EVEN THE MOST hardcore Man United supporter will find it difficult to deny that luck has played a part in their excellent recent form.
Indeed, if all of their players had stayed fit, the Red Devils may not have performed as well in recent games.
The absence of key personnel has led Van Gaal to alter the system, with increasingly positive results.
Injuries to Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie has meant Wayne Rooney has been finally allowed to start in his favoured centre forward role, while these ostensible setbacks also enabled Juan Mata to consolidate a regular spot in the team.
Similarly, if Angel Di Maria had not suffered an unfortunate injury, it’s unlikely Ashley Young would be thriving as he is now.
2. Fellaini’s increasing proficiency as a target man
Marouane Fellaini’s rise in recent times has been as swift as it has been improbable.
Once the apparent symbol of United’s increasing lack of ambition and all that was wrong with the David Moyes era, Louis van Gaal now believes the Belgian international is undroppable on current form.
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Perhaps the first-ever midfield target man, only four other Premier League players have been involved in more aerial duels this season, with the Belgian enjoying a higher than 50% success rate.
Moreover, Fellaini has looked increasingly effective and comfortable in his designated position the more Van Gaal has placed faith in the former Everton man, who performed a somewhat similar (albeit more advanced) role for the Toffees.
Last Sunday’s game with Man City therefore provided a stark example of Fellaini’s efficiency. The midfielder time and again drifted out wide, creating a mismatch with either Pablo Zabaleta or Gael Clichy, and this tactic paid off in particular for the second goal, as Fellaini towered above Clichy to nod home.
3. Squad rotation/lack of games
It made a difference last year for Liverpool and it’s undoubtedly counting in Man United’s favour too this season — without Champions League football to worry about and as a result of their relatively early exits from both cup competitions, the Red Devils have experienced what is undoubtedly their shortest season, in terms of games, in recent memory.
A rival side such as Brendan Rodgers’ men, by contrast, have struggled to adapt to the European schedule, and such problems surely at least partially account for their particularly poor start to the season, which saw them drop to 10th in the table as recently as December.
Furthermore, while on the one hand, consistency in terms of team selection can help players, some sides — most notably Man City — appear to be feeling the strain of picking a relatively similar starting XI all season.
Van Gaal, on the other hand, has constantly tinkered with his team partially owing to injuries, and while this can have an unsettling effect on personnel, it also means certain players who were on the fringes or injured before, are now starting to look especially bright and energetic.
4. Lack of quality elsewhere
There is plenty of evidence to suggest this season has been one of the poorest in recent memory in terms of quality. One need only look at the early exit of the English sides in Europe to support this contention.
In addition, whereas last year, Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City all were relatively strong, particularly towards the campaign’s culmination, this year, only Chelsea have really looked like winning the title, with Liverpool, Arsenal and City failing to maintain the consistency needed for a sustained challenge in the league.
In fact, before their rejuvenation began last month against Tottenham, Van Gaal had a near-identical record to David Moyes in terms of points accrued — the difference being the similarly inadequate form of others this year left the Old Trafford outfit in with a much stronger chance of a top four spot.
On 65 points, they look set to comfortably claim a Champions League place, whereas the same tally at this stage last season would have had them struggling, well behind the top three, and one point in front of Arsenal in fourth, with a game in hand, and two points ahead of Everton.
Consequently, their recent convincing victories over high-profile sides like Tottenham, Liverpool and Man City, while impressive, can also be partially attributed to their opponents’ various problems and inability to perform at anywhere near their optimal level.
While Fellaini merely had one disappointing, injury-ridden season under Moyes, Ashley Young has been at Man United since 2011, so his improvement has been perhaps even more surprising.
The 29-year-old winger has been so impressive that he is currently keeping the all-time record British transfer fee – £59.7 million signing Angel Di Maria — out of the team.
Against City last week, Young’s diligent, energetic, and most importantly, effective display earned him a deserved man-of-the-match award.
Having signed the player from Villa for just under £20 million, United fans were entitled to expect more from Young, who became better known for perennial diving rather than talent in his early days at the club.
And the erratic attacker seemed on the brink of exiting the club following the disastrous Moyes era, and even more so when Van Gaal, after taking over as manager, initially appeared intent on playing a system that did not incorporate wingers.
Nevertheless, the England international’s fortunes have ultimately been transformed under the Dutchman, as last Sunday’s influential, goalscoring display in the Manchester Derby clearly illustrated.
5 reasons for Man United's sudden improvement under Louis van Gaal
1. Good luck
EVEN THE MOST hardcore Man United supporter will find it difficult to deny that luck has played a part in their excellent recent form.
