5 failed experiments of Louis van Gaal at Manchester United

Louis van Gaal is known for his arrogance and the success he has achieved over the years with various teams. He is also known for his pathbreaking tactics. The Dutchman always experiments with his teams and tactics, be it using a traditional and swashbuckling 4-3-3 to more prudent and result oriented “1-5-3-2”, as he prefers to call it.At United, the former Barcelona boss has had an eventful first season. From having a thriving physio room in the early part of his reign to his eternal struggle to find the right balance in his side, he has always been trying one thing or the other.We take a look at five failed experiments of Mr. Van Gaal at Old Trafford.

#1 Three man defence

Louis van Gaal flunked at the very first step as the boss of Manchester United by introducing a three man defence. He had used the very same tactic with astonishing results in Brazil at the 2014 World Cup with Netherlands, but it failed to materialize in Manchester.

There is absolutely nothing wrong in using this tactic, but Van Gaal failed to assess his resources at Old Trafford before deciding on this particular formation. United neither have the midfielders who can dominate the centre of the park nor do they have tactically astute centre backs who can hold their position and also play the ball out from the defence. Playing the ball from the back is very important feature of this three-man defence as they form the plinth for the creative players to thrive upon.

United’s frail defensive line was exposed every time they played with three centre halves. They had some success with the formation but overall it was a disappointing end product for both the manager and fans. Many players at the club are not accustomed to playing in a formation with three at the back and this puzzled all the players, which was very much evident during the games.

Although the system produced results, it was nowhere near the ‘United Way’, which has brought unparalleled success at the club.

#2 Playing Wayne Rooney as a deep lying midfielder

Wayne Rooney is top class player and this goes even without saying. The Manchester United captain has been one of the most consistent players for Van Gaal’s boys and he has always tried to lead the team from the front.

In recent games, the Englishman has been deployed in deeper role in midfield in contrast to his preferred role as a number 10 or as the second striker. This isn’t the first time Rooney has been deployed in midfield; even Sir Alex Ferguson used him as a midfielder, but sporadically.

He has been very good for the Reds in that position but using one of the best forwards in a holding role midfield is nothing less than suicidal. The experiment which began in the times of despair, when almost the entire United midfield was either sidelined with injury or lacked the quality, to be selected in the first team has not changed despite the availability of many alternatives since the turn of the year.

United’s attack lacks sharpness at the moment with both forwards – Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie – misfiring. This would be the perfect time to use the experience and guile of Wayne Rooney to help the team. But the Dutchman prefers other alternatives over his skipper citing that he doesn’t want to disturb the balance of the side.

That preference was given to new boy Angel Di Maria over United’s talisman and this hasn’t helped the team and Van Gaal himself in any way at all.

#3 Rotation of Angel Di Maria

There are many who are perplexed by Louis van Gaal’s decisions at times. But one guy who still would be scratching his head after almost eight months in Manchester would be their record signing Angel Di Maria. After his mega money from Real Madrid, the Argentine winger has looked lost, to say the least. This is partly due to injuries and also due to the constant rotation on the field.

The 27-year-old winger has played in almost five positions in less than six months under Louis van Gaal. The idea of using Di Maria as a centre forward failed miserably and the wily winger looks at visible unease in that position. Similarly, playing him as a central midfielder and also as a number 10 hasn’t helped either the club or the player himself.

Di Maria’s strengths are to run at the defenders and put the final ball in the box for his teammates in advanced positions. His breakaway pace can also be lethal on the counter-attack, as was evident during his Real Madrid days under Jose Mourinho. On the contrary, Louis van Gaal has somehow failed to make use of these qualities just to play using a certain system.

This is surely one of the biggest failures of Louis van Gaal’s first season at Old Trafford.

#4 Wrecking Wingers

Wingers are a species of footballers which is on the verge of extinction as more modern formations are marginalizing their roles in the game. Over the years, United have thrived on their wingers – right from the days of Matt Busby to the recent era of Sir Alex Ferguson. But under Louis van Gaal, that key position is almost absent.

We shouldn’t discount the fact that Van Gaal doesn’t have the liberty of his predecessors who had some of the finest wingers of the world at their disposal. Despite this, he has invariably made those mediocre wingers redundant in their new wingback role (or moreover, as a wide midfielder) and has left the players clueless. As discussed earlier, Di Maria is one of the best wingers in the game at the moment and is yet underutilized.

Adnan Januzaj, a raw diamond who shone under David Moyes, has floundered under Van Gaal. The wide men at the club are struggling to adapt to the more disciplined approach which demanded by their new trainer. It should be noted that under Van Gaal, United have swayed away from their traditional wing play and have started going more central.

Once considered to be United’s biggest strength, it is now a chink in their armour. Wide midfielders and wing backs aren’t doing any good to the team. Van Gaal has to adapt to his team just like he demands his players to adapt to his tactics. The key is to find the right balance.

#5 No consistency in picking a formation

Since Louis van Gaal’s arrival in Manchester, the Red Devils have failed to get on with a single system. The Dutch master is constantly chopping and changing his system and more of it was down to the injuries. But even after having almost the entire squad available, he has failed to settle with any single system.

He began with a five men defence using a 5-3-2 system which is more preferred by the man himself, but his players are more or less incapable of adapting to this highly organized and technically demanding system.

He then switched to the more ‘unbalanced’ back four with a 4-1-3-2 where he used Daley Blind as a deep lying playmaker. The system got back the swagger to a certain extent, but the flamboyance got the gaffer so worried that he reverted to a midfield diamond, which is nothing but a slight variation of 4-1-3-2.

Van Gaal revealed that a back four makes his “ass twitch on the sideline” and that is why he refrains from using the system. Whatever the reasons may be, a club that is still reeling in turmoil cannot be made to undergo so many changes of epic proportions.

In spite of spending over £150 million, the boys in red are far from being a finished product. Van Gaal, just like at his previous clubs, has to nail down a solitary system or else the club would still be yo-yoing from awesome to awful.