Red Rants |
- LVG tactical revolution begins
- Five things we’ve learnt from United vs LA Galaxy
- A first glimpse of LVG: LA Galaxy vs United preview
- No offer yet for Dutch star
| LVG tactical revolution begins Posted: 24 Jul 2014 02:14 AM PDT
Wayne Rooney, Reece James and Ashley Young both grabbed two goals apiece, while Danny Welbeck was also on the scoresheet but the biggest point of focus of Van Gaal’s first game in charge was the 3-5-2 formation he opted to field, with Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling at centre-backs and Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia at wing-backs.
It was a world away from the static banks of four United fans had grown used to last season and Van Gaal was pleased with his new system. "The result always matters,” the Dutchman told the Mirror. “With such a result you get confidence and confidence in a new system. "We introduced a new system and played just two times on the training pitch eleven v eleven. It is no so much, but the boys are willing to pick up the information. "It is fantastic how they have performed today.” United were without Robin Van Persie, Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj, who have all been given extended breaks after the World Cup, while Michael Carrick was sidelined with an injury which will keep him out for up to 12 weeks. Nevertheless Van Gaal was pleased with the way his players responded last night. "Last week, ten players who played tonight were not even in our training complex,” said the Dutchman. "But when you see us train, you can expect something but not 7-0. It was a surprise, but they were also beautiful goals. "It was not just the goals, but the beautiful attacks.” Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera were handed their first start in a red shirt and despite the absence of a few first team players, Van Gaal insisted he couldn’t afford to waste any time and decided to implement his new system immediately. "When you want to change a system, you must start at once. We don't have time to prepare for other things,” he explained. "The other system they can play is 4-3-3 and they have played it for many years. "I can change back if the system doesn't work. With the quality of the players we have, I can play 4-3-3 with three strikers on the bench, bit I want to play with two strikers. "We have four number tens, so the selection is not balanced in my eyes. I have decided to play this system because of the quality of the players. “But if we lose, I can change back to another system." “When I see my team playing a new system, it is better to win 7-0 than to lose because the players will then doubt the system. "But now I don't have that problem."
|
| Five things we’ve learnt from United vs LA Galaxy Posted: 24 Jul 2014 12:47 AM PDT
Danny Welbeck opened the scoring, before Wayne Rooney netted twice in the first half, while second half substitutes Reece James and Ashley Young grabbed two each as United trounced the MLS outfit. Here’s five things we have learnt.
1) Fit the system to the players Last season David Moyes desperately tried to fit his personnel into his outdated football philosophy with catastrophic results, as Juan Mata, Shinji Kagawa and Wayne Rooney were often deployed out of position, but if this morning is anything to go by, Van Gaal will instead pick the formation which allows him to get the best out of the players at his disposal. The formation might, of course, change once the players who have been given a couple of weeks off join up with the first team and a couple of more signings could also alter the shape of the team between now and the end of August, but it was refreshing to see a new tactical approach being tried out. United set out with a 3-5-2 formation, with Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia as wing-backs, Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck up-front while Ander Herrera and Darren Fletcher were deployed in the middle of the park with Juan Mata slightly further forward. The result was a first half during which United looked slicker than at any point last year. 2) Captain, my captain Everyone expects Robin Van Persie to be given the armband this season, even though Ryan Giggs insisted than the likes of Chris Smalling or Jonny Evans might benefit from carrying such responsibility. This morning, however, few would have bet against Rooney captaining United but Van Gaal chose instead to hand the armband to Fletcher. A pre-season friendly has, of course, limited bearings even on issues such as this but discovering who will captain United through the season will undoubtedly be intriguing. 3) New signings In their first game for United, Herrera and Shaw did not disappoint and even though there’s plenty of room for improvement, both enjoyed a promising debut for their new club. Herrera, in particular, was excellent alongside Fletcher in midfield, spraying passes around convincingly, linking up well with his new teammates and generally looking like a player who has already bought in Van Gaal’s philosophy. When the United manager reshuffled his pack at halftime by bringing on nine substitutes, Herrera was the only player, alongside Flecther, to remain on the pitch, a ringing endorsement of his performance. Shaw, on the other hand, was somewhat less impressive than the Spaniard and he was guilty of misplacing a couple of passes and was at times caught out of position, hardly a complete surprise given the 19-year-old had very rarely been deployed at wing-back up until last night. 4) A centre-back is needed United are in the market for a world class centre-back and if Chris Smalling’s performance last night is an indicator of what’s to come next season, then it’s just as well. While Evans and Jones looked comfortable in the centre-backs triumvirate Van Gaal opted for, at times Smalling looked clumsy and uncomfortable on the ball, slipping over a couple of times while some of his passes failed to meet their intended targets. After the match, Van Gaal admitted that he’ll be looking to deploy a 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 formation this season, meaning United must secure a world class centre-back to partner Evans and Jones, for Smalling doesn’t offer enough guarantees at the moment. Jones, on the other hand, looked comfortable and will be hoping to be deployed in his natural position this season. 5) The kids are alright Since he was appointed Manchester United manager, much of the attention dedicated to Van Gaal has focused on his track record of developing young players and the Dutchman has made clear he intends give youngsters their chance this season. Michael Keane, Tyler Blackett and Reece James were brought in at half-time and while the former two were diligent enough, the latter stole the show, scoring twice after replacing Shaw. Will Van Gaal trust James to be Shaw’s understudy of will the pursuit for another left-back continue? |
| A first glimpse of LVG: LA Galaxy vs United preview Posted: 23 Jul 2014 08:10 AM PDT
The game at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl – the same ground that hosted the 1994 World Cup final – is the first friendly of United’s US tour, which will also see them facing Roma, Inter Milan and Real Madrid in the International Champions Cup over the next eight days.
