Manchester United boss Louis Van Gaal is back on the thin ice following his inability to deliver his promise of securing qualification into the Europa League Quarter-Finals after they were knocked out by domestic rivals Liverpool.
LVG’s season has been filled with ups and downs, with the latter taking its toll on United’s already fading League campaign.
The Europa League exit at the hands of Liverpool would’ve most definitely served as a reminder to United fans about how bad the situation is at Old Trafford.
At the start of the season United’s Achilles heel seemed to be the lack of passion exhibited by the players, but during the season LVG looked to have finally succeeded in rallying the troops, or did he?
Short-term Success
LVG’s stay at United has been plagued by the dangerous phenomenon of Short-term success which tends to leave teams complacent enough to trigger a bad run of form.
We saw it happen last season, and we’re witnessing it right now. Before the first leg defeat against Liverpool, United were looking like the Red Devils of old, probably because of the youthful energy of the likes of Marcus Rashford and Guillermo Varela introduced to the side.
Marcus Rashford’s breakthrough into the first team has been surprising really; the young lad scored four goals in 2 games when he first arrived on the scene – now it seems like LVG has integrated him into the first team all because of Short-term success.
The Attitude
There’s been a lot of speculation about LVG’s future at Old Trafford, at some point in the season rumors were flying around that the Dutchman was planning to resign from his role as United boss.
Following the Europa League exit, LVG’s credibility has come under question because the Europa League could’ve been United’s ticket to the UCL next season.
Now they have West Ham and mid-town rivals Manchester City to contend with for a place in the Champions League; The Hammers are also constituting a significant threat to United’s FA Cup hopes as Slaven Billic will be keen on marking the end of the Upton Park era with some silverware.
United as a whole needs a lot of positivity, LVG’s efforts to revive United has been thwarted by a number of obstacles in recent times so the Dutchman needs to find that battering-ram that would take them back to the top.
With all that said, United will be keen on ending the season on a high note which includes a possible FA Cup triumph and an Unlikely top four finish. However, a lot can still happen between now and May if United play their cards right but until then let’s sit back and enjoy the closing stages of the 2015/16 season.
