Manchester United announced the sacking of their manager on Monday.
The news of Louis van Gaal's departure had leaked minutes after the
club won their 12th FA Cup on Saturday. The media was awashed with
reports of Jose Mourinho's appointment as the club's replacement to
the Dutchman.
The former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has been under
the spotlight all season going by various media reports. Leaving aside
the FA Cup triumph, he presided over a poor season by the club's high
standard.
Different words have been used to describe the Old Trafford club this
season, from boring to functional, the list is endless.
The club descended from their ethos of attacking football to a side
that was afraid to play anything resembling football.
That Manchester United only scored 49 goals in 38 league matches was a
reflection of the poor tactics deployed by the Dutchman.
He arrived Old Trafford with a reputation after he guided the
Netherlands to fourth place in the 2014 World Cup. However, after a
difficult start to his first season in charge, the club rallied round
to finish in the top four with key wins over Liverpool at Anfield and
a swashbuckling 4-1 win over city rivals Manchester City at Old
Trafford.
However, that is as good as it got for the club in his first season,
but finishing in the top four after the disaster of the David Moyes
era was regarded as a step forward for the club.
Yet, he was expected to have kicked on in his second season by making
the club title contenders, but instead they went backward after
topping the league in November. It was the high point of the first
half of the season as the team exited the Champions League at the
group stage after an error strewn 3-2 defeat to Wolfsburg in Germany.
There was little joy in the Europa League as they were eliminated by Liverpool.
The Dutchman's reputation was not enhanced by the way he prevented his
team to play exciting football with his obdurate tactics. That
Manchester United went eleven games at Old Trafford without scoring a
first half goal was as strange as it was a odd statistics in many
ways.
Indeed the way this season has gone for the club, Van Gaal was walking
a tight rope and his sacking has not come as a surprise, if anything
many within the Manchester United circle are glad to see the back of
the Dutchman.
However, despite the fact that he failed to deliver a top four finish
in his last season at the club, if winning a trophy is used to judge
his time at Old Trafford, he can point to the FA cup he delivered.
A win that was significant in many ways as it was the first trophy
since Alex Ferguson left the club, and the first FA cup the club has
won since 2004.
For all the high that greeted his arrival at the club two years ago,
Louis van Gaal leaves the club without a tear from anybody associated
with the club. A cruel way to leave an organisation, but to many a
necessary cutting of ties in order for Ed Woodward and co to usher in
a new era which will start with a certain Portuguese.
The news of Louis van Gaal's departure had leaked minutes after the
club won their 12th FA Cup on Saturday. The media was awashed with
reports of Jose Mourinho's appointment as the club's replacement to
the Dutchman.
The former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has been under
the spotlight all season going by various media reports. Leaving aside
the FA Cup triumph, he presided over a poor season by the club's high
standard.
Different words have been used to describe the Old Trafford club this
season, from boring to functional, the list is endless.
The club descended from their ethos of attacking football to a side
that was afraid to play anything resembling football.
That Manchester United only scored 49 goals in 38 league matches was a
reflection of the poor tactics deployed by the Dutchman.
He arrived Old Trafford with a reputation after he guided the
Netherlands to fourth place in the 2014 World Cup. However, after a
difficult start to his first season in charge, the club rallied round
to finish in the top four with key wins over Liverpool at Anfield and
a swashbuckling 4-1 win over city rivals Manchester City at Old
Trafford.
However, that is as good as it got for the club in his first season,
but finishing in the top four after the disaster of the David Moyes
era was regarded as a step forward for the club.
Yet, he was expected to have kicked on in his second season by making
the club title contenders, but instead they went backward after
topping the league in November. It was the high point of the first
half of the season as the team exited the Champions League at the
group stage after an error strewn 3-2 defeat to Wolfsburg in Germany.
There was little joy in the Europa League as they were eliminated by Liverpool.
The Dutchman's reputation was not enhanced by the way he prevented his
team to play exciting football with his obdurate tactics. That
Manchester United went eleven games at Old Trafford without scoring a
first half goal was as strange as it was a odd statistics in many
ways.
Indeed the way this season has gone for the club, Van Gaal was walking
a tight rope and his sacking has not come as a surprise, if anything
many within the Manchester United circle are glad to see the back of
the Dutchman.
However, despite the fact that he failed to deliver a top four finish
in his last season at the club, if winning a trophy is used to judge
his time at Old Trafford, he can point to the FA cup he delivered.
A win that was significant in many ways as it was the first trophy
since Alex Ferguson left the club, and the first FA cup the club has
won since 2004.
For all the high that greeted his arrival at the club two years ago,
Louis van Gaal leaves the club without a tear from anybody associated
with the club. A cruel way to leave an organisation, but to many a
necessary cutting of ties in order for Ed Woodward and co to usher in
a new era which will start with a certain Portuguese.
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