United win could define season

admin

What a crucial second home win that could prove to become in the still foundation phase of this season’s Premier League.

Louis van Gaal has been praised to the hilt and then knocked down back to earth with a shudder following United’s recent topsy-turvy matches versus QPR and Leicester City respectively. This week’s win will prove to be a welcome tonic for Van Gaal, but will still have much to ponder as he now looks ahead to the game at Old Trafford against Everton next Saturday.

Following last season’s inconsistent home outings it was imperative that Van Gaal addressed this issue right from the beginning to improve on a 7th place position last term and United fans will have no complaints following two consecutive victories from three home matches despite nearly conceding a draw late on. Whilst being far from a fortress, it is so crucial for the team and the support of the fans to maintain this record with a solid outing against Everton next weekend. If Van Gaal can get the home form right then it will be only a matter of time before the away games follow-suit, however United fans must expect more dramatic and disappointing games along the path to success.

Van Gaal decided upon a side that he is seemingly starting to feel must be his strongest, interestingly with the skill and assist-potential of Juan Mata left on the bench in the place of the attacking four-some and inter-changing of Rooney, Falcao, Van Persie and Di Maria. Mata will no doubt have his chance to impress following the rash suspension of the captain however he will be undeniably performing under huge pressure to perform with the shadow of Rooney lurking behind him.

Whilst this side did dominate West Ham in the first half, there is something strikingly missing from on ordinary United fan’s point of view : a clear absence of the presence of wingers hugging the touchline. Rafael and Shaw provide penetrating pace on the flanks (demonstrated by Rafael’s good work with Van Persie on the right before rifling into the box a pin-point cross for Rooney’s opening goal), however their defensive commitments ensures this presence retreats out of possession which nullifies our natural width on the counter-attack.

Van Gaal seems to prefer the fluidity of the four attacking players, with Di Maria or Rooney occasionally drifting out to the left or Van Persie and Falcao doing likewise on the right and this system did work a treat for the opening 45 minutes. The disadvantage of this is that it can pull strikers away from the box and leave more space in the midfield for opposition opponents to exploit as West Ham achieved in the second half once Rooney had left and players were expected to hang tight. Interestingly, United only managed 19 crosses into the box compared to West Ham’s tally of 41 which would have been a statistic unheard of during the golden years of Sir Alex’s tenure, where United were continuously associated with tricky wing play and spreading the Old Trafford pitch as wide as possibly to wear opponents down. The character and desire on show from United should be praised as highly as their early attacking prowess and it is from these foundations that the next generation United side should be built from.

Van Gaal has implemented his own approach which must be applauded and fans must trust in the experience and determination of a world-class manager however must also expect frustrating performances as players adapt to this new style of play especially against lesser sides who will remain compact and reduce space in the middle for United to play their way to goal. One key positive for Van Gaal was that his side were overall successful in retaining possession and the forward movement of the players was key in striking early and immediately placing West Ham on the back foot.

The inclusion of Mata next weekend should provide the ammunition for Van Persie and Falcao to threaten in the box. The positives for United is that the more compact system United are utilising this season (with an element of width from midfield and both full-backs to mix up the attack) closer mimics that of Chelsea,where Mata excelled with pace coming from central midfield areas and one-two combination plays with Oscar, Hazard and Willian becoming a hallmark of their approach (and earning Chelsea’s player of the season award for two consecutive seasons 2011/12 & 2012/13, and earning his inclusion in the PFA Team of the Year 2012/13).

A special mention must be said also for Paddy McNair’s inclusion. Whilst possibly lacking in communication with David de Gea to concede to West Ham from the corner kick, his clearing header facing goal was described by Phil Neville as ‘his moment of the match’, fine praise indeed for a youngster who can take this experience to hopefully establish himself firstly in the U-21 side on a consistent basis and to continue to develop his career in the right way. It is also pleasing to see another academy player take his opportunity and come through the ranks following the constant presence of Tyler Blackett in defence this season.

Overall as has been often been the case with United over recent seasons it was a mixed bag performance, but comfort should be taken from the three points achieved. United at least now have a measure of momentum , and hopefully will be able to draw upon this to capitalise on an Everton side lacking in wins and confidence so far this term.

By Manchester United FanZoner Tomos Llewellyn. Follow him on Twitter here, and don’t forget you can follow @FanZone too.