Work in Progress. Too many judgements on unfinished business. Right now, the sum of our parts isn't what it should be. But, with the next transfer window, I really think that LVG will be able to make us play in a style that ensures we remain difficult to beat, but is also altogether more fluent (and easier on the eye with it). Bearing this in mind, the season so far, has been a relative success.
United under LvG: verdict so far!
- Thread starter LawCharltonBest
- Start date
- Status
Content, LVG knows how to avoid losing... infact you would struggle to find up to 5 games this season where we have lost by more than a 1 goal margin, which to me is amazing, we haven't been playing well and have been grinding out results but so have the other teams if we are being honest, its not like Chelsea are blowing away their opponents.
We should be moving away from teams behind us but the gap is just too small for comfort. At this point in time, position wise you could not be more satisfied but remember we have a difficult set of fixtures comming up. We really blew our chance to increase the gap a month or 2 ago. Hope we see a vast improvement in our style of play in the next 2 weeks. We desperately need to build momentum from here.
May all the luck in the world be with us.
May all the luck in the world be with us.
I want Herrera to play too, but if he thought it would compromise the team then it would most definitely wouldn't be a step in the right direction. That isn't necessarily a reflection on Herrera's ability, but maybe on the lack of what he may see as more suitable team mates that complement his style....
You and I may disagree with his decisions, but it would be infinitely worse if he didn't have the courage of his convictions.
Maybe it's like "he managed Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern, he had to win something".
Like, you know, Guardiola and Mourinho aren't great managers. They just manage best teams. It seems that best manager is actually Sam Allardyce
i had never fallen asleep before during an United match 
Well, yes, you'd certainly struggle to do that. We've lost five times this season, MK Dons and Leicester being the only ones by more than a goal.
I think we'll get found out with our end of season fixture list. Extremely fortunate to be sitting in third place playing football as bad as it was under Moyes, which was astonishingly poor. I have no idea what he's doing with these team selections, we seem to be getting worse each game.
We won and that what matters the most. I have lost faith in LVG though, too many debatable decisions at once. I have no faith in him.
Need to win next game as two of our rivals Southampton and Liverpool play each other and Spurs play West Ham.
Once again he got away his stupid line up. But changed it again in the second half and we were much better. Please stop playing Falcao and RVP. That experiment should be over.
I am still not sure what to make of LVG. I just hope after that performance he sees that changes need to be made in the forward areas.
Once again he got away his stupid line up. But changed it again in the second half and we were much better. Please stop playing Falcao and RVP. That experiment should be over.
I am still not sure what to make of LVG. I just hope after that performance he sees that changes need to be made in the forward areas.
In the sea of shit I saw hope yesterday. We looked marginally better once we shifted to 4411 in the second half. That is a sign of things to come, right? LVG cannot be blind to the fact that Januzaj and Di Maria's best position is as wide men not as wingbacks or strikers. Right? They need space to run and challenge the defenders. The Herrera sub was a positive too when I was expecting the worse with Fellaini coming on to replace Blind. We played with 2 man in the midfield in I don't know how long and there were some positivies. Louie must have seen it, right? No way he is going to start Falcao and RVP together again this season. No way, right?
I think he can still salvage himself and finish the season on a high if plays the right players in the right formations for the rest of the season. Only one of RVP or Falcao can be on the pitch at the same time in most situations. Falcao is a poacher, you cannot ask him to play football at the half-line, his best work is done in the box. Herrera is our best option in central midfield after Carrick, he needs to play and with a partner in the midfield.
Saying it all season, 433/4231 is our best bet. In Di Maria, Januzaj, Valencia and Young we have options for the wings contrary to VG's earlier statements.
I think he can still salvage himself and finish the season on a high if plays the right players in the right formations for the rest of the season. Only one of RVP or Falcao can be on the pitch at the same time in most situations. Falcao is a poacher, you cannot ask him to play football at the half-line, his best work is done in the box. Herrera is our best option in central midfield after Carrick, he needs to play and with a partner in the midfield.
Saying it all season, 433/4231 is our best bet. In Di Maria, Januzaj, Valencia and Young we have options for the wings contrary to VG's earlier statements.
