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At long last, it was confirmed this weekend that Manchester United would indeed be returning to the UEFA Champions League next year after a one-year exile in the wake of their forgettable 2013/14 season. Louis van Gaal’s men needed just a point from their Sunday fixture against Arsenal at Old Trafford to confirm their top-four status, but thanks to Liverpool slipping up, they had their place cemented even before they could kick a ball.
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The Red Devils paid the price for a shoddy season under David Moyes last term as they suffered the ignominy of finishing seventh in the table, a place they hadn’t been accustomed to in a long while. When Van Gaal took over the reins as manager of United following his impressive World Cup run with the Netherlands, the Dutchman outlined a three-year plan that would, by its completion, restore United to their previous glory.
The first year of that plan involved a top-four finish and qualification for the Champions League. After a slow start, that bordered on the dreadful, with an opening day home loss to Swansea City (United’s first opening day home loss since 1972) and a 4-0 humbling in the League Cup away at League One opposition MK Dons, United slowly made the climb up and embarked on a lengthy mid-season stretch where they won six on the bounce and went 19 games undefeated.
And towards the end, in what was a tricky stretch, they bagged big wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool back-to-back before a comprehensive victory over neighbours and the champions of last year Manchester City. However, despite the obvious climb up the table, United’s season has had many wondering if it really is worth celebration.
Does this fourth-place finish represent a significant achievement?
The obvious
Looking at the table, fourth obviously represents a better performance than seventh. They have had more wins against the top teams this year as compared to last. However, United have only scored seven points more than last year with a game to go (away at Hull City on the final day). They have also scored two goals lesser (surprising, right?), though the goal difference is better thanks to the fewer goals conceded this term.
Before the 1-1 draw against Arsenal at home, United had scrapped out a nervy 2-1 win against Crystal Palace, which was a much needed win after having suffered three losses on the bounce. Before those three losses, United had been cruising in the race for Champions League places and could have wrapped things up much earlier. Once they got those wins against Liverpool and Spurs in March, they had a comfortable cushion established.
Manager Van Gaal may have done a little self-pat on the back at his end-of-season presser, but United did enjoy a fair share of assists through the year in ending up where they are at the moment.
Assist 1 – The regression of the Premier League
It may have gone unnoticed, but the league as a whole took a step down from last year. Chelsea finished comfortable champions despite a mid-season wobble that no team managed to take advantage of. Manchester City failed to add adequately to their side in the summer and hardly put up a fight in the defence of their championship, enduring a torrid early 2015. At one point, their season threatened to derail completely with them in danger of dropping out of the top-four.
Arsenal have performed much the same as last season but have looked better mainly due to their position in the table. They finished fourth last year with 79 points; this year they are third with 71 with two more games to go, meaning they will not match last year’s performance. United are currently a full 10 points off Arsenal’s mark from last season.
Assist 2 – Liverpool’s demise
One player left Liverpool in the summer. One player named Luis Suarez left Liverpool in the summer. The two statements render very different meanings and that exactly was Liverpool’s plight. Brendan Rodgers just couldn’t replace what the Uruguayan brought to the table, and he was not helped by the fact that Liverpool bought so poorly. They have regressed this year simply because their squad is inferior to that which challenged for the title last term.
Despite United’s stuttering form at times, especially in the final stretch, Liverpool’s own mis-steps prevented them from ever sustaining a serious challenge for the top four.
Assist 3 – No involvement in European competitions
Unlike the three sides ahead of them at the moment and Liverpool and Spurs behind them, United had only domestic competition to participate in. Three tournaments quickly became two after their implosion at MK Dons that saw them get dumped out of the League Cup. Battling on just the FA Cup and Premier League fronts, it would be fair to say that United had an easier schedule on their way to fourth place.
With no distractions and commensurately more rest for their players than some of their competitors, United had a sizable advantage, much like Liverpool did last year. With the kind of injury-riddled season that United have had, that certainly played its part in the grand scheme of things.
