Manchester United are definitely in transition, but it’s always darkest before dawn.

It seems like last season all over again, doesn't it? All the optimism surrounding Manchester United’s resurrection has disappeared within a month. It was never going to be an easy task to turn around their fortunes for van Gaal, and perhaps it was his involvement in the World Cup, which led to the creation of this aura about him, that has proved to be a hindrance in their path back to glory.

While LvG was busy guiding the Netherlands to an extremely impressive third placed position in Brazil, his Premier League counterparts were already hard at work. Brendan Rodgers had already secured the signings of Emre Can, Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana; his former protégé Jose Mourinho had signed Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas Felipe Luis and Manuel Pellegrini had already brought Fernando and Bacary Sagna to the blue half of Manchester.

This meant that van Gaal metaphorically started the race when his rivals had already completed the first lap. And with a team so short on confidence and quality, it was always going to take time. Yet perhaps not even van Gaal had foreseen quite how far the 20 time champions had fallen.

A midfield that once comprised of Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs now consisted of Ashley Young, Tom Cleverley, Darren Fletcher and Antonio Valencia. This was code red.

And he has acted upon it- Marcos Rojo’s arrival will lift the burden from Tyler Blackett’s inexperienced shoulders and Luke Shaw’s return to fitness will certainly elicit cheers from the Old Trafford faithful tired of seeing Ashley Young lose possession and tackle poorly in the left wing back spot. Daley Blind too will be an excellent upgrade wherever he plays. It’s that bad at the moment.

Yet the crowning jewel of this summer’s activity is one which will provide most comfort to the fans. Angel Di Maria’s tireless running, speed and creativity breathed new life, albeit sporadically, into a midfield that looks like it can be overrun even by my school team, and I’m Indian.

There were signs, small signs but signs nonetheless of a faint revival of fortunes last afternoon. For one thing, the centre backs seemed more positionally aware and looked like they were finally coming to terms with the new formation. So were the wing backs, not that they were awfully effective.

The press hailed van Gaal’s luck when the fixture list was announced; it seems like the only thing that has gone his way so far. Injuries to ten players, 3 central midfielders among them, have left the team worse off than it should’ve been. The formation is naturally suited to the new boys. Luke Shaw and Daley Blind will especially thrive under it. As will Angel Di Maria, who was wonderful in a similar position last season.

The only ones who worry me are the men who seemed most assured, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie. Rooney, so used to probing deep, looking for the ball in his no.10 role doesn’t quite seem at home as a no.9 yet. Van Persie has been peripheral in his last few games, including those towards the end of the World Cup and seems to be going through a dip in form at the worst possible time.

There is also an enormous amount of dead wood that needs to be done away with. Tom Cleverley needs to be immediately sold to Aston Villa before they change their mind, ditto for Ashley Young who’d need a miracle to get into the first team following the arrival of Blind. Anderson, in all probability, has also played his last cursed game for the club. I’d be sad to see Welbeck and Kagawa go, but it also seems on the cards.

There seem to be two negatives for every positive to United’s season so far, but this, historically, is the way Van Gaal works. Here’s a man who has guided clubs like Bayern Munich and Barcelona through similar situations. Once the system clicks in, results will follow.

Injuries and teething problems are what have caused this dramatic dip in form, but all is not lost. It is always darkest before dawn

Match Report- Manchester United 1-2 Swansea City

Right before kickoff at Old Trafford, a palpable sense of excitement and expectation from Louis van Gaal and his men hung in the air, but the tumult gave way to a familiar sense of déjà vu as Ki Sueng Yeung slammed in an excellent strike to the bottom corner of a helpless David De Gea’s goal almost half an hour into the contest.

The atmosphere soon went from expectant to fearful as Swansea started to express themselves more freely, with Wayne Routledge and Nathan Dyer looking to exploit United’s weakness in the wide areas by getting into the space left behind by Ashley Young and impressive debutant Jesse Lingard.

It was the latter who brought most to the Red Devils’ attack, troubling Neil Taylor down the left hand side with his pace and movement. A painful challenge by Ashley Williams, however, left Lingard limping off the pitch with an ankle knock after just 23 minutes; replaced by Adnan Januzaj, who wore Ryan Giggs' iconic number 11 jersey for the first time.

