Spurs show Van Gaal what United are missing

By on April 11, 2016

At Football Every Day over the past three years, we have published more than 1,500 articles.  Roughly 600 of these reports have been in-depth match analyses (Disclaimer: analysis articles may not be in-depth. Or analytical.), and both the first, the latest, and a solid fifteen-percent in between have involved Manchester United.

Over this period, their second-half dismantling by Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday represented one of the Red Devils’ worst pastings, though the competition of late has stiffened.  Only three other matches compare: two 3-0 losses to Liverpool and Manchester City just a few weeks apart in March 2014, and a 4-1 defeat at the hands of their crosstown rivals City as far back as September 2013.

It was the club’s worst defeat this season and few matches in the fraught post-Ferguson era at Old Trafford have been so dispiriting for United.  Louis van Gaal’s men were devoid of verve and intensity and their spinelessness was set in sharp contrast to Spurs’ ruthless finishing.  Out-battled in the middle and overwhelmed on the flanks, United only held on for so long because of a certain eighteen-year-old full-back Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who was withdrawn on sixty-one minutes due to injury.  Ten minutes later, Spurs were up 3-0.

United trudged off the pitch at full-time and only a scolding from Ryan Giggs got the team to half-heartedly applaud the away section.  The response from the visiting fans was very much mixed as well.

Much less than making a late bid for a top-four position, United can barely keep hold of the coattails of their Manchester rivals one spot above in fourth place.   They have won just two of their last seven matches and whatever glimmer of hope they had following consecutive 1-0 wins over Everton and Manchester City has been snuffed out.

United currently have one fewer point than David Moyes had accumulated at this point of the season during his sole, fateful year in charge of United.

Progress during Van Gaal’s tenure at United began to stagnate before Christmas and has been in freefall for months.  Few results have raised more questions about Van Gaal’s position, and even the staunchest of the Dutchman’s sympathizers will have a tough time spotting any progress being made.

With the exception of Anthony Martial, none of United’s summer signings have panned out in the way Van Gaal would have hoped, and their starting lineup has crumbled to bits in recent weeks.  Van Gaal’s dream team is not emerging and Angel di Maria’s sale last summer puts into to question whether Van Gaal really knows what’s best for the club.

If mercy somehow saves Van Gaal’s job, he will basically be starting over from square one this summer.

Spurs look increasingly likely to finish runners-up to Leicester City in the title race this season, and they showcased everything that United lacked on Sunday.  Passion, cohesion, and most importantly, a path forward to even greater heights both domestically and in Europe.  And that is something that Van Gaal doesn’t offer United right now.

Homepage photo credit: Paul blank [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.