#2 The tactics
While Van Gaal’s eagerness to start Marouane Fellaini has long been a point of frustration for Manchester United fans, the Dutchman’s tactics during their recent 3-0 loss to Tottenham were perplexing to say the least.
Starting with youngsters Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial up front, Van Gaal decided to drag Rashford at halftime in place of Ashley Young. However instead of doing the obvious and leaving Martial in his favoured position, Van Gaal pushed the striker out to the wing and played Ashley Young as a centre forward. This was Young’s first appearance since January.
If that wasn’t enough to confuse the fans, Jesse Lingard, who is a winger by trade, was played in the number 10 role and Juan Mata, who twice won Chelsea’s player of the season as a number 10, was played on the right wing.
It seemed the fans weren’t the only ones confused by Van Gaal’s decisions as the team conceded three times in six minutes, leaving them four points away from Manchester City in fourth and less and less likely to make the Champions League.
While this may be the best example of Van Gaal’s poor tactical decisions, this was just another day for Manchester United fans who have now become used to Van Gaal’s odd choices.
Despite having spent £250 million on signings, Manchester United regularly look short of ideas while going forward and have often registered just one shot on target during matches.
Relying on youth products such as Rashford to bail them out of tight situations, some may argue Van Gaal has succeeded by bringing youth into the first team, but this has largely been forced due to injury.
While the team showed glimpses of Van Gaal’s so-called philosophy during their FA Cup semi-final win over Everton, the Dutchman’s poor choice of tactics over the past 18 months cannot be forgotten.
