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

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.

Spain v Holland: Robin, Robben and co take apart tiki taka

Yesterday in Salvador, at the end of 90 minutes of excellence by his team, Louis van Gaal, the man known for  his strict no nonsense style of management, greeted the final whistle with a broad boyish smile of pure, unadulterated joy. Vicente Del Bosque and his Spanish teams cut a sorry figure- stunned speechless at what they had just witnessed. La Roja's first defeat by 5 goals or more since 1950. Spain had conceded more goals in a single match than they had in all of the matches 4 years ago in South Africa, against the very side that they had conquered to win the ultimate prize in football. The absolute dominance of Spanish football and tiki taka obliterated.

One man, who has in his career experienced the pain of losing two Champion's League finals and a World Cup final was the one all smiles this time round. Arjen Robben was at his destructive best, ending the match with two brilliantly taken goals; arguably one of the best performances of his career. Robin van Persie, his partner in crime was equally good, scoring two goals of incredible importance, the first of which will live in World Cup folklore for years to come and has made sure that van Persie is going to spend the rest of his career being called the Flying Dutchman. 

His second goal, however, will live in memory not for the way it was scored, but the blunder which led to it. It might be remembered in the future as the moment Iker Casillas , the hero of so many big matches in his career, fell from grace.

10 seconds summed up his match. Arjen Robben charging towards the Spanish goal, outrunning the defenders, then sending Casillas the wrong way twice. San Iker scampered on all fours, his face a mask of misery, as Robben sent the ball flying past Sergio Ramos and Pique into the top corner. Spain's hero for a decade had fallen.

Their run at the top has been an extraordinary one, and with players of such quality you'd be justified to expect the best from them, but the Dutch defended with utmost focus to thwart Iniesta, Costa and company. Ron Vlaar had an excellent game at the centre of a three man defence. Bruno Martins Indi and Stephan De Vrij too were solid, the latter scoring the third of five goals from the far post with a slightly scrappy effort. 

Daley Blind played a, erm, blinder in his left wing back position with two assists. A performance that will definitely have bigger clubs interested.

Spain were their usual self up until van Persie's header, controlling possession but were lucky to score in the second controversial penalty decision this World Cup, but Diego Costa had an extremely disappointing debut and was rightly subbed after an hour for an equally unimpressive Fernando Torres. Iniesta attempted a couple of shots from far out but never looked like scoring either time.

For the defence, it was a shocker. On paper, a side which boasts of two world class centre backs in Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique with promising wide defenders like Azpilicueta and Jordi Alba is a force to reckon with, but neither of the back four could cope with Robben's trickery and pace.

This result leaves Spain in a precarious position. A lot will depend on their clash with Chile. Another loss or a draw could leave their chances of qualifying for the last 16 in serious jeopardy. 

Sides will underestimate La Roja at their own peril, however. This here is a side loaded with world-class talent, especially in midfield and has players who boast a wealth of experience. They were pummelled in Salvador, but they will return, intent on restoring their pride.