Manchester United Football Club. One of the world’s biggest football clubs. A club which faced unprecedented success with one man. One man alone- Sir Alex Ferguson. After twenty six long years where he won over 35 trophies for the team in red from Manchester, he departed. And the man who filled his rather big shoes, David William Moyes, wasn’t expected to bring about wonders and results like his illustrious predecessor. But what soon turned out became unheard of in the Theatre of Dreams.
Losses to teams which were generally cakewalks and performances which led to Moyes’ exit just showed that Manchester United too were like any other club. After a dismal season for the Red Devils, Louis van Gaal – a no-nonsense manager with a stupendous record in his managerial career winning titles in Netherlands, Spain and Germany – decided to take up the coveted job.
He has surely transformed the club with his acquisitions and the players he sold. The arrivals of Angel Di Maria, Daley Blind, Ander Herrera and the most surprising of all, Radamel Falcao turned the tables for Manchester United. On the other hand, the selling of Danny Welbeck, a player who has been in the club since his childhood, hasn’t gone far too well with the purists.
Although Van Gaal has had a not-so-bad season so far, he still has a lot to do. And here’s why…
1. GREATER CHALLENGES LIE AHEAD
United have played seven games since the start of the season and only one team of the lot- Everton- were in the top eight last season. Yet, United are eight points adrift of leaders Chelsea who have still not lost a match. Draws to teams such as Burnley and Sunderland and losses to Swansea and Leicester City have hampered United’s season already. Especially the losses to the Swans and Leicester. The first game was downright poor for the Red Devils while the second one hurt the players mentally more than anything else. After leading 3-1 after 70 odd minutes, it would certainly be difficult to digest a loss.
The next five matches include trips to the Emirates and Etihad and matches at home against leaders Chelsea and Crystal Palace and Hull City. The away matches are going to be tough any day as both the teams have quality. The 6-1 loss to neighbours city still reels in the hearts of United fans and it surely does hurt. Although the they aren’t the same force again, partly due to Yaya Toure’s poor form, they shouldn’t be taken lightly at all.
The next three home fixtures – Chelsea, Hull City and Crystal Palace- will show how ready and how much United have improved as each of the three teams have their own strengths and it will surely be decisive for United in the long run.