Louis van Gaal’s season reached a low point against MK Dons when the League One side beat Manchester United. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh
I wonder did events on Tuesday night bring a wry smile to the face of David Moyes? I’m sure his inner thoughts whispered, ‘I told you so’. As Manchester United‘s slide into mediocrity shows no signs of abating, the man who carried the can for United’s disastrous season must be taking some reassurance from his replacement’s stuttering beginning. So can Moyes be exonerated?
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Was the United board too quick to fire the man deemed to be the chosen one? Regardless of the messages evident in United’s humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of MK Dons, Moyes’ failings can’t be erased. His shortcomings compounded an already treacherous situation of assuming control after Alex Ferguson. And even though the situation wasn’t all of his own doing, he provided little evidence to suggest he was capable of turning things around.
Anyway, it all belongs in the past. United have a very different character at the helm. A man who clearly is a strong personality and has definite theories on how his teams should play. Whether such theories are suitable or will be successful in the Premier League, only time will reveal.
For United fans, the positives right now are in scarce supply, however, having a manager of conviction provides hope. And the situation Van Gaal has inherited at Old Trafford will be a formidable test of those convictions. Perhaps the biggest test of his managerial career to date. After the horror of Tuesday night’s result, Van Gaal said the defeat for the club, who were crowned champions of England in May 2013, against a team playing in League One had “not shocked” him.
Clearly he is a man under no illusions as to the task he faces in Manchester. “It is difficult for the fans to believe in the philosophy of Louis van Gaal, but you have to do that because I am here to build up a new team and a new team is not built in one month,” he said this week .”Now Di Maria is coming and he has to adapt also to our culture.
“He cannot change (immediately), the process needs time, so we shall see if, with Di Maria, we have to change the system or not. You have to train it and it’s a matter of time because we shall see if we have to change the system.”
Clearly Van Gaal has a picture in his head as to how his United team will look. While his reign at Old Trafford has many similarities with that of his predecessor, I suspect Van Gaal’s ability to identify a vision for his United outfit is the factor which distinguishes him from Moyes. In all probability, it is the factor that will ensure Van Gaal is given the one thing Moyes wasn’t – time. The club is paying a high price for its current status.
Failure to qualify for the Champions league was punitive, financially, and it was a departure that has reduced the attractions to be found in the red half of Manchester for the world’s best players. And as the world witnessed this week, when United do capture such an individual, they will only do so with the aid of a considerable premium. Does £59.7m for Angel di Maria suggest desperation?
Real Madrid couldn’t pass up on an opportunity which appeared too good to be true. Di Maria is quality, but £59m worth? The manager needs reinforcements and rather expensive ones.
United’s board know all too well a business can’t afford too many seasons such as the one endured in 2013/14, so deep pockets and long arms are needed. If United want to remain one of the great clubs of world football, the time has passed for standing on the fringes disapprovingly shaking their head as the mega rich clubs of Europe engage in behaviour which sees record transfers every season. Just as their near neighbours in Manchester have illustrated, money and success are a perfect fit in the quest for silverware.
Those loyal to United have long believed their club to be on a par with a Real Madrid or a Barcelona, but the reality is, at this moment United’s best side wouldn’t come close to Madrid’s strongest 11. This isn’t an overnight development. While Madrid were prepared to break the bank for players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, United have sought the signature of players possessing very different qualities.
With stalwarts such as Vidic Ferdinand, Evra, Giggs, and Scholes all now departed, the gloss that papered over many cracks has been stripped away. Those left behind now find themselves under an intense spotlight, one that continues to reveal mediocrity is in plentiful supply. A United legend confirmed as much in the past few days when reflecting on Tuesday night’s defeat.
“I never thought the players gave up. They were just not good enough,” Scholes observed.
Perhaps this is a situation which has been coming to pass ever since United sold players like Ronaldo to Madrid and decided to replace him with Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia and Gabriel Obertan. The summer of 2009 marked the exit of the Portuguese star and that of Carlos Tevez to Manchester City. Looking back, it was a move that not only marked the beginning of City’s progression, but also signalled United’s intentions in the transfer market were no longer that of a world force.
Ferguson blatantly refused to fan the flames of a red-hot transfer market by indulging in astronomical amounts on potential acquisitions. Both he and David Gill stated the club were in the business of chasing ‘value in the market’. When you have great players like Vidic and Scholes at your disposal, ‘value’ is a policy that can be accommodated in the short term.
Changing
Now the football world is changing and pursuing value has left United a distant entity in the rear-view mirrors of the world’s leading clubs. And for United, this reality is now manifesting itself on the pitch. The aura of Ferguson’s reign has been shattered.
Old Trafford remains a wonderful stage, one where the talents of those who adorn the Theatre of Dreams aren’t becoming of the place. And with a limited number of world-class players on the market, United’s problems won’t be easily fixed. Fans will need patience. Van Gaal will need all his know how. And United need a board willing to spend money. The root of all evil it may well be, but right now it’s what promises a better day for the Red Devils.
