da brwin： After Manchester United seemed to have finally turned the corner with victories over Liverpool and Tottenham, three defeats in a row have sent them in a tailspin right back around it. the loss to champions Chelsea can be forgiven, but the crushing defeat by Everton and the home reverse to West Brom have put Louis van Gaal’s side back under the microscope.
da dobrowin： With United clinging onto a top four spot as Liverpool breathe down their necks, fans at Old Trafford will surely want more from the Dutchman’s second campaign in charge. How can he take the most successful team in English history back to their place at the top of the national game?
If many believe Arsenal are only one or two signings away from a title challenging side than Van Gaal has an even bigger job on his hands – if United are to win yet another league title, they will have to overthrow Mourinho’s Chelsea, no easy feat.
One of the manager’s most important and pivotal pieces of transfer business this summer has to be to keep their Spanish ‘keeper David de Gea at the club. In the fallow years at Old Trafford he has stood head and shoulders above his team mates and established himself as one of the best stoppers in the game. With Real Madrid seemingly poised for a raid to steal the 24 year old, if United are focused on returning to the elite of European football, they simply must keep their goalkeeper.
Anything in front of De Gea is where Van Gaal will be looking to improve; all his defenders have, at one point or another, left a lot to be desired. Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw’s arrivals last term were supposed to plug the defensive gaps left by the Moyes administration, however neither signing has worked and the defence needs a complete overhaul. United fans must look enviously over at Chelsea’s defence, their whole side built on genuine solidity. Continuously linked with Mats Hummels, Van Gaal should be looking at a genuine world class defender to compliment his more attacking players.
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In front of United’s shaky defence their midfield hinges almost exclusively on one player, a 34 year old player, not the basis for long term success… Michael Carrick. When he has been fit has been the heartbeat of his side, with him they look genuine title contenders, without him, the Europa League beckons. An able deputy for Carrick has to be high on his list of priorities this summer.
Finally we move on to the forward department, an area that looked full of riches at the start of the season; with Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao. However, as the season has developed those riches have dwindled at an alarming rate; whether Falcao was ever really wanted by Van Gaal is up for debate, but the Colombian is a shadow of the man that terrified defences continent wide. Time has also caught up with Van Persie, who is looking more and more a liability with each passing week.
While Javier Hernandez is finally flourishing, the clamour for his recall will inevitably grow, but in truth United need at least one more, genuinely, world class striker to help out their talismanic skipper Rooney.
If Van Gaal is to deliver on his promise of a title within three years, this summer could prove vital, although his side have shown improvement, they are currently a long way away from anything that resembles title winners. The Dutchman may be about to embark on one of his most difficult summers in his illustrious career.
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