And Moyes, at times, seemed to be somewhat undermined by the demands of stars and fans alike for the team to play football the ‘United way’ (aka the Alex Ferguson way).
Louis van Gaal must therefore ensure that, while taking heed of the invaluable experience of Giggs and co, he does not become overwhelmed by their influence and consequently facilitate a dressing room mutiny, as Moyes arguably did.
Of course, the Dutchman’s track record of effectively dealing with strong personalties is well documented, so unlike his predecessor, he has countless past experiences of coping with similar situations.
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2. The Mata/Rooney/Kagawa issue
Three of Manchester United’s best players — Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney and Shinji Kagawa — all favour playing in the number 10 role.
Each player still presumably covets the position, as Moyes never really definitively chose one individual to operate in the role on a consistent basis.
Alternating between Rooney and Mata behind the striker — as Moyes invariably did — betrays the widely-held opinion that a team should have a settled look with players always operating in a set position.
Conversely, should Van Gaal banish any of the three to the wing or worse, the bench, he risks severely deflating their ego.
Each footballer in question cost a considerable amount of money, so selling any of them would also be a very brave decision, though it seems almost inconceivable that he can keep all three happy on a regular basis, so it’s one he may be forced to make.
3. Player retirements
With Giggs retirement following Rio and Vidic exits, that's a combined 24 PL winners' medals #MUFC have lost. Must keep Evra now
Since they won their first Premier League under Alex Ferguson up until his retirement, United were patently a team with a winning mentality.
This philosophy was eroded to a considerable degree under Moyes, and with the recent departure of several players who were unaccustomed to failure, they have suffered a further blow.
Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Nemanja Vidic all had invaluable experience in coping with title run-ins and playing at the top level in Europe as well as domestically.
The current crop of younger players at United have yet to experience such excessive success, and surely one of Van Gaal’s main priorities is ensuring Man United sign a number of proven winners, alleviating the signs of incompetence that were on display in last summer’s transfer dealings in the process.
4. Persuade doubtful transfer targets
Both Ed Woodward and David Moyes were inexperienced in persuading top-level players to sign up at United, and consequently, the last summer transfer window was nothing short of a disaster as far as United were concerned.
Of course, their failure was offset by the knowledge that they were in charge of a team that had only just won the Premier League at the time, and so the situation didn’t appear to be quite so grave back then.
Now, however, with United’s squad already looking depleted owing to a host of player departures, and not to mention the numerous underachieving individuals still at Old Trafford, it is vital that they don’t make the same mistake twice.
This time around, with United no longer in the Champions League, it will surely be more difficult than ever to persuade big-name players to join the club — though purchasisng Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw is a decent start.
Woodward and co must attempt to convince these stars that last year’s performances were simply a glitch rather than a sign of things to come, though one thing’s for certain — prospective players will be much more confident with Louis van Gaal at the helm rather than David Moyes.
5. Tactics
Under Moyes, one of the most common complaints concerned the style of football that had been adopted.
He was ‘turning United into Everton’ — players were too far apart from one another to perform the intricate passing in which the club once specialised, their conservative approach — most notable when they faced Bayern Munich in the Champions League — failed to inspire fans, while their lack of comebacks or late goals was conspicuous, as they failed to emulate the attacking intensity of the Ferguson era.
Van Gaal is known to have a particularly sophisticated tactical approach based on the ‘Total Football’ pioneered by the famous Ajax team of the late 60s and early 70s.
The veteran coach has a reputation as being a slow starter, but the demand for instant success in management nowadays, and particularly at a club as eminent as United, means he can ill afford to take his time adjusting to Old Trafford’s surroundings.
5 issues new Man United manager Louis van Gaal needs to address
A version of this article originally appeared on 19 May
1. The Class of 92
EVERY MEMBER OF Manchester United’s Class of 92 has now retired following Ryan Giggs’ announcement at the end of last season, but their influence at Old Trafford clearly remains.
Towards the end of Moyes’ tenure, Giggs was thought to be part of a group of senior players unhappy with the Scot’s style of management.
