Red Rants

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Five things we’ve learnt from United vs Swansea Posted: 17 Aug 2014 01:18 AM PDT Judging a book by its cover is often a misguided and short-sighted activity to indulge into, but there are times when even the most composed and sensible of souls tend to be carried away and make irrational and rushed judgments. It’s something a lot of United fans were guilty of this summer. A positive pre-season, a world class manager replacing David Moyes’ tactical inadequacies and his turgid football and, in the eyes of many, United were poised for a return to the glory days of the Fergie era in the blink of an eye. Yesterday’s defeat against Swansea proved things might not be a simple this season, despite Louis Van Gaal’s arrival. Here’s five things we have learnt. 1) Signings, signings Only the most stubborn of Glazers apologists – a category sadly still counting on strong support – could deny that this squad needs a serious injection of talent, which, much to the owners’ disappointment, can only be achieved via opening the chequebook. Ed Woodward has learnt nothing from the embarrassing failure of 12 months ago and has continued to behave like a man who tells his mates how good he is at pulling girls on a night out, only to end up at home alone. Each and every time. Irremediably. Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw are fine signings, but neither is yet the sort of world class player United have needed for years. And, even if they were, they probably wouldn’t make much of a difference anyway, considering the sheer mediocrity that engulfs large parts of the squad. Starting a season with two fit centre-backs is sheer madness, as is having Marouane Fellaini and Nani still in the squad. But, of course, there’s no limit to our budget and we can break the world’s transfer record if we want to. 2) Wrong men in the wrong positions In a few months, United went from having a manager who consider tactical preparation a taboo subject to a man who’s one of the finest tacticians football has seen over the past two decades but, unfortunately for Van Gaal, not even he can work miracles. The Dutchman had made clear his intention to play with a 3-5-2 system this season and remained true to his word in the first half, when Jesse Lingard and Ashley Young were deployed as make-shift wing-backs, with Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Tyler Blackett at the back, but the plan was shelved in the second 45 minutes as United switched to a more familiar 4-4-2. A three-man defence would probably work wonders if United had the right men to do the job, but Smalling and Jones are still to step up to the plate and one wonders if they ever will. If Woodward fails to sign any top class defenders between now and the end of the month, the 3-5-2 experiment must surely be put on hold. 3) Young, perhaps even too young If there was one positive to be drawn from yesterday was that Tyler Blackett and Jesse Lingard made their United debut. Or was it? While neither did anything wrong and both are exciting prospects for the future, opting to play youngsters should be a choice rather than a necessity. United have always made a point of promoting players through the ranks but only because those given the nod were better than the options available, not because they were the only alternative. Signing world class players might somewhat limit the opportunities from Lingard and Blackett, but they’d benefit from challenging for a spot in the starting XI which, in the long term, could be crucial. 4) Sell them now As if failing to sign players wasn’t bad enough, United are failing in getting rid of the deadwood that’s been hampering the club over the past couple of years, which is just as disheartening as the lack of arrivals. How Anderson, Nani and Fellaini are still at the club is beyond anyone’s understanding and can only be explained in two ways: either United want too much for them or, which is largely more probable, there’s no one interested in them. Considering Fellaini and Nani are both playing for their future, one would have expected them to show a bit of urgency when they were brought on yesterday. Instead, all the pair could muster between them was two headers (both won by Fellaini), utter disinterest for the cause and a couple of mis-hit crosses courtesy of the poor man’s Ronaldo. The sight of Fellaini standing in the middle of the box while Swansea players swarmed around him to net the winner was infuriating. The sight of Fellaini and Nani in a United shirt is vomit-inducing. 5) Not all doom and gloom Hard as it is to believe it now, it’s not all doom and gloom. The season is one game old and Van Gaal’s approach suggest either Woodward delivers over the next two weeks or things could get rather ugly for the Glazers’ puppet, while players will return from injury and get more acquainted with Van Gaal’s system. Oh, and last season we beat Swansea 4-1 in our opening game and we all know how well the season went after that. Dan Follow @mufc_dan87

United have their confidence “smashed” Posted: 17 Aug 2014 12:20 AM PDT Louis Van Gaal admitted Manchester United need more signings and revealed the team’s confidence was shattered by defeat in their opening game of the season against Swansea. The Dutchman’s first Premier League game ended in a 2-1 defeat, with United showing all the familiar issues that had emerged last season, while a lack of signings and injuries forced Van Gaal’s hand into deploying players out of position, resulting in a lacklustre performance and a horrible start to the season. "It is very disappointing for the players, the fans, for me, my staff. When you have preparation time and you win everything [in pre-season] and then lose your first match, that cannot be worse,” the United manager said. "It is not good because we have built up a lot of confidence and it shall be smashed down because of this result. But we have to know it is only one game of many games and you shall not be the champion at this moment, you shall be the champion in May." Van Gaal reiterated that while the squad needs reinforcements, those who played yesterday let the team down with a series of poor individual performances. "That [the need for signings] is not a question because I knew that before this game. Of course we need defenders. It is also the question if we can play like a team and if we can reach the [right] level. Today, we didn't reach that level. When you don't play like a team, when you miss the chances, it is very difficult because every team shall create chances against us because we are playing with a big space behind us. "I have said before that because of our wins in the United States and against Valencia the expectation is so high, and I have seen in the first half a lot of players very nervous, making the wrong choices, and that is a pity. “These players have to get used to that expectation because this is Manchester United. You have to cope with that pressure. I have said to them in the dressing room: 'I cannot say you didn't do your very best, unbelievable work, fantastic mentality, but reaching the level is difficult, not only running but using your brain and then you can play like a team.' In that, we have failed today."

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