Dark Days For Manchester United

It was sink or swim time for Manchester United against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. United were coming into this game under a lot of pressure. They are on a poor run of form, coming off a disappointing early exit from the Champions League and with an injury crisis. The manager, Louis Van Gaal was under pressure. He has been under pressure to deliver victories and trophies since he took over but now after their premature elimination, the pressure has intensified and things have got worse after Saturday's defeat. I will not call this defeated unexpected under the circumstances that United were going into the match but it is not expected of a club that has ambitions to win the English Premier League title.

The weather conditions, the boisterous crowd that was close to the pitch and the atmosphere created by the Bournemouth fans, exemplifies why it is tougher to win the title in England and dominate than it is in other leagues. Other leagues pose different challenges but it would be very interesting to see how Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich cope with playing in such conditions against teams that don't let you rest for a second and play direct football. It is a battle, a battle for 90 minutes. United started with Giullermo Varela, Paddy McNair and Cameron Bothwick-Jackson in defence, two in their early 20s and a teenager. In attack, United had 3 players in their early 20s, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Memphis Depay. The only ones that were experienced and established in the mid 20s to mid 30s age group were David De Gea, Juan Mata, Michael Carrick, Marouane Fellaini and Daley Blind. I had written in my previous blog that this was sink or swim time for United in view of what I have already stated in my starting paragraph. United got to get out of it's slump quickly if they are to have any realistic ambitions of winning something major or at the very least qualify for the Champions League again.

In the context of the line-up and form leading up to the match, it would take a really good performance and some strong characters for United to get something positive out of the match. The atmosphere was rocking pre-kick off and it got louder when Junior Stanislas scored directly from a corner within a minute of the game. David De Gea was caught out and the ball eluded Martial on the line as De Gea's touch diverted it beyond his reach. United to their credit, responded and nearly scored through Fellaini and McNair. United started having more of the possession and kept Bournemouth quiet although Bournemouth didn't give up on hassling United when the away side was on possession. It forced United to play the ball quicker and more direct. They finally got a deserved equaliser after a sublime pass by Carrick found Memphis and his shot was saved by Atur Boruc, who was responsible for denying Fellaini and McNair earlier, from the rebound, Fellaini bundled home the equaliser through sheer determination. A deserved equaliser.

In the second half, United lacked the urgency they had when they came back into the game. They conceded again from a corner due to a defensive lapse. United nearly equalised soon after but was denied by Boruc and some brave defending. Thereafter, Bournemouth came closer to scoring and United couldn't find it in them to get the equaliser. They lost their way after spurning their successive chances to equalise. Bournemouth deserve the win but it is a crisis at United. A crisis in confidence from the poor form, an understandable hangover effect on the team from getting eliminated early from the Champions League and an injury crisis. Jesse Lingard became the third player to be sidelined by a hamstring injury after he was hamstrung during the game. On the bright side, Morgan Schneiderlin and Phil Jones were on the bench against Bournemouth which is a positive. It means they should be available for selection next Saturday against Norwich City. We can only hope that more injured players are available for selection during the course of the week and no-one else gets injured during training in the week or in pre-game.

Louis Van Gaal made a surprising and inexplicable substitution again, this time replacing Marouane Fellaini for Nick Powell. Powell had no impact on the match just as he was in the midweek match against Wolfsburg. Van Gaal had hope the substitution would pay dividends in terms of a change in positions on the pitch but was not vindicated. I would think that for a match where United are playing away from home, have a lot of injuries to contend with and are on a run of poor form, Van Gaal should have started with more experienced players to give some stability to the team and not place undue pressure on the youngsters. I am not sure how fit Jones and Schneiderlin were on Saturday but at least one or both should have been risked to start. Ashley Young was kept on the bench throughout the match and as one of the more experienced members of the squad, he should have started. I didn't understand the risk the manager took in using so many young and inexperienced players from the start with the presence of some experienced players on the bench. I wouldn't go into my choices if I was in Van Gaal's position as it would be useless but I feel he should have relied on experience to help pull United through this tough period. He is to be blamed for having a thin squad which is being exposed now, at a time when matches would be upon the team one after another in quick succession.

Tactically again United have shown an inability to deal with teams that come flying off the blocks in away matches. I am not sure what Van Gaal says to the team before they come out on the pitch but more often than not, the team comes out for matches cold and in away matches where every match involving Manchester United is like a cup final, it is not entirely wise to come out cold. I understand the reasoning behind it is to ensure the players are not carried away by emotion and they would play with their brains more than their heart however in England where outside of the top teams, most teams ride on emotions and blood and thunder, this is not exactly a rational approach. There is a reason why FA Cup is the Cup of upsets, riding solely on emotions and the traditional English philosophy of blood and thunder, underdog teams are more than capable of beating bigger teams in a knockout tie. It is fine if Van Gaal wants his side to impose their style regardless of their opponents' approach but he has to adapt to the reality of playing in England and what to expect from his opponents. It's humble to acknowledge the strength of your opponents and adapting to match them. He regularly has meetings to analyse the opponents so why is this vital point missed out? United were caught out by Swansea, Arsenal and most recently, Bournemouth on Saturday. They were nearly caught out by Southampton but United survived to ride the storm and overturn the deficit. They survived the onslaught against Crystal Palace. Only against Everton and Aston Villa did United adopt the right approach. For United to adopt their style, they would need to start every away match by keeping possession well. It is tough to achieve because teams would not give United time on the ball to stroke it around so they would need to keep possession faster and avoid playing long balls. It is tough for United to impose their style because from what we have seen this season, United keep possession in a measured way where more time is allowed on the ball but the pace of the English game is too fast to allow that to happen. Even big teams like Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal would come out flying when they play United at their Anfield, Etihad and Emirates Stadium respectively.