Pre-season friendlies are to be taken with a pinch salt – United managed to look decent during their Far East tour that signaled the start of the David Moyes era last summer – but after having to wait two months for Van Gaal to be officially unveiled as United manager, Reds could be forgiven for getting a tad excited ahead of tomorrow. While United are still in the hunt for a couple of more signings between now and the end of the transfer window, United fans could catch a first glimpse of Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera in a red shirt, with both new signings expected to start tomorrow morning, as the Van Gaal era officially kicks off. United team newsVan Gaal has given Robin Van Persie, Adnan Januzaj and Marouane Fellaini an extended break after their World Cup campaign and has taken a rather fresh-looking squad to the US, with Jesse Lingard, Michael Keane and Reece James likely to be given the opportunity to impress, while most of the senior players are expected to be involved. As previously mentioned Herrera and Shaw could make their debuts, while Van Gaal is likely to keep a close eye on Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Ashley Young and Tom Cleverley, as the Dutchman has stressed he’s keen to assess his options ahead of the start of the season. Michael Carrick misses out through injury. LA Galaxy team newsThe Galaxy are likely to be much fitter and sharper tomorrow morning, given they not only are familiar with the weather conditions, but they’ve also already played 17 league games this season, which could given them a rather tangible advantage. Bruce Arena’s men are currently fourth in the Western Conference with 27 points in 17 games and though they suffered their first defeat in five games when they lost 2-1 away to Sporting Kansas City last week, they remain only two points adrift of second-placed FC Dallas but have three game in hands on the Texans. Arena, who previously coached the US national team, has won two MLS titles in 2011 and 2012 since joining the club in 2008 and during his time in LA he has managed the likes of David Beckham, Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan. Previous meetingsUnited and LA Galaxy have never faced each other, though the Reds have often traveled to North America for their pre-season, most recently in 2010 and 2011. Key menIt might only be a friendly, but Wayne Rooney is likely to be determined to hit the ground running and impress Van Gaal from the word go. Despite England’s horrendous World Campaign, the United number 10 was one of the few member of Roy Hodgson’s squad to leave Brazil with his head held relatively high, having scored one and set up the other of England’s only two goals at the World Cup. This is probably the first time Rooney isn’t the focus of a media witch-hunt after England’s shambolic performances at a major tournament and the 28-year-old knows he’ll have a lot to prove to his new manager. As far as LA Galaxy are concerned, it’s hard to look past Landon Donovan. The all-time MLS top scorer – he’s scored 105 goals in 229 appearances for the Galaxy – was a surprise omission from Jurgen Klinsmann’s World Cup squad despite his 156 caps for the national team and will be keen to impress. Probable starting XI
|
| Posted: 23 Jul 2014 06:00 AM PDT
The Dutchman has been more or less constantly on United’s radar since 2009,when, having been made surplus to requirements at Real Madrid, he looked to be the perfect answer for the lack of creativity that afflicted United’s midfield, only for him to opt to join Inter Milan instead.
It seems that Sneijder’s file has never been fully close as far as United are concerned and when Louis Van Gaal was appointed manager, it was obvious the Dutch playmaker’s name would again resurface, notwithstanding that United already have two number 10s in Juan Mata and Shinji Kagawa as well as other two players, Wayne Rooney and Adnan Januzaj, who are perfectly capable to cover the role. “With regards to Muslera and Sneijder we have not received an offer for either player,” the Galatasaray president told Turkish-Football.com. “Both these players are very important to our team and as a result we value them accordingly. “We won’t release these players for any less than our asking price and that has scared a few interested parties away. “If a club wants either of these players they are going to have to pay up as we are obliged to listen to any offers which meet their release clause. “If their release clause is activated there is nothing we can do.” United haven’t shown particular interest in Sneijder this summer, preferring instead to concentrate on other targets but last month the Dutchman, who has also attracted interest from Chelsea and Monaco, said that, if the opportunity to work with Van Gaal arose, it would be difficult to turn it down. “I am happy at Galatasaray, I have established myself at the club and have settled in,” the Holland number 10 said in June. “However, if Van Gaal were to make me an offer, I would have to at least consider it. Nobody from the Netherlands can simply reject Van Gaal. “In the Netherlands, Van Gaal is something like the head teacher of a school. Not everyone is lucky enough to get into his good books. He trains his players very hard, and always expects the highest standards.” The saga, as it’s been the case over the last five years, rumbles on. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Red Rants To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
Written by TBMU Admin
We are Manchester United Fan located around the World which provides user friendly, effective and easy to browse info regarding our Team. Each support/info is free. Support us by clicking the ads located in this site. Thanks
Posts
0 comments :
Post a Comment