I think LVG is showing he's not a great manager, not anymore at least. You play your best players in their best positions. Playing Rooney in midfield, Di Maria not out wide, wingers as full backs, Falcao at all etc. Long ball to Fellani suggests he was completely out of ideas yesterday despite a wealth of attacking talent. Rooney was your best player last year and now he's playing him in his 4th best position. Di Maria who is best from wide areas is playing central yet you have top class number 10's like Mata and Rooney. Its utter utter madness. Imagine if Moyes was doing this.
This this and this again. As someone who used to watch Mata play a No.10 role on a weekly basis, I can say, with utmost confidence, that playing him anywhere else on the pitch is criminal and such a waste of his awesomeness. He is literally 50% of the player he can be if you play him anywhere else. Same with Rooney imo, the kid is a striker....everytime he has played in a No.9 role he has scored 20+ goals in the season, yet certain managers insist on hamstringing him with a stupid midfield role.
We've seen teams do this before of course but they are struggling because there was such poor planning with signings in the summer and now LVG is trying to cram them all in whilst also protecting a ****e or at least inexperienced back line. When they brought in all those attackers we all asked how he'd fit them all in, the answer was apparently ignore what their best position is . He needs to drop Failco and his boyfriend and put Rooney up top, Mata or Janujaz at 10 and play actual wide players wide. Herrera or Carrick in the middle with Blind and they'll easily make top 4.
I also agree on all points. Blind and Herrera at CM behind Di Maria and Young/Januzaj/Valencia even either side of Mata at ten and Rooney as centre forward. Playing Rooney where he is playing him and sitting Herrera on the bench is quite frankly a criminal waste of both their talents. We've then got two former, but certainly no longer, great strikers in RVP and Falcao, along with Wilson, who can come off the bench and do their bit and Fellaini can still be used when needs must.
This. I'd like to be generous and say that he is trying out the players in various positions. Like Ive said many times, the team is only operating at 50% of its potential. In one way it is good as we can get better and we could get more points. In another, we are wasting valuable opportunities to nail down that 4th place. He does seem to make things more complicated than they ought to be. He is playing a 4-4-1-1 that's alien to him. Ferguson had worked out his system and every team he sends out in the premiership at least will do a job. Fat Sam has never had one over SAF. He is having a good time having a joke at our and LVG's expense. Long Ball United? he is right as far as the last 20 minutes are concerned. But having said that, Do we want to stick to playing nice football and lose or play long balls to a Felaini and retrieve a draw? For me the jury is still out on LVG. He has had lots of injuries but IF he misses a CL spot and IF this is self inflicted through not using players in their best positions then he will under huge pressure to go.
I agree the injuries have not helped but that was largely a defensive issue. You've got loads of class forward thinking players and it's what he is doing with them that is very odd. Di Maria and Rooney are world class and had very good seasons last year and looked good in spells this year, stick them 2 in their best positions would be a massive start. What was the point spending 30 million on a creative central midfielder in Herrera (who was pursued over 2 windows) to have him on the bench? Herrera, Janujaz, Di Maria, Mata even Wilson are the next 5 years at United so should be playing regularly. RVP and Falcao aren't getting any better with age/injuries so I'd be inclined to stick with the players that are likely to be with you next year so it's not another transition year next year as well. Just my take though.
You would honestly think we lost and got battered yesterday. We got a deserved point and really should have won. What on earth is LvG supposed to do about Falcao fluffing a great chance? Nothing. Put ot this way. If half the fanbase is melting over a draw against West Ham. Were ****ing miles ahead of where we were last season. Saying that, United fans are the only fans who complain even in victory. V Leicester for example. Moan moan ****ing moan. 4th, 5 off second. Good defensive record, majority of new players have settled well and played a big part. A single defeat in almost half a season, great homeform, improving away form and a fully fit squad for once. Oh and we are better in every way to last season. Its called progress and it's clearly whats happening at United. Yet of you based only on the opinion of supporters, we are about to be relegated.
Put Rooney upfront, who may have buried that chance. I kind of admire your optimism, and I will concede that you are looking better than last year, but with one of the best managers around and a £150m + spend you would expect that. At seasons start I thought United would piss the top 4 and even an outside bet on a title challenge, maybe not a serious one, but.... I guess its unfair to judge though until after game 38. At the moment, for me, you can finish anywhere between 2nd and 7th. its that close from 2nd to 7th right now. Question UiR, if United finish outside the top 4, would you agree that LvG should be sacked?
