SAME OLD UNITED
Disastrous day one for van Gaal as Swans soar
TURNS out it takes more than a slick public relations campaign and the appointment of an iconic manager to restore the fear factor at Old Trafford.
Louis van Gaal was hired to end humiliations like this but yesterday’s defeat by Swansea bore all the familiar hallmarks of last year’s catastrophic season.
All the usual signs were there. A stern-faced Sir Alex Ferguson in the directors’ box, accompanied yesterday by Ed and Avram Glazer; the small knot of away supporters celebrating in the corner, making more noise than the remaining 70,000 fans put together; the stunned incredulity all around at the sheer ineffectiveness and mediocrity of United; and fans drifting away in resignation towards the end.
At least David Moyes won his opening game of last season against Swansea. But United are what they have been for a while: ordinary.
No amount of tactical tinkering could disguise that. Van Gaal started with a back three and switched to a back four — initially with some improvement — but nothing could hide the lack of quality players.
True, United were missing Robin van Persie, Michael Carrick, Luke Shaw, Antonio Valencia and Jonny Evans. That alone won’t lift this team, however. Hard though youngsters Tyler Blackett and Jesse Lingard tried on their debuts — the latter’s ended on 24 minutes through injury — they were only pressed into action because of United’s inaction in the transfer market.
Their transfer-window effort is beginning to look like another exercise in ineptitude. United performed well on their pre-season tour in the USA but, on this display, defenders are sorely required.
Van Gaal said: ‘We had built up a lot of confidence and it is smashed down by this result. But it is just one game of many and you shall not be champions in this moment but in May.’
United look some way off being champions of anything in May. If van Gaal can turn this group into winners, he truly is a genius.
He concedes that he needs better players but said: ‘I thought the same when we were playing in the USA. I know what positions we need. But you can only buy when the player can fulfil what I ask.’
Initially, United kept the ball nicely across the back three but to no effect. Chances were sparse. Phil Jones ventured forward in what seemed like an early sign of the freedom of the formation, exchanging passes with Juan Mata and seeing his shot touched away from the top corner by Lukasz Fabianski.
But when Swansea had the ball, they moved it far more effectively — that is, they went forward.
With Ashley Williams excellent in defence and Gylfi Sigurdsson superb on his return to the club, they executed their plan much more clinically than United.
‘I can pretty much guarantee that everyone in this room didn’t give us a hope in hell before the game,’ said manager Garry Monk. ‘I made it very clear to the players during the week that they were to come up here and show exactly what we were about.’
When a Nathan Dyer header was flicked to him on 28 minutes, Sigurdsson took up the challenge, luring in Chris Smalling and turning away from him to set up Ki SungYueng on the edge of the box. As he shaped to shoot, Wilfried Bony was blocking Jones, so there was ample time to place the ball past David de Gea. The ghostly ambience of last season’s Old Trafford returned.
United emerged for the second half in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Nani having replaced Javier Hernandez. Immediately, they looked refreshed.
On 53 minutes, Jones rose to meet a Mata corner and flicked the ball into the six-yard box for Wayne Rooney to execute an overhead kick from close range to equalise as Old Trafford roared once more. When Rooney struck a post from a freekick on 65 minutes, United looked to have the momentum to win.
Yet they remain vulnerable and so it proved on 72 minutes. A quick Bony free-kick saw Sigurdsson and substitute Jefferson Montero link up, allowing the Ecuadorian, on for his debut, to send a looping cross into Wayne Routledge.
His effort was more of a mis-hit shot but what will worry van Gaal is the space and time Sigurdsson had inside the box to simply turn in Swansea’s winning goal.
MANCHESTER UNITED (3-5-2-1): de Gea; Smalling, Jones, Blackett; Herrera (Fellaini 67), Lingard (Januzaj 24), Fletcher; Young, Hernández (Nani 45), Mata; Rooney. Subs not used: Kagawa, Keane, Amos, James. Booked: Blackett, Young.
SWANSEA CITY (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Williams, Amat, Taylor (Tiendalli 53) Rangel; Dyer (Montero 67), Shelvey; Ki, Routledge, Sigurdsson; Bony (Gomis 77). Subs (not used): Tremmel, Bartley, Richards, Sheehan. Booked: Dyer, Shelvey, Taylor, Ki. Referee: Mike Dean. Attendance: 75,339.