Mata on the mark as United continue on an upward curve under Van Gaal
LOUIS VAN GAAL has already said it could be three long years before the rebuilding work is complete here at Manchester United and there was little yesterday to suggest that day might come any sooner.
Never mind the challenge ahead. This was a long 90 minutes, a game that was settled by a second-half Juan Mata goal but one that was torturous at times for the Old Trafford supporters who seem every bit as anxious as their team at the moment.
Pay no attention to the statistics that boast more than 70 per cent of the possession and a ratio of shots that would have you think Van Gaal had masterminded a commanding performance.
They were playing a Crystal Palace side that will do well to remain in the Barclays Premier League this season and they produced a laboured display even if their visitors did sit back and let them have most of the ball.
Alex Ferguson said United’s football too often lacked pace and ambition when David Moyes was in charge last season and to their allconquering former manager this would have been no easier on the eye.
The fact Angel Di Maria and Adnan Januzaj were both hooked by Van Gaal said it all. Ferguson always employed pace and width to punish opponents but United’s wide men were woefully ineffective on this occasion, with Di Maria a poor imitation of the player who so dazzled when he first arrived from Real Madrid. Yes, Palace defended deep and in numbers. But still Di Maria should be better than this.
In fairness to the Argentina international, his failure to really threaten might have had something to do with the orders United seemed to be under.
With his own defence severely weakened by injuries and suspension and Daley Blind partnering Patrick McNair at centre half as a result, Van Gaal may well have urged a bit more caution than usual.
The fact Wayne Rooney was deployed in midfield alongside Marouane Fellaini – with Michael Carrick planted between them and the back four – rendered Robin van Persie an isolated figure in attack and made United a less potent force as a result. It may not have helped that this was the third formation in 12 games Van Gaal has employed either.
The manager admitted afterwards that his side needed ‘more speed’, even if he was entitled to be satisfied with a first clean sheet in six games as well as three points that ‘keep them in the race for the places they want’.
But they were fortunate not to concede when a mistake by Blind and McNair was almost punished by Fraizer Campbell and not until Mata arrived from the bench did the 67thminute breakthrough come. As Neil Warnock remarked in his postmatch press conference, rarely has he had a better opportunity to beat United at home.
The selection of Blind at centre half did make sense when the versatile Dutchman is a naturally defensive player and Carrick was always going to be more comfortable in midfield when this, remember, was his first start of the season.
United did look fairly composed to begin with. They enjoyed more than 80 per cent of the possession in the opening 10 minutes and after little more than 20 minutes – according to the statisticians – had completed 174 passes to Palace’s 34. They had also threatened with a decent effort from Januzaj.
But United were also proving a tad impatient, unleashing a series of shots from distance when a more confident attacking team might have tried to get more into the Palace penalty area.
United were trying to attack from all areas. Luke Shaw set off from inside United’s half and forced a fine save from Julian Speroni, and Blind also pressed forward only to then concede possession cheaply. Such was the speed with which Palace then broke on the counterattack Rooney had to cover for his teammate at centre half.
A moment’s misjudgement from Blind and McNair was almost extremely costly, their failure to intercept a long ball forward suddenly invited Campbell to strike. As it was the former United player’s lob over David de Gea floated the wrong side of the crossbar when he really should have scored.
With the arrival of the half-time whistle came the sense that 45 minutes of domination had been squandered too. Only once had Speroni really been called upon to make a save, and that must have concerned Van Gaal.
A second save for Speroni would come shortly after the break, with Van Persie testing the Palace goalkeeper. But still United needed more urgency; still they needed to attack with more purpose.
Rooney threatened with a curling shot that flew narrowly wide but a better chance would come in the 57th minute when Fellaini, having secured the corner in the first place, saw his thumping header cleared off the line by James McArthur.
After little more than an hour Van Gaal decided it was time to make a change. Off came Januzaj and on went Mata.
It was a decision that reflected well on Van Gaal, Mata exchanging passes with Di Maria before unleashing a shot that took a deflection off the head of Damien Delaney and beat Speroni despite the Palace goalkeeper getting a hand to the ball. Perhaps Speroni should have done better.
Mata almost struck again when another deflected effort bounced off a post, with Van Persie then f ai l i ng to convert from the rebound.
In the end it mattered not. In the end United were rewarded for their dominance with the victory that keeps them just two points off the Champions League places.
And right now Van Gaal will take that, even if the task of guiding this club back to the summit of the English game remains a massive one.