With the appointment of Louis Van Gaal, things were supposed to be different. For the Dutchman’s appointment showed that the club had finally appointed a successor who has a European pedigree and has won things at the highest level. There were signs of this in pre-season when the Red Devils swept all before them, won all their matches and even collected two trophies for their troubles.
The season opener against Swansea was supposed to be the game in which Van Gaal transformed the side, vanquished the ghosts of Old Trafford and re-established the old order of winning at home to mid-table sides and proving to the world that Manchester United are back with a bang. Instead, what we saw were creaking remains of what was left from last season. A disappointing defence, a disjointed attack and a midfield who were neither able to create too many chances nor shut down the opposition from doing so.
The season opener against Swansea was supposed to be the dawn of a new era, instead it was a re-enactment of the shambles that was last season. Although United controlled much of the possession and even scored the equaliser, at no point did it look like they were going to go on and win it by 3 or four goals. Instead, they resorted to pumping long balls to Fellaini by the time the full time whistle came.
What the match proved more than anything else is the fact that this squad is in dire need of replenishment. While the signings of Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw have certainly improved the squad, the club need more than that. For all of Van Gaal’s methods, tactics and the way he wants them to play, the bottom line is this, he cannot turn water into wine. The Dutchman cannot overnight transform a squad that struggled last season and finished seventh into a side that can legitimately challenge for the League.
With the season just a game old, the club have already been hit a flurry of injuries, which has only made matters worse. With the likes of Jonny Evans, Michael Carrick and Robin Van Persie out through injury, the club have the lost the spine of the side, which, coupled with the loss of experience with the departures of Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra means that this is a side that is well and truly in transition.
With a squad that is unlikely to win the League anytime soon, what United need now is not an evolution that involves the buying of a couple of players here and there but a revolution that demands a wholesale change of the squad. That means that not only do United have to buy players, they also need to sell players they don’t need so as to generate as much revenue as they can to buy the players that they need.
If the Red Devils are to stop the rot and start winning, what they need is at least a few more players, including at least two defenders and a central midfielder. Ever since he took over, Van Gaal has insisted that he needs time to assess his players. With barely a couple of weeks to go before the transfer window slams shut, the time has come to stop assessing and start buying.
The fact that Van Gaal started late due to his World Cup exertions was unavoidable, but the simple fact is that, unless the squad is replenished this window, it seems unlikely that they will have enough to mount a credible challenge for the top four slot, let alone the title. Van Gaal previously mentioned that he only needs “24 hours” to sign a player, the time has now come for him to show that those weren’t just words and that he can put it into action as well. For if he doesn’t, it is going to be another long hard season for Manchester United and their fans who have become so used to success that even a year without a trophy seems like an eternity.