Rebuilding Champions: The Future of Manchester United

By Tan Chin Hong

PHOTO: MIRROR.CO.UK

The recent sacking of David Moyes as Manchester United’s manager bears no surprise to many as it is mathematically impossible for United to gain a spot in the top four to play in the Champions League next season. In the meantime, Ryan Giggs has been appointed interim manager. United would need to make important managerial and squad changes to strengthen themselves for success next season.

Under Moyes, United was error-prone and lacked the willingness to take risks in attacks. Moyes inherited a squad blessed with competent attack-minded players but his style of play was too cautious.

Moyes also had a tendency to play players out of their comfortable positions to suit his defensive play. This negated United’s overall attacking bite as the full potential of its players was untapped.

In addition, Moyes’ acquisitions — Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata from Everton and Chelsea respectively — had little impact, and they further proved that he lacked the vision needed for effective management of United.

Giggs’ first game in charge as interim manager seemed to solve some of these problems. A 4-0 demolition of Norwich City at Old Trafford on Apr 27 showed the true potential of the team. They focused on attack, took risks and were comfortable in their play.

However, Giggs is unlikely to be handed the job and the rebuilding of Manchester United begins now.

One position that the new manager definitely needs to take care of is his defence as defensive stalwart Patrice Evra’s current contract ends in June. One replacement that United could explore is up and coming Luke Shaw from Southampton Football Club.

Shaw is a strong defender who can win tackles without getting into fouls. In his 30 games for Southampton this season, he has made 60 tackles and 32 interceptions in 30 appearances, with only 21 fouls and two yellow cards.

Shaw is a good option to replace Evra not only because of his defensive capabilities, but also because of his attacking strengths. He is able to carry the ball up the left flank and serve deadly crosses into the penalty area.

Another problem that surfaced this season for United is the lack of a holding midfielder. A possible signing for that position is Toni Kroos. The 24-year-old has been vocal about his desire to join the reigning Barclays Premier League (BPL) champions despite United’s lacklustre performance this season.

In his 22 games for Bayern Munich, Kroos boasted an impressive passing completion rate, with over 90 per cent of his passes finding their target. Also, the German has made 46 tackles and 15 interceptions while garnering 26 fouls and four yellow cards.

The stability in midfield provided by Kroos would free up responsibilities from Juan Mata, allowing more creativity and supplying more chances for Rooney and the strikers up front.

Manchester United is a club with tremendous history; the new manager that comes in must be able to fulfill that capacity.

Louis van Gaal, current coach of the Netherlands team, could be the right candidate for the job at United. He would be ideal for the position because of his experience and success at the top level. He has won domestic, European and international honours with teams in the Netherlands, Spain and Germany, over a managerial career of more than 20 years.

The Dutchman’s style of football is similar to that of Sir Alex Ferguson: a high pressing style of play that focuses on attack and width. Simply put, his football philosophy encapsulates the phrase: “The best defence is a strong offense”.

This style of play enabled him to excel at Bayern Munich, winning Germany’s top football division, the Bundesliga, and reaching the Champions League final in his first season in charge.

Nicknamed ‘The Iron Tulip’, he is also known for his uncompromising stance in decision-making. During his time at Bayern Munich, Luca Toni, Mark van Bommel and Lucio, who featured largely in Bayern’s success before van Gaal’s arrival, complained that van Gaal was a difficult man to work with.

While this may pose a problem, Ferguson had a similar style of management at United. He had no qualms dropping players like David Beckham, van Nistelrooy and Roy Keane, whenever they showed signs of ill-discipline or unconformity.

Both Ferguson and van Gaal have a philosophy that “no man is indispensable”. Players have to continue to work hard to earn their place in the squad or risk being dropped in favour of another player.

Dismal performances this season and the lack of Champions League football will undoubtedly harm United’s standing as a major club. The loss of prestige this season will affect sponsorship deals for United and mar their ability to attract new signings. United needs an experienced manager who will sign on the right players to get the club back on track.