Tuesday 23 September 2014

Manchester United: Biggest spenders in Europe and they didn’t buy a defender...?

Louis Van Gaal Substitution of Angel Di Maria Reportedly Sparked Player Backlash

Louis van Gaal's substitution of Angel Di Maria during Manchester United's 5-3 defeat to Leicester reportedly created a backlash of fury in the Red Devils dressing room.

Neil Ashton and Simon Jones of the Daily Mail reported a "fiery" exchange between Van Gaal and his players, who launched an "inquest" into why the Argentinian was pulled from the game after just 76 minutes. One unnamed United player was also said to have sworn at the manager, as noted by the aforementioned publication's (NSFW) tweet:


Television presenter Eamonn Holmes suggested Van Gaal also had plenty to say after the match:



Di Maria scored a stunning chip and provided an assist before being removed from the game. At that stage the score was poised at 3-3 with United reeling after a Leicester fightback, and they went on to lose 5-3 without their talisman, leaving the visitors on just five points from as many games this season.

Although other elite sides including Liverpool and Manchester City have struggled for points, both have faced opposition who can expect to at least challenge for a top-four place at the end of the campaign.

United have stuttered through an easy run on paper and have a difficult couple of months approaching. Everton, City, Chelsea and Arsenal will all take on LvG's men before the end of November, meaning United's hopes of making the Champions League could be over by Christmas.

Di Maria has played just three games for his new team, but he is already a key player. The former Real Madrid star's pace, dribbling skill and expert delivery has significantly aided United's attacking play and upped the team's tempo when moving forward. He is starting deep and thrusting possession up the pitch, linking well with Wayne Rooney when doing so.


Van Gaal's lack of defensive options continue to undermine the squad's attacking prowess, as the manager's inability to land a world-class centre-back has left the team exposed.

Marcos Rojo's performance against the Foxes was worrying due to his unwillingness to take defensive responsibility. He allowed Leicester to target youngster Tyler Blackett, who was forced into making a couple of last-ditched tackles before eventually seeing red for mistiming one in the box.

Jonny Evans left the match on crutches, per United's website, adding to Phil Jones' recent injury lay-off and Blackett's suspension. Chris Smalling returned from injury as Evans' replacement against Nigel Pearson's men and will most likely be asked to forge an emergency central partnership with Rojo, allowing Luke Shaw to enter the side at left-back.


Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, reported via Alex Harris of the Daily Star, criticised Van Gaal for his decision not to invest at the back:
The bigger picture at United is that they’re the biggest spenders in Europe and they didn’t buy a defender. They weren’t shocked that (Rio) Ferdinand was going but they let him go, (Nemanja) Vidic announced (he was leaving) in January.They’re the biggest spenders – how have they not addressed that?
[...] To spend that much money and not bring in a top class defender - that’s mismanagement.
Ashton and Jones' report indicates the United squad feel mismanagement is also happening on match day, with Di Maria the unfortunate victim of Van Gaal's willingness to switch things up. It will be extremely interesting to see if the record signing is sacrificed early during Saturday's fixture with West Ham, or whether he completes his first 90 minutes at Old Trafford.


Van Gaal has already proven he is willing to make major changes if needed—highlighted by his alteration from 3-5-2 to a transitional 4-1-2-1-2 formation—but he needs to quickly find and stick with a winning formula. The experienced boss has undermined his attacking signings by failing to address obvious needs at the back and will struggle until he can bring in new targets when the January transfer window arrives.

If United's shortcomings continue to show themselves until then, any expletives launched his way are likely to come from a frustrated crowd, let alone the dressing room.

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