Mata are fitting well in van Gaal’s plans in Manchester United. The former Chelsea star, often criticised for his poor workrate in defensive areas, has found a good position to play and dictate the game from the advanced position while Ander Herrera seems to do so from a deeper position.
Luke Shaw, an attack minded full back may get an opportunity to play in a wing-back role, which offers him more attacking options. With his technical ability being very good, we can expect him to improve a lot this season and start developing as an overall performer.
The Final Verdict:
It looks good to see Manchester United back in their better form winning all 5 of their pre-season matches. Van Gaal can effectively make them strong title contenders with a couple of signings added in some key defensive and midfield positions. With Manchester United coming back into power and Liverpool also trying their best to match the strength of other teams of UCL pedigree, the Premier League would have many competitive teams and would make the league much more interesting and exciting.