But wait…. United invested close to £150 million on new players and only finished fourth?
Deals for two of the players who came in new (Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw) had already been finalized by Van Gaal’s predecessor Moyes. In addition to that duo, United Chief Executive Ed Woodward splashed the cash to net more players, including breaking the British transfer record to land Argentine winger Angel Di Maria and arranging a very costly loan move for Radamel Falcao.
Of the new arrivals, only Herrera, Daley Blind and to an extent Marcos Rojo have had an impactful season. As a matter of fact Herrera’s re-insertion into the starting line-up coincided with United’s improved attacking play as the Spaniard gave them much needed thrust.
Otherwise, the star performers of the season have been players that were already at Old Trafford when Van Gaal arrived – Ashley Young, Marouane Fellaini, David De Gea and Juan Mata. Fellaini and Young, in particular, have had great bounce-back seasons after having been at the receiving end of some scathing criticism last season, so Van Gaal deserves some credit for their return to form.
The money spent by United certainly brought about improvements in the squad; it can be said that the additions of Blind and Herrera helped the likes of Young and Fellaini prosper in their roles. But it was a mixed bag for the club as far as hits went. United were very fortunate in a lot of their games to come away with either a win or a draw.
De Gea will walk out the player of the season for the club and rightfully so, for he has been the best goalkeeper in the EPL and helped save United’s blushes on numerous occasions. De Gea’s strong hand was needed by Van Gaal regardless of whether he was playing three, four or five at the back.
United’s improved play
One of the major criticisms during Moyes’ reign was how uncomfortable United looked with the ball at their feet and the rather mundane method of trying to create chances by looping crosses in from the flanks. United’s attack has definitely improved this year, in part due to new personnel, and in part due to Van Gaal’s better use of existing personnel.
The Old Trafford outfit have looked more assured in possession while also carving out better attacking opportunities. They have not yet reached the heights of the Ferguson era where their swashbuckling attacks would overwhelm their opponents, but they have certainly improved from last year. This came to the fore in their wins over the top teams, with their record in the big games drastically better.
As well as they did against the top sides though, United struggled against other teams who stayed defensively compact, often running out of ideas and venting frustration at their inability to break them down. Right through the season, whenever the game was open United were a threat, but not so much when the opposition was happy to sit back and defend deep.
But overall there has been progress, and the players have talked about how they have taken time to adapt the Dutchman’s philosophy and how they are confident they’ll be very good at it next year. Defensively, the pressing has been the most notable attribute in the current United team. At the weekend too, United dominated their game against Arsenal for much of the first hour thanks to their superior pressing.
Questions still remain
The fact that players such as Di Maria and Falcao flattered to deceive with their huge price tags will definitely be a pain point for Van Gaal. Falcao looks like he will be calling a different city home next season while Di Maria might get one more season to prove himself.
The left-back and right-back slots need to be addressed by Van Gaal. United massively overpaid for Luke Shaw whose fight with injuries has overshadowed his showing on the pitch. And at right-back Antonio Valencia may have done a good job this season, but long-term will Van Gaal stick to the Ecuadorian? Rafael’s days look numbered as the Dutchman clearly doesn’t favour the Brazilian.
The United manager also has to assess the troubling issue of his side’s rather lethargic and laboured build-up play that allows opponents ample time to buckle down and defend. All the wins against the big teams will count for nought if United stutter against the likes of West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland.
The goalkeeper situation is also something that will need addressing as De Gea looks ever more likely to leave for Real Madrid.
United have achieved the bare minimum for the season, that being qualifying for the Champions League once again. But in many ways it has been an underwhelming campaignfor them. They are in the top four in spite of their stumbles and have a big gap to bridge to this year’s champions Chelsea, and the benchmark going into next season. ‘Satisfactory’ would be a good way to describe their season; nothing more, nothing less.
