What was learned from Manchester United’s draw with Burnley…
SEE ALSO: Best Premier League players 2014/15
Manchester United were held to a 0-0 draw by Burnley on Saturday as Louis van Gaal’s search for a first win as United boss roles on. Here are five things we learned from the game…
Louis van Gaal is sticking with 3-5-2… for now
Four games – two draws, two defeats and only two goals, but Louis van Gaal is sticking with his 3-5-2 formation. The question remains though – does he have the players to use the system regularly?
United have spent a lot of money this summer, and have a wealth of attacking options – but have not signed the player vital to making the formation work: a world class centre-back.
If Van Gaal insists on 3-5-2, with Antonio Valencia and (when fit) Luke Shaw as the attacking full-backs, then he has five spaces left in his team. Say that they will be filled by Herrera, Di Maria, Mata, Rooney and Van Persie. Where do you put Daley Blind? If you play Blind to balance out an overly attacking line-up, then you need to drop Mata or Di Maria, and that’s without even considering the likes of Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher.
Angel di Maria is a good player, but is not the answer to United’s problems
The Argentine winger showed flashes of his brilliance today, but was greeted by a round of “What a waste of money” by the Burnley fans when he was withdrawn with twenty minutes remaining.
After costing the Old Trafford side a British record £59.7m – making him the fifth most expensive player of all time – the former Real Madrid man quickly needs to deliver on his world class reputation.
He began to tire today after a bright start, and will need to work on his strength and conditioning to ensure he cope’s with the physicality of the Premier League.
United desperately need a centre-back
The pressure is growing on Jonny Evans, who is not the answer to Manchester United’s defensive problems. He was better today than he was against MK Dons, but Van Gaal did not trust him to play in the middle of his three-man defence.
Marcos Rojo will be able to play on the left of the three, and Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are both good enough to play on the right, but the club desperately need another player to play between those two.
They wanted Mats Hummels and Thomas Vermaelen, but neither of those deals materialised, and now it looks as if they are going to be left short-handed.
Robin van Persie is struggling
The combination of Louis van Gaal and Robin van Persie was supposed to be the inspiration behind the Manchester United revival, but both men look shadows of the duo that led the Netherlands to the World Cup semi-finals.
The Dutchman scored for fun under Sir Alex Ferguson, but has looked more like the player of David Moyes’ short-lived reign as United boss during the opening weeks of the season.
As the Daily Mirror put it: “Whether it be a lack of fitness or lingering injury concerns, Van Persie was still off the pace and needs to get back to his best – for United’s sake.”
Sir Alex Ferguson’s influence is still all too clear to see
Despite agreeing to take something of a reduced role this season, Sir Alex Ferguson was in the stands at Turf Moor, and he won’t have been too pleased with what he saw.
The legendary Scot’s presence at games last term was seen by many as a hindrance to David Moyes as he attempted to live up to his compatriot’s lofty standards.
Nevertheless, he made the short trip to Burnley to cast an eye over Louis van Gaal’s men – and probably the Dutchman himself.
SEE ALSO:
Angel di Maria in Manchester United’s most expensive ever XI.
FIFA 2015 Player Ratings Revealed.
Best strikers in the world