Red Rants |
- Fear factor will return to Old Trafford this season
- Is it time to sell United forgotten man?
- LVG: “United must be like Holland”
| Fear factor will return to Old Trafford this season Posted: 15 Jul 2014 04:16 AM PDT
It's two days until the Manchester United obsession can begin again, and whilst Louis has a few days off with his family, United are moving. The £750M kit deal with Adidas has been officially announced, and it is clear that we remain active in the transfer market; You only have to type #Vidal in to Twitter for reports to suggest that a deal for the Chilean maestro is imminent.
I say “obsession” purposefully, as it isn't just United fans that are obsessed with everything that encompasses the heart of the club. The fact that United are showing signs of rekindling their dominance scares rival fans in to chastising transfer activity which only upholds the motto "Hated, adored but never ignored." Rival fans will always criticise, but the facts suggest that United are definitely going through something of a reawakening. With season tickets selling out, a world record kit deal being signed and transfer targets being of a world class variety, everything points to a Manchester United resurgence and nothing could excite us more. I think it's safe to say that the one-year 'David Moyes experiment' was a resounding failure, and something that we have thankfully moved on from very quickly. Just as Giggs said in his speech at the end of the season, United are a club that "never stands still" and are "always on the move", and thank goodness that is the case. Moving on from disappointment is something that the club has always done very well, and I absolutely believe that next season will be a prime example of that. None of us can be too sure about what the expectations are for next season, but I think we need to be looking at top four and a successful cup run as an absolute minimum. What I do know is that the fear factor is returning to Old Trafford, so expect the atmosphere to be something of a cauldron next year. No more sarcastic banners in the away end, no more seventh place finishes and no more meagre football: The Manchester United revolution is about to begin. Daniel Mayer Hicklin (@MAYERMUFC) |
| Is it time to sell United forgotten man? Posted: 15 Jul 2014 12:53 AM PDT
Integral figures to the Dortmund side that won back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012, neither Gotze nor Kagawa excelled after leaving the Westfalenstadion and while the former has largely atoned his inconsistent form for Bayern Munich by carving himself a spot into Germans hearts, the latter must be hoping that one of the biggest characters of the 2014 World Cup will give him another chance to shine at Old Trafford.
Since Van Gaal’s appointment was confirmed, United fans have been excited by the prospect of being treated to a brand of football closer to that embodied in the club ethos, with dynamic interchanges between lines and attacking intent replacing the stale, turgid football United served up last season under David Moyes. Van Gaal’s arrival, and the football philosophy he’ll bring with him, is likely to determine the future of various United players and while the likes of Anderson and Bebe are set to be offloaded on the basis of not being good enough, more talented players like Kagawa could also find themselves on the receiving end of the Dutchman’s swinging axe. An injury-ridden first season contributed to limited opportunities in the first team and when those chances came, the former Dortmund man was left wanting more often than not. The Japanese managed just 14 Premier League starts last season, contributing a grand total of three assists and he fared marginally better in the Champions League, where he started six of United’s 10 games. Kagawa’s detractors insist he’s simply not up to the task and his purchase was an ill-advised attempt at addressing the malaise that has crippled United’s midfield for years, while those who defend him claim he’s a misunderstood artist, exiled on the wing rather than deployed in his favourite position. Based on his performances at the World Cup, the latter theory finds fertile grounds, given the 25-year-old was deployed as left attacking midfielder in Japan’s 4-2-3-1 for both of his starts and failed to impress, as he concluded a disappointment tournament with blanks in both the assist and goal columns. A manager known for maximising his players’ potentials, Van Gaal, in the eyes of many, looks to be the ideal man to ensure Kagawa returns to his best. However, while the 62-year-old’s tactical flexibility and penchant for attacking football might count in Kagawa’s favour, there are other factors that could see the Japanese offloaded this summer. First of all, Van Gaal appreciates players who are tactically flexible and versatile, as shown by Holland this summer. Arjen Robben and Daley Blind, to name but two, covered a host of different roles throughout the tournament. The former played alongside Robin Van Persie in Holland 5-3-2 and 3-5-2, he moved out wide when the Dutch opted for a 4-3-3 formation and even played as traditional wide man when Van Gaal switched to 4-4-2 against Mexico. Blind, on the other hand, played as left-back and central midfielder and if Kagawa is to figure in Van Gaal’s plans, he’ll need to develop a different dimension to his game, for there are no guarantees of him being deployed in the number 10 position he considers to be his natural role. Even if Van Gaal was to deploy the same 4-2-3-1 formation United have adopted over the last couple of seasons, Adnan Januzaj, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata can challenge Kagawa for the number 10 role and, throughout, his career, the new United manager has always preferred fielding two strikers or three front men. Deploying Rooney and Van Persie up-front could either see United adopt a five-man midfield, one in which Kagawa would struggle to find space given he lacks the dynamism to slot into that sort of formation, or a diamond midfield which, in all likelihood, would see Mata behind the two strikers. Van Gaal has, of course, proved before that he can redevelop players by deploying them in a role they’re not used to cover, just as he did at Bayern when he switched Bastian Schweinsteiger from winger to central midfielder. Kagawa, however, is a complete different player and the Japanese looks increasingly set to emulate Juan Sebastian Veron in the list of talented players who did not manage to succeed at Manchester United. Should Van Gaal manage to get the best out of the diminutive Japanese, than United will have found an unexpected weapon in their armour. |
| LVG: “United must be like Holland” Posted: 14 Jul 2014 04:57 AM PDT
After a successful World Cup, Van Gaal will officially be unveiled as Manchester United manager this week, before flying out to the US for United’s summer tour – unlike Robin Van Persie, who will miss the North American tour after having been given three weeks off – when the job of rebuilding the squad that collapsed under David Moyes will begin in its earnest.
Holland arrived at the World Cup surrounded by low expectations and an aura of diffidence, with many considering Van Gaal’s squad too young and unexperienced to make it out of a very though group containing Spain and Chile. However, not only did the Oranje reached they knockout stages, they went as far as the semifinals, where they lost on penalties to Argentina, before putting three past Brazil in the third spot play-off. Apart from Arjen Robben and Van Persie, Holland lacked any recognised stars but a combination of promising youngsters, tactical flexibility and great team spirit took the Oranje tantalisingly close to a second consecutive World Cup final and Van Gaal wants to see the same dedication at Old Trafford this season. “I hope my new group in Manchester will be just like this one,” Van Gaal told The Sun. “We set an objective and we believed in that objective. We wanted first place. “And really we were very, very close to doing that, only penalties stopped us. “Not to be able to achieve that objective was so disappointing but we won third place, we got a medal which is fantastic. “And we scored 15 goals in seven matches, so we can look back on a successful tournament and I’m just so proud of my players and my staff. “Now the first thing we have to do at United is the same, to all start singing from the same hymn sheet. Then we’ll see if we do that then all’s well that ends well.” Dan |
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