OFF THE POST – LOUIS VAN GAAL AND NO QUICK FIX

Louis Van Gaal was in charge of his first competitive match against Swansea and it was obvious that physics is still one of the main sciences in the Premier League.

Immediately after Van Gaal’s first training session with the squad, he told the world that he will be deploying a 3-5-2 formation in the Premier League, a formation that demands total concentration from the centre-halves, who risk dangerous gaps between them and out wide where the wing-backs have to be in constant communication with the centre-halves to track runners.

This type of highly intelligence formation gives the opponent the opportunity to overload the system with wingers and full-backs. And most EPL clubs possesses overlapping full backs.

This type of system (3-5-2) needs players to be on alert for breaks and counter attacks of the opponent and Phil Jones and Chris Smalling were cut out for the Swansea’s opening goal. Ashley Cole on the other hand had adapted well with the 3-5-2 formation in pre season but was guilty of the opening goal as well.

The pre-season use of 3-5-2 had led many to assume that this was Van Gaal's overriding choice of tactics but he has always changed. He operated 4-2-3-1 at times at Bayern Munich, 4-3-3 with Ajax, 2-3-2-3 with Barcelona and 4-4-2 with AZ Alkmaar. He is used to working with tactically flexible players and the switch in formation against Swansea showed his flexibility deploying formations 

 Can Mehdi Benatia be the last jigsaw for Van Gaal at the back? The transfer window will tell.

Louis Van Gaal has said the English players’ needs more education to improve and Brendan Rodgers is already showing at Liverpool that truly, English youngsters have brains. Jones, Smalling, Blackett and Lingard still has much listening and learning from Van Gaal to improve and adapt with the regime/tactics under him.

Big money, Champions league and Big leagues motives the leading and top players and Van Gaal/United have to convince potential recruits of finishing top 4.

Manchester United have employed one of the game's most celebrated and cerebral coaches but he will need time, money and obviously, new players to acquire a greater footballing intelligence, tactical flexibility and winning mentality.

In this light, Van gaal needs time and there is no quick fix to Manchester United problems.

Article by Sulaiman Adebayo (@Poojablog)