United comfortably dominated possession, but problems came, surprisingly, from an area where they were considered the strongest- Rooney, Hernandez and Mata were kept quiet by a diligent Swansea back four led by Ashley Williams, who defended uncompromisingly to ensure that the Swans went into half time the happier side.

Watching on from his seat next to Ryan Giggs, Louis van Gaal abandoned the 3-4-1-2 for a classic 4-2-3-1 in the second half, bringing Nani on for Hernandez and playing Ashley Young and Phil Jones as left and right fullbacks respectively.

The gamble seemed to be paying off, as Adnan Januzaj won a corner from yet another foray down the left hand side. Mata's delivery was headed on by Jones to Rooney, who improvised and struck a wonderful overhead kick into the bottom corner right in front of a rapturous Stretford End.

A half time comeback seemed to be on the cards, with Rooney and Mata more involved in the attack. Januzaj was particularly impressive, stretching the visitors' defence with his pace and trickery.

Yet just as United looked as if they would indeed end the afternoon with three points, new signing Jefferson Montero's cross was mis hit by Wayne Routledge. It fell to Gylfi Sigurdsson, who made no mistake, giving Swansea the lead once more. 

And it was to stay that way, with Swansea thwarting late pressure from the Red Devils, who began to send it long and into the box to Marouane Fellaini, Ander Herrera's replacement. Neither impacted the game very much. 

Bafetimbi Gomis, the new signing from Lyon also gave fans an exciting glimpse as to what may lie ahead with an impressive display as the lone striker. He may have scored, if not for an excellent last ditch tackle by Phil Jones, who was excellent at the right side of defence. Tyler Blackett too continued his impressive rise under van Gaal, with a calm and unaffected performance on his league debut.

For all their dominance on the ball, United's latest disappointing loss is perhaps a blessing in disguise. The squad desperately needs a top quality centre back and experienced cover for Luke Shaw, as well as a top quality winger as Nani's performance showed. Its still to early to say, but Manchester United must act soon to avoid another debacle. As for Swansea, the future looks pretty bright.

Manchester United Season Preview: A New Beginning?

Originally Posted on The Sport Space.

Last Season

The Red Devils’ first season post the Ferguson era was an unmitigated disaster. Failure to capture any of their primary targets forced David Moyes to panic and turn to his old side, Everton, and panic buy Marouane Fellaini for 2.5 million more than what he could have had he acted sooner. This set the tone for the entire season. The football was predictable and ineffective, with Moyes stubbornly insisting on a 4-2-3-1 all season long and forcing gifted players like Shinji Kagawa, and later Juan Mata, to fit both Rooney and van Persie into the team. As a result United failed to beat all teams placed above them in the league bar Arsenal, losing 4-1 and 0-3 to archrivals and eventual champions Man City; 3-1 to Chelsea and 3-0 to Liverpool. A 2-0 loss to Everton saw the departure of David Moyes. His replacement, current assistant coach Ryan Giggs offered a glimmer of hope for the future, with United playing some of their best football in his first game in charge against Norwich; but once again they rediscovered old habits, losing to Sunderland and drawing against Southampton. A 7th place finish ensured that after such a long time at the top, United will not be participating in this year’s Champion’s League as well. A loss to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena saw them crash out at quarter final stage.

Off Season report

Manchester United destroyed LA Galaxy 7-0 in Loius van Gaal’s first game in charge, with new signing Ander Herrera hitting the ground running with a spellbinding display at the heart of United’s midfield. While a win against a side like Galaxy can hardly be judged as a sign of things to come, wins against Roma and a dominant display against Inter Milan will have United’s massive fanbase smiling once again. However, they badly need at least another centre back, a midfielder and possibly another winger to challenge for the title. This might drastically change however, if a certain Chilean decides to swap Turin for Manchester – and we aren’t talking about Mauricio Isla.

Arturo Vidal has been surrounded by speculation over a potential transfer to United this summer

Season Objectives

A fierce battle for European qualification seems to be on the cards- with Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs very much in the mix. Absence from the Champions League can, however work in their favour as it did in Liverpool’s case last season. But with the league somewhat out of grasp as of now, van Gaal could do worse than to aim for one of the domestic cups.