De Gea/Valdes
Rafael/Mc Nair Smalling/Jones Rojo/Evans Shaw
Carrick/Blind Herrera/Fellaini
Rooney/Mata
Di Maria/Valencia VP/Wilson/Falcao Januzaj/Young
Rafael/Mc Nair Smalling/Jones Rojo/Evans Shaw
Carrick/Blind Herrera/Fellaini
Rooney/Mata
Di Maria/Valencia VP/Wilson/Falcao Januzaj/Young
While the football is utter garbage at the moment, people have to remember that we've only lost 1 game in the last 17. That is a pretty good run.
And by purely judging him on results, we sit in 3rd in the middle of February. I will take that.
And by purely judging him on results, we sit in 3rd in the middle of February. I will take that.
We got physically bullied at times because our two central players were Januzaj and Blind. The diamond doesn't work because it congests the wrong areas and doesn't take advantage of the width of the pitch - which is what you need to do if you want to do well in the Premier League over a whole season. I feel LvG is just a minor tweak from getting that right. Hopefully Falcao's shiteness will force his hand for the next game.
For those with short memory regarding us playing bad under SAF,they should check match day threads from that time(if they are still there,which i doubt it). Terms like zombie football did not came from after SAF period,or how they hate 4-4-2 as outdated (nobody in EU played 4-4-2),Giggs as CM and CM combos with Giggs etc.
Even in the worst of times we were hardly ever getting bullied by shit opposition at home or were constantly under the cosh. There would have been ocassions but nothing on a weekly basis. This season has been exemplary in that regard.
All season people have been complaining about 352 and saying 442 diamond is our best formation, based on a few early games in which we played it. Now we have 442 diamond we realise that LVG was right all along in that we dont have the right players to provide the necessary width and solidity. Ive had my share of wtf moments with him but things like that remind you he does know what hes talking about and we should give him time to shape the squad and their attitude.
You are going overboard with it though. We are not getting bullied by weak opposition week in week out at home.
100% this.
That's the way it's all balanced with van Gaal. He's so particular and picky that if he gets it right, it may well be very very right.
That's why I'm not quite as frustrated as everyone else at the odd team selections yet. Because there's still a chance that he sees something we all can't see. And if what he sees develops as he plans, he'll have a ridiculously meticulous team system.
I'm 80ish% underwhelmed and unconvinced that he'll pull up trees here, but a small part of me feels that maybe him being so picky and making all these weird decisions is going to lead to something if it 'clicks'.
I have a hunch that our teams consists of a bunch of techically inept collections of players. Too much of swashbuckling 442 under Fergie rendering them brain dead to anything tactical.
It's amazing that players such as Evans fails to show any sort of teamwork after being in the squad for bloody years
And i'm sick of seeing sicknote all over the squad, enough of waiting for the injury prones, they should be shipped out ruthlessly
It's amazing that players such as Evans fails to show any sort of teamwork after being in the squad for bloody years
And i'm sick of seeing sicknote all over the squad, enough of waiting for the injury prones, they should be shipped out ruthlessly
Definitely. I'm for cutting ties with almost everyone who featured under Sir Alex in the coming windows. And I don't mean that disrespectfully towards him at all.
But I never seen us like that before. Fergie got away with playing Giggs in midfield or no midfield because we had two of the best CBs in the world.
Van Gaal needs to learn that he has to play midfielders because our defence is so poor.
When Carrick is back, I'd play him and Blind in a two. Herrera, Mata and Di Maria with Rooney up front. I just don't get why he's going for a partnership that is never going to work.
Van Persie seems the type who prefers playing on his own. Even at Arsenal besides Henry and back then he was playing off the front or on the wing he has never played well with a partner.
Ya good points. Although Mourinho is more into tactics than SAF.
From reading the views of players who formerly played under LvG, he is not bad at man management either. It is just that the 'teacher' in him wants to educate everyone and he tries too hard at times. If one reads players' post match interviews, every time there is mention by players that they knew and were aware of exactly how game will go. So, LvG is doing his usual research well and is trying to prepare players accordingly. Unfortunately, the execution part is not as desired.
