For all the satisfaction at securing Champions League
qualification, Louis van Gaal's end to the season was disastrous
Remember the dark days of last autumn, when
Manchester United stuttered through their worst start to a season since
the mid-1980s?
It was bad - just
two wins from six games, including fixtures against the three promoted
clubs - but as United ended their campaign under Louis van Gaal with a goalless draw against relegated Hull City at the KC Stadium, it has somehow slipped under the radar that their final six games were even worse than their first.
So poor, in fact, that United wrapped up their Premier League campaign
with just five points from six games, in which they scored just three
goals.
Back in August, the optimism of five straight wins on the summer tour of the United States - which included victories against Real Madrid and Liverpool - was quickly washed away by a defeat at home to Swansea in the season opener prior to a 1-1 draw at Sunderland. The 4-0 Capital One Cup hammering at League One MK Dons when Van Gaal fielded a team of youngsters and soon-to-be cast-offs, was then followed by a goalless draw at Burnley, so United were undoubtedly slow out of the blocks.
But comfortable home wins against Queens Park Rangers and West Ham - either side of the 5-3 defeat at Leicester - steadied the ship and left United with eight points from six games, with a return of 11 goals.
It wasn’t great, but when compared to United’s last six games, the numbers are actually quite positive.
When United secured a 4-2 victory against Manchester City at Old Trafford on April 12, Van Gaal’s team moved four points clear of the reigning champions with just six games left to play.
A top three finish appeared within touching distance, with City, rather than United, facing the unwanted prospect of that Champions League play-off during the opening month of next season.
But rather than propel United forward, it proved to be the day that the wheels fell off and it surely cannot all be attributed to the loss of Michael Carrick to a calf injury.
Having been under-valued for so long, Carrick’s importance to United has been borne out this season, but if your season falls apart because a 33-year-old midfielder is injured, it does not bode well for the future.
Still, Carrick missed all six of United’s final games after the City win and they won just one of them - a scruffy 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace.
There were three successive defeats, without scoring, against Chelsea, Everton and West Bromwich Albion before the win at Selhurst Park banished fears of a late season capitulation and failure to finish in the top four.
That win was followed by draws against Arsenal and Hull, but the final six games saw United score just three times - a run which saw City overtake them and finish second, nine points clear of their neighbours. In six games, City achieved a 13-point swing in their favour - a remarkable statistic at any point of any season.
But because United have secured a top four finish, the negatives are being brushed aside for another day. Even when a late season collapse gifted Leeds United the title in 1992, United ended the campaign more convincingly than this one, with seven points and six goals from their final six games.
The following year, United ended their 26-year title drought by ending the first Premier League campaign as champions, but there is little prospect of the current crop making the same strides towards glory.
And as Van Gaal prepares for his summer break in Portugal, the dismal performances over the final six games of the season should be a cause for alarm, regardless of the achievement of delivering the top four finish which was expected of him.
Van Gaal and his players signed off for the
summer on Sunday evening with a squad meal and night out in Manchester
after returning from Hull and there was a reason for the celebratory
occasion.
United had achieved their
objective for the season by securing Champions League qualification -
albeit with the potentially hazardous hurdle of a play-off awaiting in
August - so it was a case of mission accomplished. But the team’s alarming slump during the final weeks of the campaign
should emphasise just how much work is still to be done by Van Gaal and
also highlight why only the most one-eyed supporter would back United
to win the title next season. Back in August, the optimism of five straight wins on the summer tour of the United States - which included victories against Real Madrid and Liverpool - was quickly washed away by a defeat at home to Swansea in the season opener prior to a 1-1 draw at Sunderland. The 4-0 Capital One Cup hammering at League One MK Dons when Van Gaal fielded a team of youngsters and soon-to-be cast-offs, was then followed by a goalless draw at Burnley, so United were undoubtedly slow out of the blocks.
But comfortable home wins against Queens Park Rangers and West Ham - either side of the 5-3 defeat at Leicester - steadied the ship and left United with eight points from six games, with a return of 11 goals.
It wasn’t great, but when compared to United’s last six games, the numbers are actually quite positive.
When United secured a 4-2 victory against Manchester City at Old Trafford on April 12, Van Gaal’s team moved four points clear of the reigning champions with just six games left to play.
A top three finish appeared within touching distance, with City, rather than United, facing the unwanted prospect of that Champions League play-off during the opening month of next season.
But rather than propel United forward, it proved to be the day that the wheels fell off and it surely cannot all be attributed to the loss of Michael Carrick to a calf injury.
Having been under-valued for so long, Carrick’s importance to United has been borne out this season, but if your season falls apart because a 33-year-old midfielder is injured, it does not bode well for the future.
Still, Carrick missed all six of United’s final games after the City win and they won just one of them - a scruffy 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace.
There were three successive defeats, without scoring, against Chelsea, Everton and West Bromwich Albion before the win at Selhurst Park banished fears of a late season capitulation and failure to finish in the top four.
That win was followed by draws against Arsenal and Hull, but the final six games saw United score just three times - a run which saw City overtake them and finish second, nine points clear of their neighbours. In six games, City achieved a 13-point swing in their favour - a remarkable statistic at any point of any season.
But because United have secured a top four finish, the negatives are being brushed aside for another day. Even when a late season collapse gifted Leeds United the title in 1992, United ended the campaign more convincingly than this one, with seven points and six goals from their final six games.
The following year, United ended their 26-year title drought by ending the first Premier League campaign as champions, but there is little prospect of the current crop making the same strides towards glory.
And as Van Gaal prepares for his summer break in Portugal, the dismal performances over the final six games of the season should be a cause for alarm, regardless of the achievement of delivering the top four finish which was expected of him.
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