Van Gaal reshaping Manchester United to regain EPL team’s winning ways
For the diehards, it’s all a little unfamiliar. A foreign coach, a collection of lavish new signings and the worrying early season form. Not to mention the departures of certain young players, one in particular that had grown up in the shadow of Old Trafford.
But, Louis Van Gaal is offering up what Manchester United desperately needed 12 months ago: a different, radical path. He has a clear plan, a vision and has been given the financial support to carry it out. Unlike his predecessor, he yawns at the setbacks. For him, every new start will bring problems. It’s inevitable. But he’s determined to overcome the obstacles by placing his faith in players he can trust.
The club has spent heavily for new blood - and it’s hard to see anything other than exciting possibilities for the majority of the arrivals. Consider Van Gaal’s four new purchases – Radamel Falcao, Angel di Maria, Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo (the other two signings, Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera, were targets that David Moyes had chased, deals he had set up). The quartet is a thrilling mix and, unlike his predeccessor David Moyes, Van Gaal knows what he wants from each player.
The most important attribute Van Gaal looks for is intelligence. His personal history features a kaleidoscope of moments whereby the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Clarence Seedorf, Thomas Mueller, Thiago Motta and David Alaba were all given first-team opportunities on his watch. The story goes that when he was an assistant coach at Ajax in the early ‘90s and needed a new goalkeeper, Van Gaal was told of a scrawny kid with a bowl haircut who was playing for a youth team in a fishing town in west Holland. He watched him play and admired the way the kid could read the game. Other youngsters were better at making saves but this particular one had intelligence. Van Gaal liked him immediately and signed him for Ajax. The kid was Edwin van der Sar.
Tom Cleverley, Nani and Wilfried Zaha are all players that lack composure and awareness so it was no surprise to see Van Gaal deem them surplus to requirements at Manchester United. Even Shinji Kagawa was deemed to not have the required skills to play a deeper midfield role and was ruthlessly sold back to Borussia Dortmund for a minimal fee. It was certainly not a dramatic cull but it was a start. The deadwood that came to define Sir Alex Ferguson’s final few years in charge desperately needed to be pushed out. It says much about the now-sullied reputations of many of the players that United are finding it so hard to find potential buyers. And some remain only due to circumstance.
The much-maligned Marouane Fellaini, who has seemed so remarkably out of his depth since joining last August, was set for a loan move to Napoli before he got injured. Chris Smalling, who cuts a skittish and petrified figure when part of Van Gaal’s three-man defence, seems ripe for departure as soon as the club can secure the services of a comfortable, ball-playing centre-half. Ashley Young, who occasionally played in a central playmaking role during his best days at Aston Villa, has been converted into a makeshift wing-back. He’s also expensive... and 29 years old. Though he’s shown an impressive attitude in embracing something so unfamiliar, Van Gaal knows Young’s limitations and, like Kagawa, won’t think twice about moving him on.
It’s a startling contrast. Moyes was willing to be patient (one of the first things he did upon arriving at United was to sanction a new five-year deal for the perpetually-frustrating and inconsistent Nani), allowing the more frustrating figures a chance to prove themselves. His critics would argue he was indecisive about the merits of the squad and the redesign it required. The signings he did make reflected a nervousness and anxiety. Fellaini’s arrival from Everton was a deal built on deadline-day desperation rather than desire. Mata’s incredibly-expensive switch from Chelsea in January was a frantic attempt to get some confidence and belief back into a flailing and flagging club. Even the acquisitions of Herrera and Shaw are, to a certain extent, eyebrow-raising. Raw and unpolished, both were signed for an extravagant amount because of their potential greatness. But, if anything, Moyes needed proven names, an instant return on investment. In many ways, his death knell sounded last summer when the club failed to land any marquee players.
As United found to their cost, it was never a time for long-term planning. Post-Ferguson, they needed a firm statement of intent – a high-profile managerial appointment and heavy investment in a grey, uninspiring team that lacked any real sprinkling of stardust.
They’ve finally got that. Van Gaal was brought to Old Trafford to return the club to Europe’s top table. He is not a man who entertains failure. He has managed to secure the services of some of the continent’s finest players despite the club not playing in European competition. Unsurprisingly, given the circumstances, United has been forced to pay a premium. But these are consistently impressive players.
Di Maria has only played 70 minutes in United colours but he provided the only real spark against Burnley with his energy, purpose and awareness. Blind is well-known to Van Gaal, having been a critical member of the Dutch World Cup team. He’s been referred to as a ‘utility player’ in many quarters, which paints a relatively unflattering picture. In a British sense, utility players get by with relentless heart, spirit and courage – the ability to play various positions, a by-product of their personality. For Blind, it’s about intelligence. He’s been schooled in the well-educated soccer academy at Ajax. And in Brazil, Van Gaal had little difficulty in switching Blind from left wing-back to central midfield to central defence. Blind is an astute player who Van Gaal trusts. It’s a perfect fit.
Meanwhile, Van Gaal referred to the surprising acquisition of Falcao as “an opportunity not to be missed”. His goal-getting was simply too impressive for Van Gaal not to bite. Rojo is still somewhat of an unknown quantity though he proved his worth substantially during an impressive World Cup odyssey with Argentina.
These are the players Van Gaal has entrusted with kick-starting United’s season and reigniting something potent and powerful. The diehards complain. They talk about the club’s identity crisis. But the biggest part of the club’s identity is winning. Van Gaal is intent on doing just that.
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Eoin O'Callaghan is a soccer journalist and broadcaster. Best known in North America for his TV work with Fox Soccer, he has also reported extensively for BBC, RTE and Setanta Sports. He writes about soccer for The Irish Examiner newspaper, beIN Sports, One World Sports and TheScore.ie. Follow him @EoinOCallaghan
