Manchester United suffered their third defeat in a roll against Norwich City, a defeat that drop the team to fifth on the table. It was not only a flat performance from the players, it is a defeat that Van Gaal must take some portion of the blame. United have now lost two consecutive games to newly promoted teams, that shows how poor the team has been.
On a day nothing worked for the boys in red, Redlyunited brings out three hard lessons the game
1. Unpardonable selection error:
There will always be a debate irrespective of the starting line up any football manager decides to start a game with.
But for Manchester United, having the duo of Ander Herrera and Morgan Schneiderlin on the bench while you start Fellaini in the midfield to partner Carrick is questionable.
The big Belgian has always looked lazy, lethargic and somehow ineffective in the middle. His height doesn't seem to compliment his energy level, and against Norwich it was again evident.
Herrera and Schneiderlin are two dynamic midfielders that can run, hassle, attack and defend, but Van Gaal knows better. Fellaini's only seemingly potent use in the team is when he is playing upfront, and the crosses are coming in, and even that as it may is a plan B for United.
Against Arsenal, we saw what the absence of Schneiderlin can cause, the Frenchman was also on the bench against Bournemouth, and against Norwich, the United midfield was seriously lacking an enforcer, a dirty player and a good cover for the defence from the midfield.
2. Changing the philosophy or the philosopher is imminent:
With the current string of results United is getting, a change in the system is necessary for a change in form. It then depends on who acts first, the board may act first by changing the philosopher (Van Gaal) or he gets some more time, while he change his philosophy.
With managers like Carlo Ancellotti, José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola constantly linked to replace Van Gaal it is left to be seen if the board will exercise some patience with the Dutchman.
The players are human and with the current results the team is getting may lose faith in his methods. He either change his methods if he gets more time, or he is changed.
3. United's title challenge, turning to a fight for the top four :
Manchester United's second defeat in a roll has dropped the team to fifth on the table, level on 29 points with fourth placed Tottenham, and sixth placed Crystal Palace. Any further unwanted result will further sink United down the table faster than we may imagine. With the resurgence at Liverpool and Chelsea, United cannot afford to drop more points, else the team faces the stiff challenge of not making the top four. And with yuletide fixtures against Stoke City, Chelsea and Swansea kicking off the new year, United must start getting results or face the reality of next season out of the Champions League.
Do you think Van Gaal should be given more time at United?
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