This is Chapter 1 of the van Gaal Diaries, the first of many to come. Make sure you stay with us, as the story unfolds.
A wise man once said, “An excess of anything is a bad thing.” This quote applies very well to the fans of Manchester United. We had gotten so used to success under Sir Alex Ferguson that last year was like a rude awakening from a dream – the likes of which we may never see again. The amount of silverware we won, the style of football we played, all lost under David Moyes, who apparently wanted to divide the pitch into many zones and have one player stuck in each zone. What were we playing, wizard chess? Record numbers for home losses, league position, points at the end of the season, what not! We could not even qualify for the Europa League, let alone the Champions League. Of course, nobody had the guts to point fingers at our resident Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for ‘telling’ Moyes that he was the next Manchester United manager. Selection process? What mindless sorcery is that?
Thankfully, the club decided to follow a more established selection process this time around, and managers were approached. Amidst rumours of Conte, Simeone and Ancelotti, it was Louis van Gaal, who decided that he would take hold of reins at United. The man definitely knows what he wants to do, and more importantly, what he wants his players to do. None of that “I do not know what we need to do to win” yabba-dabba-doo that Moyes dabbled in like a numbskull. This is Manchester United! Nobody is a favourite coming in to Old Trafford, let alone the Scousers. The only standards we aspire to, are our own, and not those of our noisy neighbours. Louis van Gaal has a philosophy which he believes in, and wants his players to believe in. This is exactly what we needed after last season’s regression into footballing stone age under David Moyes.
Yes, this is only pre-season and nobody cares about the results. It is more about getting the players fit for the season and making sure that the system still works well. While the foremost proponents of these ideals are clearly those who end up on the losing side (winks at Liverpool and Arsenal fans), the only comparisons I’m going to draw are with United’s pre-season last year and not with any other clubs’ performances. The players are clearly more confident in their abilities and their performances are in tandem with van Gaal’s vision of how he wants his players to play. How else can you explain Ashley Young playing at wingback – left and right – with such consummate ease, as if he has been doing it all his life?