The only thing we are miles ahead in compared to last season is our squad. That really is all. I would go as far as to say that is the reason I am more angered by Van Gaal than Moyes. At least when I saw the likes of Cleverly and Fellaini leading the midfield I had some resignation about the whole situation. LVG has no excuses. There's no improvement on the pitch. Moyes never rescued games bcos there wasnt enough quality on the pitch to quite save his sorry tactics. LVG is also NOT rescuing games either but he has players of quality who can come up with a bit of brilliance to save us. Long balls to Fellaini is no different to the million crosses pumped in aimlessly like under Moyes. The difference is, you think Cleverly would have scored that volley of Blind yesterday? As I said, same **** just individual quality saving us. There's no fcking rhythm to our game at all. And why the hell does he keep changing the back line now all the players are fit. How are the back 4 supposed to gel or develop leadership if he keeps changing them for every game?
You're completely deluded if you honestly believe that. Barring another quality performance by De Gea you'd have been buring by HT. You were bloody awful throughout, resorting to hoofball chasing a point. You never at any point in that game looked the better side. Even when you had good possession you never looked much of a threat as your shape. movement and passing was all over the place. Square pegs and round holes is how you look to me of late. You should be doing better than grinding out draws with hoofball with the quality you've got in that squad.
He doesn't have to pick Falcao for a start. He has a striker who has a great goal scoring record for United playing centre mid at the moment! I really don't think you're that far ahead of last year and if being better than your worst ever P.L season is progress then fine, but not exactly hard is it? especially with the 150 million investment. I'm amazed LVG is escaping so much criticism from some United fans. He's playing players out of position, you have a wealth of attacking talent but are dull dull dull to watch. Teams let you have the ball because you don't do much with it. As bad as Moyes was, he sent out sides who created more than you have in quite a few games this year. 1 or 2 shots on target in some games despite 40, 50, 60 million pound players playing. Moyes was as unlucky as LVG has been lucky with the form of the other top 4 contenders. Arsenal and Liverpool for instance were very good last year and both realistic title challengers yet neither have really got going this year. I still actually fancy you to scrape top 4, as he can't keep getting it wrong with his experience and with the players you have.
Maybe it's the blend and balance that's wrong though so as long as he keeps trying round pegs in square holes they may never click. The team selection yesterday was a laugh poor Blind stuck on his own in midfield.
LIke always the truth lies somewhere in between the 2 extreme viewpoints: LVG can do no wrong and LVG is an useless experimenting ****. His experimenting and refusal to play to the players main strength drives fans to distraction. However, his determination to avoid defeat is to be applauded IMO. I would have preferred a formation with Rooney pushed up front but he chose to put out that formation. As I asked yesterday, would people have preferred United to lose playing on the floor right to the end or play the last 15 minutes the "long ball" and get that one point? As for the press and Fat Sam to label United a long ball team, all I can say is ---> Lies, Damn lies and statistics. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...ey-a-long-ball-team-under-Louis-van-Gaal.html Fat Sam's Whammers do more long balls than United. LVG is experimenting like some overenthusiastic nerd in a science lab but we can only judge him properly at the end of the season.
Not sure anyone is at that point yet, not really, most hope he can still salvage something. A strong finish and a top 4 place would cement that. UiR is definitely in the former camp though, its half hilarious and half embaressing. He was the complete opposite with Moyes, basically wanted the guy dead and couldn't stand the sight of him. Right now its on a knife edge, like I said, anything from 2nd to 7th is plausible.
The answer to that question is obvious but whose to say that playing the 'right' way and playing players in form and in their correct positions would not have yielded the same result or better? I think the long ball late in games has it's place though when teams are defending deep and working hard across the ground. It mixes things up and gives you a percentage chance when all else is failing. It's the boxing equivalent of losing on points but go out swinging in the 12th. It's being in that position in the first place is where the problem really lies.
Everything is progress on last season. Literally everything. The simple fact we played until tge end and never gave up is a massive step forward on last season.
We were far and away the better side in the second half despite not playing well. Im not saying we deserved to win. We deserved a point and we could have won it in the end.
Because if jones or smalling play consecutive games both will be injured for the next 3 months. Even though I am joking its probably right.
No he should not be sacked. The reason is simple. Right back to square one and the following season will be no better. New manager equals new players, new systems and new ideas. These all take time. Anyway, he will finish top 4 and everyone will move on.