Moreover, Paul Scholes went on Sky Sports and severely criticised Moyes’ United following their 3-0 loss to Man City.
Van Gaal, by agreeing to make Giggs his assistant boss, appears to be taking a softly softly approach to the influential contingent of ex-players.
And Moyes, at times, seemed to be somewhat undermined by the demands of stars and fans alike for the team to play football the ‘United way’ (aka the Alex Ferguson way).
Louis van Gaal must therefore ensure that, while taking heed of the invaluable experience of Giggs and co, he does not become overwhelmed by their influence and consequently facilitate a dressing room mutiny, as Moyes arguably did.
Of course, the Dutchman’s track record of effectively dealing with strong personalties is well documented, so unlike his predecessor, he has countless past experiences of coping with similar situations.
2. The Mata/Rooney/Kagawa issue
Three of Manchester United’s best players — Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney and Shinji Kagawa — all favour playing in the number 10 role.
Each player still presumably covets the position, as Moyes never really definitively chose one individual to operate in the role on a consistent basis.
Alternating between Rooney and Mata behind the striker — as Moyes invariably did — betrays the widely-held opinion that a team should have a settled look with players always operating in a set position.
Conversely, should Van Gaal banish any of the three to the wing or worse, the bench, he risks severely deflating their ego.
Each footballer in question cost a considerable amount of money, so selling any of them would also be a very brave decision, though it seems almost inconceivable that he can keep all three happy on a regular basis, so it’s one he may be forced to make.
3. Player retirements
Since they won their first Premier League under Alex Ferguson up until his retirement, United were patently a team with a winning mentality.
This philosophy was eroded to a considerable degree under Moyes, and with the recent departure of several players who were unaccustomed to failure, they have suffered a further blow.
Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Nemanja Vidic all had invaluable experience in coping with title run-ins and playing at the top level in Europe as well as domestically.
The current crop of younger players at United have yet to experience such excessive success, and surely one of Van Gaal’s main priorities is ensuring Man United sign a number of proven winners, alleviating the signs of incompetence that were on display in last summer’s transfer dealings in the process.
4. Persuade doubtful transfer targets
Both Ed Woodward and David Moyes were inexperienced in persuading top-level players to sign up at United, and consequently, the last summer transfer window was nothing short of a disaster as far as United were concerned.
Of course, their failure was offset by the knowledge that they were in charge of a team that had only just won the Premier League at the time, and so the situation didn’t appear to be quite so grave back then.
Now, however, with United’s squad already looking depleted owing to a host of player departures, and not to mention the numerous underachieving individuals still at Old Trafford, it is vital that they don’t make the same mistake twice.
This time around, with United no longer in the Champions League, it will surely be more difficult than ever to persuade big-name players to join the club — though purchasisng Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw is a decent start.
Woodward and co must attempt to convince these stars that last year’s performances were simply a glitch rather than a sign of things to come, though one thing’s for certain — prospective players will be much more confident with Louis van Gaal at the helm rather than David Moyes.
5. Tactics
Under Moyes, one of the most common complaints concerned the style of football that had been adopted.
He was ‘turning United into Everton’ — players were too far apart from one another to perform the intricate passing in which the club once specialised, their conservative approach — most notable when they faced Bayern Munich in the Champions League — failed to inspire fans, while their lack of comebacks or late goals was conspicuous, as they failed to emulate the attacking intensity of the Ferguson era.
Van Gaal is known to have a particularly sophisticated tactical approach based on the ‘Total Football’ pioneered by the famous Ajax team of the late 60s and early 70s.
The veteran coach has a reputation as being a slow starter, but the demand for instant success in management nowadays, and particularly at a club as eminent as United, means he can ill afford to take his time adjusting to Old Trafford’s surroundings.
Louis van Gaal vows to make Manchester United history>
Profile: The ego and experience United have called on with Van Gaal appointment
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Analysis Class of 92 Barclays Premier League Editor's picks Juan Mata Louis van Gaal Manchester United Wayne Rooney