Madman and genius. Louis van Gaal has certainly faced a lively introduction into English football.
The 63-year old newly instated Manchester United manager was quick to bemoan his team’s lack of quality following their uninspiring 2-1 loss at home to Welsh opponents Swansea.
He conceded the team list was sub-par and improvements were required to strengthen Manchester United’s flailing championship ambitions. But he defended his coaching style and tactical set-up staunchly, and this irked supporters who witnessed a disjointed side that lacked clarity in the system Van Gaal had implemented.
It had been an encouraging pre-season for Van Gaal’s squad, and they came out undefeated after most notably edging out a competitive Real Madrid side. The 3-5-2 formation had been effective during that tour, Jonny Evans being a major reason why.
However, with a recent spate of injuries cruelling first-team players such as Evans, the recently joined Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia, it was intriguing that Louis opted to pursue his 3-5-2 given the lack of a clear leader in the centre of defence.
Tyler Blackett made a costly mistake that led to the opening goal. And without Shaw in the wingback position, Jesse Lingard, primarily known as an advanced midfield, looked uncertain as his replacement.
Van Gaal did recognise the undoing of his system at half-time and changed to a more traditional 4-4-1-1 but failed to admit afterwards that his original 3-5-2 was not favourable in the circumstances. He rather preferred to lament the lack of world-class players at his disposal.
This is a potentially dangerous line as Manchester United fans argue why he hasn’t signed the necessary players at an earlier date and allowed them to settle in.
Old Trafford was restored with a buzz during pre-match and signs were positive despite the lack of signings and injury qualms. The mood soured as the visitors clenched the lead and later clenched the game.
Reluctant to chasten the new manager, fans were left underwhelmed but still hoping that the Dutch mastermind can pull off his magic. Louis was exposed during this contest for his poor set-up of the team and this was the first revealing of his inherently stubborn nature.
He has been very open at press conferences and controversial at times, but if he continues to shelve critics of his own game plan it will generate a not-so-kind response for the Dutchman. Louis the magician must now show he is just that.
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