The Manager

Enormously confident, experienced and a strict disciplinarian, Louis van Gaal is the complete antithesis of David Moyes. An enormously successful World Cup campaign with the Netherlands may have put some pressure on him to deliver, but it’s no less than what the club and its fans expect. But it is what the Dutchman is accustomed to, and his CV reflects it. A fascinating season awaits us.

Strengths

Switching the age old four man defence to 3-5-2 has not only papered over the obvious weakness in the wings but has also brought the best out of Rooney, Mata and van Persie. Instead of trying to fit them into the system, van Gaal has tailored it to suit them best. The form of these three will be key to the Red Devils’ fortunes.

Weaknesses

After forming one of the most solid defences in Europe; Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra have all gone their separate ways, leaving a massive leadership vacuum and lack of depth in a already shaky defence. A top class centre back should be on the top of LvG’s shopping list. Mats Hummels would be brilliant, but another centre back to add depth won’t hurt either.

Key Player

Wayne Rooney, their talisman for a decade, shouldered the goalscoring burden last season in Robin van Persie’s injury-forced absence. If the two of them get going like they did briefly last season, a top four finish will almost be a certainty.

It’s a big season for

Shinji Kagawa. An undoubtedly gifted number 10, now is his chance to challenge Juan Mata for the spot, with Rooney out of the way. Played out of position he could hardly influence the game like he did centrally for Dortmund, and van Gaal recognizes that. But will he stay at the club in the first place?

Emerging Star

Adnan Januzaj. A breathtakingly elegant player with great vision, speed and dribbling ability, he was earmarked by the Old Trafford faithful to don the no.7 jersey this season. It will be an important year for his progress, and it is intriguing to see how he will fit in in the new 3-5-2 system.

Prediction

Top 4. Van Gaal showed how he can work with a slighltly inexperienced side and play to its strengths. Good signings are also I the offing, and with the right players coming in it would be hard to rule them out of the title mix as well.

It might take more than a season for Van Gaal to undo last season's debacle at Manchester United.

It wasn't just the Dutch who rejoiced at the end of Holland's 5-1 trouncing of Spain. Louis van Gaal's Oranje side enthralled millions of Man United fans who watched in awe as a fit, confident Robin van Persie robbed Iker Casillas of the ball and casually sent it into the back of the net. The top scorer in their Premier League winning season was back to his lethal best, as if unaffected by his club's disastrous form this season. In the dugout, van Gaal celebrated, rising from his bar stool seat, celebrating- a sight many United fans will hope to see more often in the upcoming season. A sense of optimism, absent since the arrival of Juan Mata, filled Old Trafford.But it's a long road back into the Champion's League. Manchester City, United's noisy neighbours and successors to the Premier League crown were absolutely unplayable at times, decimating Arsenal and United among a host of others. 

As were Liverpool  and Chelsea, the latter seeming like potential Champions League contenders with the signing of Cesc Fabregas and the impending arrival of Brazil's favourite son, Diego Costa; while the Merseysiders, looking to mount a Champions League challenge, have been excellent in the transfer market so far- bolstering midfield and adding depth to their already formidable attack by signing the exciting Emre Can and the experienced Rickie Lambert. Adam Lallana and Alberto Moreno have also been continually linked with the Reds.

Arsenal endured an equally bad second half to the season- butchered by Liverpool, Chelsea and City, but the return of key players like Theo Walcott and the signing of a top centre forward like Mario Balotelli will bolster hopes of a season like the one they had until January at the Emirates.

Despite being linked with dozens of players including the entire Dutch national team over the summer, United have still not made a signing, with the finger of blame being pointed right at their bumbling Chief Executive, Ed Woodward. United desperately need at least two quality centre halves, a left back capable of taking over from Patrice Evra, at least one more winger and crucially, a top central midfield player.

However, new signings, no matter how good they may be individually, will not ensure success. Just look at how Tottenham Hotspur imploded last season. Van Gaal will face a monumental task to bring them together as a cohesive unit. 

The expectations from van Gaal are clear- anything less than a Champions League spot will be deemed catastrophic, and while he has proven himself to be a formidable leader, it could take more than a season to resurrect the fallen Red Devils.