Why Manchester United fans shouldn't expect miracles from Louis van Gaal this season

Louis van Gaal watched his Manchester United side lose to Swansea in their opening Premier League fixture

Not exactly the start Manchester United fans wanted, was it? A defeat to Swansea City in the first game, that too at Old Trafford, where they have not lost the opening game of a season since 1972, brings back all the painful memories of the Moyes era, where unwanted records tumbled like Jenga blocks.

But before rival fans start pointing and laughing, and United fans themselves bring out the LVG OUT hashtag, it is important to remember that this is all but one game in a season that is likely to have more than 40 (including the cups, of course). While an opening day defeat at home does not bode well, it’s not the end of the world either.

This kind of a reaction is typical when you expect the new manager to do some miracles right from the outset, like, for example, winning the league. As amazing a CV as Louis van Gaal has, one should never expect instant success. That’s just setting yourself up for disappointment.

The Squad

For all his past success, it is difficult to fathom that he ever had a side as bereft of quality as United are but still came with a mountain of expectation. With all due respect to Johnny Evans and Phil Jones, they’re not in the same league as Nemanja Vidic or Rio Ferdinand. They have talent, no doubt, but tenacity and the know-how during tight games is what separates the good from the best. Happily enough, it’s not impossible to learn, and with a coach like Van Gaal, they’re sure to improve in leaps and bounds. But the caveat is, it will take more than one season to iron out the flaws. And in a 3-5-2 formation, one cannot have room for errors.

In midfield, Ander Herrera will certainly take some time getting used to a new team and a new league. But the others in the form of Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher should be able to ease the burden a bit. However, the wings may be a bit problematic. Ashley Young, Nani and the like do not fill opposition teams with the same dread as past United teams have, and as seen in the game against Swansea City, it was only Adnan Januzaj who was a real threat for them. While LvG prefers a 4-3-3 system, he’s forced with a 3-5-2 for this United squad to maintain balance. However, unlike Holland at the World Cup, United are not equipped with the players that can be played as wing backs, and that can cause problems with players having to constantly judge whether they go forward or stay back.

In the forward line, when fit, both Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie would certainly be automatic starters, and with Juan Mata feeding them, it shouldn’t pose a major problem. But when one of them is injured or needs to be rested, whether Danny Welbeck and Hernandez can step up is still a question that does not have an easy answer.

The Philosophy

By his own admission, Louis van Gaal has been a slow starter. So, any judgments on the results should ideally be suspended for at least 3 months. It takes the players some time to get adjusted to new systems, especially for someone as a “mad genius” as Van Gaal. And it’s just not the training and the tactics that will be a change. Even the mentality that the players bring to the team will have to be different. There will be no safety-first approach, there will be no shying away from criticism, and if the players cannot step up, then tough. They’ll be chucked out without much ceremony, irrespective of how big the player is. And since elevating a thought process is much harder work, the chances of the not-so-big players being able immediately produce. Also, there is the whole thing about adjusting a new formation too!

Politics

If some inside info is to believed, Ferguson and Woodward do not see eye to eye about Van Gaal’s appointment, with Woodward firmly taking the power from the legendary Scot with the Dutchman’s appointment. While that may well be a blessing for the club’s fans, it just reinforces the idea that Woodward is very close to the Glazers, unlike his predecessor, and has their full support. Van Gaal will have to work with this power structure to make his mark on the club, and he is not known to draw the ire of a club’s powers-that-be. When things don’t go his way, Van Gaal may not let it go without a fight, and that can cause some turbulence for even the playing side of things.

It is not to say that Manchester United will definitely be empty handed at the end of the season. They may yet win a cup, but to win the league is a whole other different ball game.

But that’s the thing about revolutions, isn’t it? You have to believe in it at its darkest time.