Van Gaal is known to be determined and concrete in his ideas but it becomes stubborn when his plans and ideas are not working. United struggled last season in away matches too and Van Gaal doesn't seem to have learnt from his first season in English football. On the players, it is tough to expect high level consistent performances from Varela, McNair, Borthwick-Jackson, Memphis, Lingard and Martial. Borthwick-Jackson had a steady first half but started making mistakes in possession in the second half. McNair wasn't reading the game well enough to cut out the balls behind the defence, he was coming off second best against Joshua King, Varela was also having trouble dealing with Stanilas. Memphis had a good first half but tailed off in the second half, Martial was presented with a great chance to equalise before Fellaini scored in the first half but he scuffed his attempt wide. I was glad Andreas Perreira was brought on to replace Lingard and he looked sharp but didn't have any real attempts at goal. However, the bottomline is that these are young players and we cannot expect perfection from them now. I am sure in 2-3 years, the future Manchester United manager would reap the benefits of the exposure they are getting now. Cristiano Ronaldo was not the scoring machine he is now in his first few seasons at United, Wayne Rooney was running around full of aggression and like a headless chicken when he was in his first few seasons at the club, Gary and Phil Neville were making mistakes in defence in their first few seasons at United. The exception were probably Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. They were great from the time they started but both hit patches of poor form later in their career which is only natural. No player can go through a career without having to struggle at some point to achieve consistency and display their full qualities.

Calls are growing for the sacking of Van Gaal. In modern football, managers at big clubs are not given time to win trophies and create a dynasty like Sir Alex Ferguson had the luxury of. Van Gaal was never going to be a manager that would create a dynasty like Sir Alex due to his age and his desire to retire in 3 years. His job was to create stability in the club and ensure success as soon as possible after the turbulent period under David Moyes. He has achieved his first objective which was to ensure Champions League football. Now in his second season, the club's involvement in the Champions League have been short-lived and it is a big blow to everyone connected to the club. The team is not displaying great football and in poor form now. Form is temporary but class is permanent that is the saying but many would argue that United have been lucky to still be within touching distance of the top spot in the English Premier League. I wouldn't say it's entirely luck. The team's defence has been a huge contributing factor but when the goals have dried up and the team is affected by injuries, their weaknesses have been exposed. Van Gaal would need to shoulder responsibility for it for choosing to keep a thin squad and not signing quality players to replace those that he let go. His insistence to keep playing largely the same eleven without much rotation wouldn't sit easy on the international players a club like United has which has resulted in players leaving in search for more regular football elsewhere and he has allowed that to happen. Reliance on youngsters is unfair because at the moment there is too much pressure on them to resolve United's scoring problems and to not make mistakes.

Whatever has been done, has been done, no-one can undo it. To sack Van Gaal now would create instability in the team but it could give everyone a jolt and that could work to ensure better performances as players look to impress the new manager and they play for their future. Some might argue that it would free the squad but realistically a new manager would find it very hard to impose his style, vision and philosophy halfway through the season. It is also tough to sign players a new manager would need to suit his playing style in the January market. Next, who is available to replace Van Gaal mid-season? Pep Guardiola wouldn't leave Bayern Munich mid-season, Carlo Ancelotti is keen to coach again but he is not keen to join a club in mid-season, the only viable option is Ryan Giggs who could be the long-term option. Some fans are calling for his appointment because he is United through and through and knows the United way to play but not every ex-legend will turn out to be a Guardiola. I know very well that no matter who is employed, whenever he is employed, he will be criticised the moment things go wrong and don't go according to plan. Whoever takes over United will have a tough task because there are many young players that need time to develop and the person has to get the experienced, mid-range players to be at their best, he would need leaders and strong characters. At the moment those players in this range are not exactly performing well. A change of manager could help but ultimately the onus is on a player to regain his form and be a strong enough to lead the team by the scruff of its neck like it is required now. The reaction of the crowd at Old Trafford next Saturday would be interesting. What reception would the manager and players get? I don't expect they would be afforded much patience though so an early goal would work wonders. Ideally, lots of goals will appease the fans but realistically, I will take a string of 1-0 wins from Saturday onwards.

A final word for all my fellow United fans. We have been very lucky to have witnessed lots of success and good times over at least 2 decades. No team can win forever in a top league. They would face periods of non-success too. The fundamental thing is to not allow that period to stretch on for too long. It took United 26 years to win the League title after their last one in 1967. Liverpool are an example for United. They have not won the title since 1991, they came off a dynasty, an era of their own and haven't looked likely to return to former glories baring fleeting glimpses of promise. It's been 24 years for them. It is important that United learn from Liverpool and avoid making the same mistakes as them. In the meantime, if we could all be there when United were doing well, why can't we stick by them in the bad times. The least we can do is support the team because the team outlasts any player or manager. It is fair and natural to feel upset at poor results and under-achievement. It is also fair to let the displeasure be known vocally and publicly but it is extremely vital to show support for the team now more than ever. It's a fact that United fans have been spoiled by success but now is the time to show your class and remain dignified in bad times. Sadly, a lot of United fans have not been gracious when in success and that has resulted in the less than dignified manner in which they are accepting this period of mediocrity and non-success. The joke is on us now as Manchester United fans after laughing and mocking fans of other clubs for whining and moaning at their club and managers. Be dignified, show some class. I hope more would step out in a positive manner in this testing period.