This article first appeared in the Jul/Aug 2014 issue of World Gaming magazine.
Not long after former Manchester United manager, David Moyes, took over the post, the presence of his predecessor Sir Alex Ferguson in the director’s box at Old Trafford became a constant ordeal for the ambitious young man. The stern and often furious face of the older Glaswegian can terrify anyone, let alone the man accused of destroying the empire Ferguson built. But now Moyes is gone and Louis van Gaal, a combative and opinionated Dutchman, is coming. Can van Gaal rebuild the reputation and dominance of the red empire?
Manchester United’s wretched 2013/14 season ended in dismay when they drew 1-1 against Southampton on the final day. Although qualifying for the Europa League would be little consolation after such a barren and dreadful season, the Red Devils were condemned to seventh place on the EPL ladder and thus missed Europe altogether for the first time since 1989/90. They are also the first defending EPL champions to fail to qualify since Blackburn in 1995/96.
A post mortem examination was being carried out even before the sacking of David Moyes, although the waters were muddied by former United captain Roy Keane who claimed the club’s CEO Ed Woodward should take the blame as he was the one who “made the deal happen”. Whether Keane was referring to the signing of Moyes himself or the players he brought in we don’t know, but the fact remains that Juan Mata (£37m) and Marouane Fellaini (£27.5m) were exactly the players the manager wanted.
It had been hoped that Everton’s Leighton Baines, the left back who was one of United’s top targets during the summer transfer window, had the ability to turn the club’s awful season around but the Toffees rejected all of the Red Devils’ advances. Now United’s sights are set on Southampton’s Luke Shaw, a younger left back whose hefty £37 million price tag won’t easily dissuade Woodward.
Still, there is much damage that needs to be undone from a system that failed miserably under Moyes. The team was badly unbalanced once Sir Alex left. When he was there, players felt they had won most of their games before the match had even started – a mental edge rooted deeply in the EPL’s 20-year history – while now there was clear discontent with many promising players rarely being given an opportunity. Just ask Danny Welbeck, a player who would walk into the Arsenal or Liverpool sides but spent most the season on the bench. None of United’s young guns – Phil Jones, Chris Smalling or even Javier Hernandez – reached anywhere near their vast potential.
David Moyes’ tenure as Manchester United manager was short and not so sweet
David Moyes’ football philosophy also failed. Statistics show that Manchester United crossed the ball more than any side last season – 999 times – yet their entire campaign only produced 64 goals. Given their most bitter rivals, Liverpool and Manchester City, both scored a century of goals, the season was surely a humiliation for this once ruthless United outfit.
An exodus of aging players is expected this summer, with Nemanja Vidić and Rio Ferdinand leading the way. Several key positions need world-class replacements, which is why United is willing to pay as much as £37 million for Shaw with Patrice Evra no longer in his prime. Such a spending spree must be led by a true champion and the evidence suggests that van Gaal fits the bill.
The Dutchman has a long history of discovering real talent. When he led a young Ajax to topple AC Milan 1-0 in the Champions League final in 1995, his side was made up of home-grown stars including Edwin Van der Sar, the De Boer brothers, Marc Overmars and Patrick Kluivert. During his first spell at Barcelona where he won two titles in three years, he gave debuts to Carles Puyol and Xavi as well as promoting Andrés Iniesta to the first team in his second spell.
In Germany, current household names Thomas Müller, Holger Badstuber and David Alaba have van Gaal to thank for their early rise, as he was the man who put faith in Bayern Munich’s youth system and gave them the chance to shine.
The importance of having home grown talent in the side has never been so prominent in the Premier League as now, with continental competitors no longer shy of splashing the cash and UEFA determined to tackle the problem of blatant over spending by punishing the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in the past few months. Van Gaal will have to look to United’s prestigious academy to discover some gems and players such as Adnan Januzaj, Tom Lawrence and James Wilson, who scored a brace in United’s final home game of the season on debut, shouldn’t be difficult to spot.
Is Louis van Gaal the man to lead United back to the top of the Premier League?
Van Gaal is not a builder like Brendan Rodgers, who is doing a spectacular job at Liverpool and will remain at the club for some time. But he is certainly a champion, winning title after title wherever he has been. He is a journeyman like Fabio Capello and Guus Hiddink. Ryan Giggs, who announced his retirement after 23 years at United, will move into a managerial role as van Gaal’s number two and will be the connection between the Dutchman and the club’s proud history. After all, let’s not forget that van Gaal is the first foreign manager in United’s history!
The main concern will be van Gaal’s preparation for next season, as he won’t formally take charge at Old Trafford until the World Cup is over, where he is leading the Netherlands’ charge. Runners-up in 2010, if they repeat that performance by reaching the final in Rio de Janeiro on 13 July, the 62-year-old will have little time to settle into his new club with the 2014/15 season kicking off on 16 August.
Van Gaal will meet some familiar faces in England, including Chelsea’s José Mourinho who served as the Dutchman’s assistant at Barcelona in the late 1990s. The “Special One” was certainly influenced by his mentor in some way, particularly in exuding that combination of confidence and arrogance. When van Gaal was first appointed as Ajax manager in 1991, he smiled and told the board, “Congratulations, you just hired the best manager in the world!”
Mourinho has described van Gaal as a “great manager” and a “great man”, so it will be interesting to see how they react to one another in the dugout next season – particularly if United are again a Premier League force to be reckoned with.