Indeed, if all of their players had stayed fit, the Red Devils may not have performed as well in recent games.
The absence of key personnel has led Van Gaal to alter the system, with increasingly positive results.
Injuries to Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie has meant Wayne Rooney has been finally allowed to start in his favoured centre forward role, while these ostensible setbacks also enabled Juan Mata to consolidate a regular spot in the team.
Similarly, if Angel Di Maria had not suffered an unfortunate injury, it’s unlikely Ashley Young would be thriving as he is now.
2. Fellaini’s increasing proficiency as a target man
Marouane Fellaini’s rise in recent times has been as swift as it has been improbable.
Once the apparent symbol of United’s increasing lack of ambition and all that was wrong with the David Moyes era, Louis van Gaal now believes the Belgian international is undroppable on current form.
Perhaps the first-ever midfield target man, only four other Premier League players have been involved in more aerial duels this season, with the Belgian enjoying a higher than 50% success rate.
Moreover, Fellaini has looked increasingly effective and comfortable in his designated position the more Van Gaal has placed faith in the former Everton man, who performed a somewhat similar (albeit more advanced) role for the Toffees.
Last Sunday’s game with Man City therefore provided a stark example of Fellaini’s efficiency. The midfielder time and again drifted out wide, creating a mismatch with either Pablo Zabaleta or Gael Clichy, and this tactic paid off in particular for the second goal, as Fellaini towered above Clichy to nod home.
3. Squad rotation/lack of games
It made a difference last year for Liverpool and it’s undoubtedly counting in Man United’s favour too this season — without Champions League football to worry about and as a result of their relatively early exits from both cup competitions, the Red Devils have experienced what is undoubtedly their shortest season, in terms of games, in recent memory.
A rival side such as Brendan Rodgers’ men, by contrast, have struggled to adapt to the European schedule, and such problems surely at least partially account for their particularly poor start to the season, which saw them drop to 10th in the table as recently as December.
Furthermore, while on the one hand, consistency in terms of team selection can help players, some sides — most notably Man City — appear to be feeling the strain of picking a relatively similar starting XI all season.
Van Gaal, on the other hand, has constantly tinkered with his team partially owing to injuries, and while this can have an unsettling effect on personnel, it also means certain players who were on the fringes or injured before, are now starting to look especially bright and energetic.
4. Lack of quality elsewhere
There is plenty of evidence to suggest this season has been one of the poorest in recent memory in terms of quality. One need only look at the early exit of the English sides in Europe to support this contention.
In addition, whereas last year, Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City all were relatively strong, particularly towards the campaign’s culmination, this year, only Chelsea have really looked like winning the title, with Liverpool, Arsenal and City failing to maintain the consistency needed for a sustained challenge in the league.
In fact, before their rejuvenation began last month against Tottenham, Van Gaal had a near-identical record to David Moyes in terms of points accrued — the difference being the similarly inadequate form of others this year left the Old Trafford outfit in with a much stronger chance of a top four spot.
On 65 points, they look set to comfortably claim a Champions League place, whereas the same tally at this stage last season would have had them struggling, well behind the top three, and one point in front of Arsenal in fourth, with a game in hand, and two points ahead of Everton.
Consequently, their recent convincing victories over high-profile sides like Tottenham, Liverpool and Man City, while impressive, can also be partially attributed to their opponents’ various problems and inability to perform at anywhere near their optimal level.
5. Ashley Young’s renaissance
While Fellaini merely had one disappointing, injury-ridden season under Moyes, Ashley Young has been at Man United since 2011, so his improvement has been perhaps even more surprising.
The 29-year-old winger has been so impressive that he is currently keeping the all-time record British transfer fee – £59.7 million signing Angel Di Maria — out of the team.
Against City last week, Young’s diligent, energetic, and most importantly, effective display earned him a deserved man-of-the-match award.
Having signed the player from Villa for just under £20 million, United fans were entitled to expect more from Young, who became better known for perennial diving rather than talent in his early days at the club.
And the erratic attacker seemed on the brink of exiting the club following the disastrous Moyes era, and even more so when Van Gaal, after taking over as manager, initially appeared intent on playing a system that did not incorporate wingers.
Nevertheless, the England international’s fortunes have ultimately been transformed under the Dutchman, as last Sunday’s influential, goalscoring display in the Manchester Derby clearly illustrated.
The shortlists for PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year are out>
Barca brilliance, brutal Bayern and more Champions League talking points
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Analysis Ángel di María Ashley Young All-Ireland Senior HC Barclays Premier League Louis van Gaal Marouane Fellaini Manchester City Manchester United