One win is nothing. A preseason win is even less. And yet Manchester United seem to be heading into a completely different season with Louis van Gaal in charge at the manager position, already looking like the perfect man for the job after the mess and shambles left in the wake of David Moyes not even finishing the season.
Manchester United beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 7-0 as part of their preseason United States tour. Van Gaal made nine changes at half time but it was hard to ignore who good Manchester United looked all throughout the match against the MLS side, which shouldn’t explain why everything went so smoothly for them.
One of the big differences between Van Gaal and Moyes is the willingness to talk tactics. Moyes used slogans and repeated lines that showed how uncomfortable he was at his new job, and how he felt the pressure closing in on him. Maybe that day will come for Van Gaal as well, but the confident and accomplished Dutch manager, leading the Netherlands to the World Cup semifinal and eventual third place, seems like someone from a completely different profession.
We have four number 10s, so the selection is not balanced in my eyes. When we play 4-3-3, I have three strikers on the bench and that is not good because I want to play with two strikers. When I am introducing a new system, every good result helps in confidence. It is better to win 7-0 than to lose and the players doubt the system. Now I don’t have that problem.
Suddenly, there’s a thought process on the sidelines behind the decisions for Manchester United, instead of someone who thinks about how well he did for Everton, trying to emulate the exact same thing in a club with very different players, mentality and expectations. Things got ugly very quickly for Moyes, who didn’t realize where he landed and what was needed for him to get out of a jam. It didn’t help that Ryan Giggs did everything in his power, along with the class of ’92, to dispose of the Scottish manager, who didn’t turn out to be the heir that was promised.
Manchester United played with three centre backs, that was the big change. With the additions Manchester United made this offseason and those that are going to come, it is expected to see something very different compared to what we saw last season at Old Trafford. The squad Van Gaal is trying to balance in order to find room and playing time for everyone goes to show what a bad juggling job and balancing act Moyes did as he attempted to work through what Alex Ferguson left him to succeed with.