When we were weak in midfield, he pushed the game to the wings. LvG's done nothing to address our weakness in either area.
We're a streak of piss through the middle, causing us to be too easy to press. And our wings aren't producing what they should be because we don't move the ball there fast enough. Fergie at least had the latter sorted.
Ideally we'd be good out wide and also dominant in the middle. We're currently neither.
His convictions are to play two over the hill strikers in front of a midfield that contains two wingers and our best striker? Then act shocked when that line up proceeds to produce a terrible performance, he is insane.
@Theonas made a very good point. I can see a set of willing players, who are a bit confused, probably due to too much information. I remember so many caling for 3-5-2 to be ditched and favouring a switch to 4-4-2 diamond, now that we've struggled with that, we're now calling for him to bin it, it's funny. Our problem isn't in the formation. It's in the methods of the manager, it is very scientific and players are finding it difficult to get it for now. I'm sure LVG will iron these things out, and we'll have an excellent team, flexible and able to switch to various formations and styles as a game might demand. We're painful to watch at times though, but he's getting the points and is within expectations, if we finish 3rd and manage to win the FA cup, he'll have done very well.
Your last post is utter crap, just an illusion of you. At least we managed to create chances in a game, to not look suspect defensively every match, that already is thrice as good as we've been seeing from LVG.
I would adjust a player or two... but by and large I am completely beind this.
No idea why Herrera can not play and Rooney does in *midfield*. how does Falcao stay on ths pitch at all? Honestly at this point I have to wonder how the locker room is not up in arms.
I mean if you were Herrera or Mata watching Rooney, RVP and Falcao sleep walk thru games how would you feel?
Well back then we had Vidic,looking Evans tonight,was wondering about one man defense back in Vidic/Rio time.
I understand what you saying,we dont look good performance wise,i just take everything in consideration before i have a go at manager/players.
It's quite astonishing that people are comparing this shit to Fergie's teams.
Absolute bullshit. Christ, the drivel that's been posted this season. We've hardly ever been "bullied by shit opposition at home" under Van Gaal. Never mind on a "weekly basis". Happened a fair bit with Moyes but last night (first half only) was very unusual for the season that's in it. Can you literally only remember the last game we played?!
I've always said - with both Moyes and Van Gaal - that all I want to see if progress.
A manager who has a vision about how he wants his team to play and evidence that the team is improving over time. Regarding the former, he's definitely changed our style of football. Most people aren't enjoying it, though, and he's not making any friends with his team selection either.
I'm sure he would argue that it's not yet his squad and he's doing whatever it takes to get results. Which brings us on to the second part of my initial premise. Have we improved over the course of his reign?
League table says "yes".
That's a good read.
I'll add:
Last 3 years champions were averaging 2,31 point per game. This season Chelsea is getting 2,36 ppg. ATM United are doing 1,88 ppg (last 3 years 3rd place teams: 2,15; 1,97; 1,84). Basically we are below the target.
However, if we factor in (-10 games) and (-5 games) we are on 2,21 and 2,05 respectively. (-10) form would see us miss on a title by a small margin but we would get 2nd quite comfortably (averge of 2,20)
I can't say i fully agree but we also had shockers under Fergie. That Blackburn game?
Last season was much worse in this regards...the infamous phrase " We will try to make it hard for Newcastle" seemed to be the common theme for our home form.
Sorry but i can name quite a few equally bad games under Fergie.
That league table taking out the last 10 games is astonishing 
I'm so confused about what to think.
I'm so confused about what to think.
I personally dont think Fergie's teams were this bad but I do think the malaise was kicking in. His last few seasons were painful to watch at times.
i had never fallen asleep before during an United match
I have. FA Cup Final against the scousers. The one Cantona got the winner in. Dire game.
It does happen.
No, it's really quite astonishing how people think every performance under Fergie was brilliant. Or forget that Fergie took a long time to start delivering. Also that LVG is being compared to Moyes.
Personally thinks that LVG is the only manager I can remember in recent times to be under such huge pressure despite losing only once in the past 17 games. Are the fans being too unrealistic or are they too spoilt?
Good post and I agree with you, I just hope point two is way off the mark.
- Status