THE ADVICE GIVEN to any potential Manchester United manager after Alex Ferguson’s retirement was that it was preferable to be the man to replace his successor, rather than take over from the Scot straight away.
That was exactly the position Louis van Gaal found himself in when he took over from David Moyes in the summer of 2014.
Van Gaal’s task was to bring credibility back to the club after Moyes broke all types of records during his 10 months in charge.
Unfortunately for the Scot, they were all unwanted records as United finished with their lowest ever points tally in the Premier League and missed out on qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Although van Gaal’s first year in charge didn’t bring any silverware, finishing fourth and qualification for the Champions League seemed quite successful after a disastrous season the year before with Moyes.
The side struggled at times including a 5-3 defeat away to Leicester City despite being 3-1 ahead but the season had its highlights too, including a double over rivals Liverpool and a home victory over Manchester City.
However, after defeat to Wolfsburg last week saw them crash out of the Champions League at the group stage, new doubts have been raised about the Louis van Gaal’s future at Manchester United.
His pragmatic, defence-minded approach has angered some fans who say that it goes against the ethos of the club. United’s last six games at Old Trafford have seen the side only score three times, but crucially they didn’t concede a goal during this run.
After Newcastle’s victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Louis van Gaal’s side are now the only side to be unbeaten at home.
It’s an impressive record for Manchester United in a season noted for its shock results and topsy-turvy nature that United have shown such consistency, especially at the back.
In fact, Christian Benteke’s spectacular overhead kick has been the only Premier League goal scored by an opposing team at Old Trafford this season.
Outstanding individual defensive performances, especially by Chris Smalling and David de Gea, combined with a rather cautious setup have set the solid foundations for the side.
Not to mention that this run has coincided with injuries to several key defenders, namely Phil Jones, Marcus Rojo and Luke Shaw.
While van Gaal has been criticised for his caution going forward, he hasn’t held back in giving youth a chance, something which is as synonymous with Manchester United as its attacking football.
Since taking charge in 2014, van Gaal has shown he has not afraid to blood fresh players into his team, something which he has been noted for throughout his career. The introduction of several young players into the matchday squad such as Jesse Lingard, Paddy McNair and Andreas Pereira will be seen as a great incentive to any young player in United’s development squads.
United are four points off top spot, although Leicester City could extend that gap when they play Chelsea on Monday night. Winning the league is still a real possibility for Van Gaal’s men, especially if they can get Wanye Rooney and Anthony Martial playing closer together on the pitch and increase the speed the front players receive the ball.
Gary Neville mentioned earlier on in the season that United could be only a couple of players short of storming the league, and this could be true. Gareth Bale, who has cut a frustrated figure at Real Madrid, would be the perfect fit to transform van Gaal’s side and see the team challenging for honours.
As United enter the festive period, last season Van Gaal voiced his displeasure of United’s busy holiday period, complaining that the players needed a break.
The Dutchman went one step further this year, by saying that the culture in England of playing over Christmas was “evil” but should United get back on track with tricky fixtures at home to Chelsea and away to Stoke prove then he may find out that a productive festive period could be key to a happy new year.