It’s been a tough first season for Louis Van Gaal, who has been subject to a lot of criticism at Manchester United. Even his fellow Dutchman, Wim van Hanegam, a former Feyenoord coach, has had some harsh words to share:
‘What I hate to see is how Van Gaal is treating Ryan Giggs. Louis has more attention for the other geezer next to him. But Louis forgets that we are talking here about Ryan Giggs. Giggs was a giant of a player. He deserves more respect than this.’ (Source: The Metro)
I have to say, I find this an odd bone of contention. With everything that’s currently going on at Manchester United, should we really be concerned that Ryan Giggs isn’t getting enough attention? Don’t the problems run a little deeper than that?
As it happens, Van Hanegem doesn’t focus solely on Ryan Giggs: ‘Falcao has proven over the past few years that he is one of the best strikers in the world. But at United he is being treated as if he was signed from an old fourth division club.’
‘I can see there are more players not happy at United. Di Maria was one of the most important links in the chain at Real Madrid. In the World Cup he was the best player in the Argentina side. But at United he hasn’t been able to pass a ball over more than 25 yards most times.’
When you start going through the team on a player-by-player basis, you soon start to realise that Van Hanegam has a point: there aren’t too many players who will feel entirely satisfied at the moment.
Wayne Rooney and Marouane Fellaini’s position keeps shifting. Juan Mata isn’t getting enough game time. Daley Blind has far too much attacking responsibility for a player in his position. Marcos Rojo has been thrown in at the deep end. David De Gea must be tired of being the team’s stand-out performer on a weekly basis.
The only person who can change things is Louis Van Gaal, but the Dutchman seems to be stuck in his ways. Manchester United won’t escape their rut unless they start to get more out of the players they’ve already got.
Throwing money at your problems is one thing, but accepting change is another.
What’s your take? What does the future hold for Manchester United and Louis Van Gaal?
Please follow @ThePerfectPass for more football related action!
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.