Two years ago, he was described as a man with great reputation and aura, a progressive personality who would restore glory back to the red half of Manchester; someone who would come in and patch the broken pieces together and restore greatness a la Sir Alex Ferguson. Such were the words used to describe Luis van Gaal who was going to replace the then finished gaffer David Moyes after a very successful World Cup in Brazil.
The case has been akwardly different since then. His first season was seen by everyone as a building process highlighted by the British record transfer of Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid and the introduction of his 'Philosophy' to the club. Filled with ups and downs, he impressed in his debut season doing a slightly better job than his predecessor Moyes and helping his team to Champions League spot with an added spice of dominating possesion.
His second season however, has seen his team's style of play widely criticised highlighted by van Gaal's much touted 'Philosophy' of dominating the game but lacking that final cutting edge in front of goal which has already cost them darely following their elimination from Europe's elite competion. Pundits and fans have all voiced out their anger and frustration refering to the team's style of play as 'dull' and 'inflexible' with no Plan B whatsoever with the stats backing up their claims as they scored 21 goals in 16 league games compared to Sir Alex's last season with the club which saw United score a whooping 33 goals in just 14 games despite boasting the best defence in the league conceding fewer goals than any other team in the league.
His strictness and no-nonsense attitude led fans to liken him to a 'Dictator' accused of making his players too terified to express themselves on the pitch. Players like Anthony Martial and Juan Mata are often used out of position, Morgan Schneiderlin not getting regular games and particularly, the curious case of Wayne Rooney who has been out of form but is still fielded regularly as a result of favouritism by the manager. The clock is ticking and as we move further into the season, Systematic measures must be taken by van Gaal in desperate times to drag man utd closer to the title or else he could kiss it goodbye.
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