I'm getting less and less confident he knows what he's doing this season. Only his experience would suggest that, but what we've actually seen from him this season seems completely directionless, from transfers to formations.
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Looked like we were down to ten for most of that half. Fix it pls.
I just don't understand this at all from LVG!! Yes we've got gargantuan problems with injuries, but stick to a formation that the team have been playing recently. Why change it??? Our play look so bloody disjointed - its as if no one quite knows what they're meant to be doing!!
Tactically, injuries or not, he's been absolutely terrible. I cannot believe how we set up at times.
It would happen to every manager in the world if you take away half their squad.
Whatever his philosophy is, I'm yet to see it. We're definitely playing at least as bad as we did under Moyes right now.
And he was meant to be a tactical genius!! Every man and his dog knows that this bloody 3-4-3 shite doesnt work!!!!
Shocking decision with the formation but even worse will be when he doesn't change it and the onslaught from Arsenal continues until they cruise to the win.
I don't really think it's down to inexperience though, play Smalling-McNair in the centre of the defence and we're sound. It's more problem of our defenders simply not knowing what to do, there's no aggressive attack on somebody charging through the middle, there's constant mismanagement in man-picking by our defenders and so on. We've played Smalling, Evans and Jones in such formation too iirc and they all looked just as clueless as the youngsters.
He has signed a CB with Rojo.
So far i was 100% behind Van Gaal but this match is totally awful and it's only his fault. Arsenal aren't good (Terrible in the defence and the midfield isn't good)......we must attack them and not sit back ffs.
That's probably the worst performance I've witnessed since saf left. Utter crap. The players look confused. We finally get to the edge of the oppositions box and then pass it all the way back to the keeper. We're getting cut wide open by simple easy balls at the back. We're hoofing the ball. How the hell it's 0-0 I don't know.
LVG has been terrible so far, his team line up and tactics stink of a cautious manager which generally comes with age.
LVG has been terrible so far, his team line up and tactics stink of a cautious manager which generally comes with age.
Starting RVP has got to stop, what is the point of it anymore ?
P H I L O S O P H Y
Can he change it to 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 with Valencia and Young on the pitch?? I think a change of the system was over with the Young change.
First time I've really doubted him, today. Bizarro extreme. What's wrong:
Those are the main things, in my opinion. Ah well.
- 3-5-2 - has it ever worked?
- 2-man midfield - of Herrera and Carrick! If we had Vidal and Keane, I could understand, but those two.
- RVP given a lifetime assurance of a starting place.
- Sudden blacklisting of Herrera. Mata kinda, too.
Those are the main things, in my opinion. Ah well.
Playing with just two.
If Mourinho were available, i'd take him in a heartbeat!! He was the ONLY candidate fit enough to take over Fergie! We dropped a huge fecking bollock there didnt we!!!
If he doesn't make any changes then, pfft wow...
Rather have Blackett as LB, he can feck up less there, he is so awful.
Very clever.
Inexperience is irrelevant, too. We could have played a Valencia, Smalling, McNair and Shaw back line today, with Herrera in midfield, and we'd at least resemble a football team.
His tactics are making it HARDER for us to win the match. Its literally baffling why we would go back to a back 3 when it clearly fecks with the whole teams fluidity.
Not only do we look open against the gooners, our midfield can barely get the ball (other than Fellaini chesting it down) but our front 3 look isolated and starved of the ball.
This just isn't working and he needs to realize that.
He said before the match that the injuries made picking the team easy - yet he's still managed to feck that up. There's never really any need for three centre-backs, but especially not when you've an injury crisis at the back. Herrera should have started over Blackett, and one of Mata/Januzaj/Wilson over RVP.
Granted we have inexperienced players on duty due to injuries. Why would he then amplify the problem by playing a system which is absolutely alien to these kids?
Things that Van Gaal is not?
Not enjoying watching the so called 'new' utd since Fellaini has come into the squad.
When LVG first came he talked about philosophy, build up play from the back, players comfortable on the ball etc etc, I don't see any of that, all I see is hoofing the ball forward from every dead ball to Fellaini who act as a target man to get the ball in the opposition half and start an attack, its not happening, time to change and bring Herrera back into the team and build from the back like before, get a hold of the game and be in control. Arsenal build from the back just as LVG talked about, they don't need a target man like Fellaini to start attacks and neither do we.
When LVG first came he talked about philosophy, build up play from the back, players comfortable on the ball etc etc, I don't see any of that, all I see is hoofing the ball forward from every dead ball to Fellaini who act as a target man to get the ball in the opposition half and start an attack, its not happening, time to change and bring Herrera back into the team and build from the back like before, get a hold of the game and be in control. Arsenal build from the back just as LVG talked about, they don't need a target man like Fellaini to start attacks and neither do we.
He could move Young to right back, Blackett to left back and take Valencia off if he wanted. I can't see it though. For once Van Gaal needs to influence a game for us after it's started.
The answer to injuries is to have the players set-up in a formation they are more uncomfortable in.
At the moment, he is worse than Moyes.
At the moment, he is worse than Moyes.
Sure.
This needs to happen.
Cool..
Basically LvG is confusing the kid defenders even further with this system.
This injury crisis is saving him from some resally difficult questions being asked.
Our poor performance in the first half at Arsenal has to be attributed to Van Gaal. The players are going long into Fellaini out of defence practically every time, they would not been doing that had the manager not asked them to. Its not Van Gaal's fault when players switch off or don't make simple passes. However, the overall approach was Van Gaal's to decide and he got it wrong. Arsenal being Arsenal, and squandering several one on ones, is the only reason we are not being embarrassed right now. He has to change things.
Maybe there was a reason SPURS were after him!!! 
We had a lot of injuries last season too.
He can have no excuses for his tactics today.
I think we all agree that we must attack this Arsenal side and not this back........he don't see that so only he is to blame for that
I have no problems with LVG playing 3 at the back, but seeing us constantly kept in our half with 5-6 players on the backfoot against Arsenal's attack is torturing. LVG needs to sort out the setup for the 2nd half, we can't just keep standing off them and soaking up the pressure.
I don't understand why he thinks playing Di Maria as a striker is a good idea, especially when Rooney is also on the pitch.
Di Maria's best games have been when he's been LCM and his best moments this game have been running from deep. Don't know why he's been played so far forward where he has less space to make an impact.
Di Maria's best games have been when he's been LCM and his best moments this game have been running from deep. Don't know why he's been played so far forward where he has less space to make an impact.
It's even more disappointing when the original lineup made it look as if he would be in his best position again. Obviously not though.
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