Fergie would never have this squad.
United under LvG: verdict so far!
- Thread starter LawCharltonBest
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Too many midfielders.
He's stunk the place out if we are honest. I'm no further on about understanding what he's trying to do in March than I was in September and I'm sure neither are the players. We've not resolved last years problems aside from LVG is simply more luck than DM with some of the results.
This man needs to go, the worlds moved and so has management than his prehistoric methods of league management.
This man needs to go, the worlds moved and so has management than his prehistoric methods of league management.
Go read NL Max's tactics thread and you will see why he is playing Fellaini in the hole.
Obviously the board have asked him to make top four so he is being pragmatic, when Mourinho is pragmatic he is a genius, when Louis van Gaal does it he is panicking.
That's the way Mourinho has done things, his team's have also been way more convincing regardless of style and I don't remember them fighting to make the top 4. NL Max's explanation for Fellaini seemed to be partially because Van Gaal doesn't think Herrera offers enough defensively, ignoring that Fellaini isn't doing that despite playing better earlier in the season when he was a more rounded midfield player, and that when it doesn't work we can lump it long to Fellaini. I actually believe that Van Gaal will get it right if he makes top 4 this year but it's surely not going to look anything like what we're seeing at the moment.
Yeah ? Our central midfield is weaker, our central defense is weaker, our wings are weaker and the most part of the season our strikers were as bad.
He is doing absolutely fantastic, if we win today 1 point of Arsenal and 2 points of City and the second position in the league. 
But they were already in it before he got there. Also, he's spent about 200 million Pounds since he took over Chelsea again, 100 of which got him nowhere in his first year. After all that Money spent they also looked worse than PSG over both legs and deserved to go out. PSG who have treaded water these last two seasons while also having spent half of what Mourinho has in that time. If we had set up tactiacally and gone out like Chelsea did versus PSG people would be saying he's not a United manager either.
That's all fair, I was merely arguing the point that Mourinho is labelled a genius for being pragmatic while I said Van Gaal is panicking because I think we're far less convincing. Maybe panic exaggerates it but he's trying to find something that works to get us top 4 this season. I don't think that Van Gaal is building something at the moment, I hope he's not building anything that looks like this, but that he's trying to give himself time (as well as being able to attract a higher calibre of player) to improve us over the next couple of seasons.
According to statistics from football observatory, out of the 20 teams in the premier league, United have the second youngest squad so basically 19th when it comes to squad average age, Newcastle's squad is younger by 0.1.
Our first team players aged 27 or older:
Evans
di Maria
Falcao
Rooney
Lindegaard
Carrick
Young
RVP
Valencia
Fellaini
Valdez
I can see most of those not being here in three seasons and also I don't think the club will spend on old players, they are likely to invest into quality younger players. I think this is an opportunity to build an exciting team, whether we can successfully execute this I don't know but it's something to keep an eye out for, especially when we sign players this summer.
Our first team players aged 27 or older:
Evans
di Maria
Falcao
Rooney
Lindegaard
Carrick
Young
RVP
Valencia
Fellaini
Valdez
I can see most of those not being here in three seasons and also I don't think the club will spend on old players, they are likely to invest into quality younger players. I think this is an opportunity to build an exciting team, whether we can successfully execute this I don't know but it's something to keep an eye out for, especially when we sign players this summer.
most will be gone in the summer all in 3 yrs rooney will be 3 years slower.
It's obviously not going to look like anything we are seeing at the moment, if you want to an idea of that go onto Youtube and watch games by Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern when Louis van Gaal managed them. For Barcelona and Bayern in his first season obviously those in the second half of the season, you can get an idea of what we should be doing.
You seem to miss the point, Mourinho is excellent at being pragmatic also last season he was helped by the fact he already had experience in the premier league and english culture, the point nonetheless was that there is nothing wrong with our manager being pragmatic between now and the end of the season.
Regarding Fellaini, another reason is that our defenders have struggled when pressed and also the likes of smalling and jones haven't been convincing when in possession of the ball, they are not ball playing centre backs, Louis van Gaal ideally would field a player like Hummels but that's a little difficult at the moment therefore Fellaini offers a target for those long balls they were so fond of launching earlier in the season. In the mean time either Jones + Smalling improve their passing or they leave.
Another reason is that Fellaini offers more defensively than Mata and the manager feels it's needed with Herrera in midfield, there are several reasons he thinks it makes sense, there is nothing wrong with disagreeing with his tactics but at least you understand why he has made that selection and see what he is trying with it.
He also explained he did not want Fellaini deeper because he felt he had a tendency to give the ball away cheaply in dangerous areas which I can't disagree with.
He is doing absolutely fantastic, if we win today 1 point of Arsenal and 2 points of City and the second position in the league.
Yeah because that's really really fantastic isn't it?
These next 2 matches are absolutely massive for him. Massive.
Win them both and we're cruising, lose them both and he'll likely be out in the Summer imo.
Win them both and we're cruising, lose them both and he'll likely be out in the Summer imo.
Yes it is actually, given our overall play this season. Ofcourse it could play out horribly and if so he'll have failed. But we still have everything in our own hands and that is fantastic.
