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But wait…. United invested close to £150 million on new players and only finished fourth?
Deals for two of the players who came in new (Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw) had already been finalized by Van Gaal’s predecessor Moyes. In addition to that duo, United Chief Executive Ed Woodward splashed the cash to net more players, including breaking the British transfer record to land Argentine winger Angel Di Maria and arranging a very costly loan move for Radamel Falcao.
Of the new arrivals, only Herrera, Daley Blind and to an extent Marcos Rojo have had an impactful season. As a matter of fact Herrera’s re-insertion into the starting line-up coincided with United’s improved attacking play as the Spaniard gave them much needed thrust.
Otherwise, the star performers of the season have been players that were already at Old Trafford when Van Gaal arrived – Ashley Young, Marouane Fellaini, David De Gea and Juan Mata. Fellaini and Young, in particular, have had great bounce-back seasons after having been at the receiving end of some scathing criticism last season, so Van Gaal deserves some credit for their return to form.
The money spent by United certainly brought about improvements in the squad; it can be said that the additions of Blind and Herrera helped the likes of Young and Fellaini prosper in their roles. But it was a mixed bag for the club as far as hits went. United were very fortunate in a lot of their games to come away with either a win or a draw.
De Gea will walk out the player of the season for the club and rightfully so, for he has been the best goalkeeper in the EPL and helped save United’s blushes on numerous occasions. De Gea’s strong hand was needed by Van Gaal regardless of whether he was playing three, four or five at the back.
United’s improved play
One of the major criticisms during Moyes’ reign was how uncomfortable United looked with the ball at their feet and the rather mundane method of trying to create chances by looping crosses in from the flanks. United’s attack has definitely improved this year, in part due to new personnel, and in part due to Van Gaal’s better use of existing personnel.
The Old Trafford outfit have looked more assured in possession while also carving out better attacking opportunities. They have not yet reached the heights of the Ferguson era where their swashbuckling attacks would overwhelm their opponents, but they have certainly improved from last year. This came to the fore in their wins over the top teams, with their record in the big games drastically better.
As well as they did against the top sides though, United struggled against other teams who stayed defensively compact, often running out of ideas and venting frustration at their inability to break them down. Right through the season, whenever the game was open United were a threat, but not so much when the opposition was happy to sit back and defend deep.
But overall there has been progress, and the players have talked about how they have taken time to adapt the Dutchman’s philosophy and how they are confident they’ll be very good at it next year. Defensively, the pressing has been the most notable attribute in the current United team. At the weekend too, United dominated their game against Arsenal for much of the first hour thanks to their superior pressing.
Questions still remain
The fact that players such as Di Maria and Falcao flattered to deceive with their huge price tags will definitely be a pain point for Van Gaal. Falcao looks like he will be calling a different city home next season while Di Maria might get one more season to prove himself.
The left-back and right-back slots need to be addressed by Van Gaal. United massively overpaid for Luke Shaw whose fight with injuries has overshadowed his showing on the pitch. And at right-back Antonio Valencia may have done a good job this season, but long-term will Van Gaal stick to the Ecuadorian? Rafael’s days look numbered as the Dutchman clearly doesn’t favour the Brazilian.
The United manager also has to assess the troubling issue of his side’s rather lethargic and laboured build-up play that allows opponents ample time to buckle down and defend. All the wins against the big teams will count for nought if United stutter against the likes of West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland.
The goalkeeper situation is also something that will need addressing as De Gea looks ever more likely to leave for Real Madrid.
United have achieved the bare minimum for the season, that being qualifying for the Champions League once again. But in many ways it has been an underwhelming campaignfor them. They are in the top four in spite of their stumbles and have a big gap to bridge to this year’s champions Chelsea, and the benchmark going into next season. ‘Satisfactory’ would be a good way to describe their season; nothing more, nothing less.
