|
|
Post by Jie on Oct 31, 2014 8:03:50 GMT
Van Gaal was confirmed to replace David Moyes as the new manager for Manchester United on 19 May 2014.[51] He signed a three-year contract coming into effect after the 2014 World Cup.[51] Van Gaal named Ryan Giggs as his assistant manager, Marcel Bout as assistant coach, specialising in oppositional scouting, and Frans Hoek as goalkeeping coach.[51] Albert Stuivenberg was appointed as assistant coach.[52] Van Gaal claimed he had inherited a "broken" United squad,[53][54][55] and that he would give youth a chance.[56] Ed Woodward said Van Gaal had "impressed everyone around the club" and that there was "a real positive energy and buzz around the place".[57]
Van Gaal's first signings were midfielder Ander Herrera for £29 million,[58][59] and defender Luke Shaw for £30 million.[60][61] On 26 August he signed Argentine winger Ángel Di María from Real Madrid on a five-year contract, the £59.7 million fee setting a new record for a signing by an English club, and taking the club's summer spending to a reported £130 million.[62] On transfer deadline day, Van Gaal signed Daley Blind from Ajax for a fee of £14 million.[63] and was granted an extension to sign Radamel Falcao on loan from AS Monaco for a reported £6 million.[64]
On 24 July, he managed United for the first time as they beat LA Galaxy 7–0 in a pre-season friendly,[65][66] using a 3-5-2 formation.[67] Manchester United won the 2014 International Champions Cup under Van Gaal, winning the final 3–1 against rivals Liverpool on 4 August.[68]
Van Gaal lost his first official game in charge, a 2–1 home defeat to Swansea City in the opening match of the Premier League season.[69] On 26 August, United lost 4–0 to League One side Milton Keynes Dons in the second round of the League Cup.[70] Van Gaal won his first competitive game in United's fourth match of the league season, a 4–0 home victory over Queens Park Rangers with goals from Di María, Herrera, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata.[71]
|
|
|
|
Post by Rach1986 on Oct 31, 2014 18:32:13 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by StrikerMo on Nov 2, 2014 11:39:09 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by StrikerMo on Nov 7, 2014 12:59:36 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by StrikerMo on Nov 10, 2014 13:09:31 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Hammy on Nov 10, 2014 13:55:16 GMT
I'm by no means saying get the knives out for VG but i have been disappointed in him so far. Yes, we are playing better football than last season but that's only to be expected after spending about a zillion pounds on transfers. He has tried every formation under the sun without knowing his best one. Granted, he has had bad luck with the defense but that doesn't excuse our forward play which has no coherency about it what so ever.
The answer maybe isn't too complicated. Play the best players in their best position and grow some balls and think what is best for the team. Not for players like RVP and Rooney.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2014 14:11:25 GMT
He's said all along though, in every job he's ever been in, his captain plays when fit and that's the end of it. So hoping for Rooney being dropped is a bit pointless. Di Maria definitely needs bringing back central but I think it's good that he's used so many different systems. It shows that he knows there are issues and he's looking for ways to fix them. He keeps talking about balance and it's easy to see what he means when you look at the results, to my memory he played... - 3-5-2 for 3 games - scored 2, conceded 3 - not enough attacking threat.
- 4-1-2-1-2 for 4 games - scored 11, conceded 7 - found the attacking threat, not enough defensive cover.
- 4-1-4-1 for 4 games - scored 4, conceded 4 - cut down on goals conceded but also cut down on goals scored.
Of those the middle one was easily the most exciting, it's also the one which brought about the most points and got the best out of Di Maria, but then again it didn't have opponents as touch as the last one had.
I think it shows that van Gaal is still working out the best way forward and will continue to experiment until he finds out exactly what that is, I think this is encouraging when you compare it with last season when in a 55 game season, without checking I'd be willing to bet we played 4-2-3-1 in at least 50 of them despite being shite every week. |
|
|
|
Post by Hammy on Nov 10, 2014 14:30:39 GMT
If i had your memory i'd become an accountant  I'm not actually hoping for Rooney to be dropped but i would like to see him play as point ahead of RVP. Personally i don't like Rooney near CM or even playing in the hole. We have better options for both positions but we see Rooney game after game dong a lot of running around but not achieving a lot. For me the 4-2-3-1 (4-3-3) should still be an option. Last year we didn't have the players but this year we do. Herrera with Carrick/Blind in CM. Di Maria AM, Mata given license to play where he wants and Rooney up top. It's one of the few combinations we haven't tried but (for me) would give us better balance than what we've been seeing. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2014 14:48:24 GMT
I liked the diamond myself - those numbers above would've looked very different but for a mental capitulation at Leicester. I didn't think that was anything to do with the system, it was just a collective meltdown after the Rafa penalty, the likes of which I don't think I've ever seen before. Up to that point we'd ripped them apart, but for that I think we'd have had 1 or 2 more on the goals for column and 3 or 4 less on the conceded column and it'd be 12 points from 12 with the diamond.
I'd like to see it return even if it does mean being more open - or there's even an argument to sit Carrick at the base of it with Herrera and Blind in front of him, then Di Maria still behind two strikers or Di Maria and Mata behind one, similar to what you're saying.
We'll see what the next few weeks brings, but I'm happy knowing that van Gaal won't be satisfied until it's spot on, and I'm confident he has the experience and know how to get it spot on, a feeling I never got from Moyes.
Did you know that when van Gaal took over at Munich they only got 21 points from the first 13 games, a similar total to what we should have in 2 games time. The next 13 after that? Munich picked up 35 points, winning 11 of those 13. They stuttered over the line a bit but that run won them the league. I'm not saying we'll win the league, but is there any reason we can't go on a decent winning streak once van Gaal finds his best side?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2014 14:57:37 GMT
Nope.
|
|
|
|
Post by Hammy on Nov 10, 2014 15:20:48 GMT
I like the idea of playing Carrick deeper with Blind and Herrera just in front of him. Fellaini even though he's done quite well lately should still be used as a substitute basically because we need players with technical ability to help us control the game. With 3 in midfield that should give Mata and Di Maria the freedom they need to have a big influence on the game with another quality playmaker in Herrera pushing up and joining the attack. I think Rooney would have a field day with this formation.
I must of been one of the very few who wasn't 100% happy with VGs appointment. Basically because of the experience of watching him at Barcelona. He's won trophies most managers could only dream of but i still have niggling doubts whether or not he's the man to take us back to the top. Personal opinion.
You asked the question, is there any reason we can't go on a winning streak? With the squad we have i can't see any at all and when this happens i'll gladly hold up my hands and say i got it wrong and once again actually enjoy watching us play.
|
|
|
|
Post by StrikerMo on Nov 19, 2014 11:44:48 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by StrikerMo on Nov 30, 2014 13:13:25 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by StrikerMo on Dec 1, 2014 10:53:35 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2014 10:56:15 GMT
The stock complaint of every new foreign manager in the league. Piss off, Louis, we love our Christmas football. Have a break in January if you want, but leave Christmas alone.
|
|