Honestly? Yeah.
At the start of the season I was hoping for us to finish fourth (with a slim hope for third), and an increasingly attractive playing style. If I had somehow known what our injury record was going to be, I would've expected us to qualify for the Europa League (with a very slim hope for fourth), and a pragmatic playing style for most of the season. Bearing in mind what has happened this season, the fact that we can reach touching distance of 2nd if we win today is fantastic.
Once (if) he puts his stamp on the team this summer, we can start to truly judge him. This first season has been a nightmare, but we're somehow still within reach of achieving our goals. I don't know how you could think that's not fantastic.
Is pragmatism the new defence of LvG then, we've gone through a few now.
No one would argue against pragmatism but just simply labeling his odd decisions as pragmatic isn't really addressing the discussion.
It would be pragmatic if his set up was more likely to get us top 4 but clearly not many here believe that cautiously creating few chances then playing long ball to Fellaini is more likely to get us top 4 than good attacking football, Arsenal being a good example of that.
I'm all for giving him another season but he's damn lucky the top of the league is so poor this season
No one would argue against pragmatism but just simply labeling his odd decisions as pragmatic isn't really addressing the discussion.
It would be pragmatic if his set up was more likely to get us top 4 but clearly not many here believe that cautiously creating few chances then playing long ball to Fellaini is more likely to get us top 4 than good attacking football, Arsenal being a good example of that.
I'm all for giving him another season but he's damn lucky the top of the league is so poor this season
I didn't mean it like that haha. Yeah it would be a pretty decent season if we finished second but I wouldn't call it fantastic. And regarding our injuries this season, our best run of form happened when our squad was pretty decimated to fair.
I think it's pragmatic to shackle the team's attack when you don't trust the defence. He clearly doesn't trust it, so it's logical (and pragmatic) to play cautiously if you feel that's the best way of grinding out results. I'd love for us to play a midfield of Blind/Herrera/ADM/Mata with Rooney + 1 up front (or Januzaj as the + 1), but honestly we'd probably pick up fewer points that way.
But yeah... some of his decisions have been extremely odd, and he's been a bit more cautious than I'd have liked at times. The substitutions against Arsenal being a perfect example.
Yeah I get what you mean, I'd say that the season has been a major disappointment, but overall LVG's management of a crappy situation has been fantastic. Obviously it could still fall apart in the remainder of the season, but I really do think he's done a pretty good job
And yeah good point about the injuries... though it's questionable whether we were playing particularly well or just got lucky (or were pushed over the line by LVG's game plans). So many details in play that we can't really know for sure what caused it.
Completely agree, he's one of the least pragmatic managers in the league.
If anything, some of his decisions and tactics are actively eccentric.
Oh God, he just said a champions league spot is a title to us.
We slowly turning into Arsenal.
We slowly turning into Arsenal.
Keep this kind of football up, and Louis will have my support even if we fail to get top 4.
Football for me is about entertainment more than anything else, you can't spend what we have and then fail to at least entertain.
Lets hope this first half is a signifier as to how we're going to approach our run in.
Football for me is about entertainment more than anything else, you can't spend what we have and then fail to at least entertain.
Lets hope this first half is a signifier as to how we're going to approach our run in.
Absolutely brilliant so far.
More of this please! More!!
More of this please! More!!
8/9 more games of this and we'll be guaranteed a CL spot and all will be rosy again at United.
Nope... One aim. Top 4. Entertainment can wait.
And do you think we'd be more likely to get top 4 with this or with the dreary garbage we've been serving up previously in 2015?
Entertaining football generally lends itself toward better results. Especially at clubs with huge resources.
It also makes us massively more attractive to potential signings in the summer.
We're winning 3 nil ffs.
I feel like this is the sort of 'philosophy' or whatever that he's been wanting to implement. It's been good, passing football, but fairly direct as well in that we're not simply holding onto the ball for the sake of it, but using it with purpose and getting it forward whenever we can.
As much as Spurs haven't turned up...
This is the exact response I wanted and solidifies my belief LVG is up to par.
This is the exact response I wanted and solidifies my belief LVG is up to par.
If we continue to play like this the top 4 would be a formality.
Completely agree.
Like I said above, entertaining football generally lends itself toward better results. Especially at clubs with quality players (as we do).
"What is this world twisted?"
He shat at the reporter 
The look he gave at the end! Lovely to see.
The look he gave at the end! Lovely to see.
I am totally in support of LVG staying now, i am confident he can make us a consistent top 4 team - irrespective of where we end up this season
Behind LVG 100% till the end of next season at least
Behind LVG 100% till the end of next season at least
Well done LvG. If the performance today is reflection of the philosophy, then I am all for it. Keep it up!
"I don't want to answer this question because I think it is ridiculous"
Haha, I'm going to wheel that one out at work more often.
Haha, I'm going to wheel that one out at work more often.
Give him the players this summer, hes already shown he can scrap results this season and put points on the board, lets get some reinforcements in and go from strength to strength.
The people that were moaning for the last few weeks, your endorsements aren't worth a hell of a lot because if we lose at Anfield next week you'll be calling for his head again.
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