How can Louis Van Gaal launch Manchester United up the table?
Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United side were in a downward spiral, but a great performance against Chelsea on Sunday has shown signs that the squad is starting to gel and that the Dutchman is starting to form a coherent team.
Yet the Red Devils are still a staggering 10 points behind the leaders so what can van Gaal do in the short term to give his team an outside chance in the title race?
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5) Decide on his formation
The late addition of players like Radamel Falcao and Angel di Maria threw all of van Gaal’s pre-season work out of the window, as he searched for a new shape to accommodate all his new talent.
The constant shifting of United’s shape is damaging their form and they must decide on a system and stick to it as soon as possible.
4) Decide on his line-up
Just as van Gaal had received his late-window reinforcements, Wayne Rooney got himself suspended for three games for an idiotic foul against West Ham United.
Now that Rooney is back the Dutchman must decide on his first XI, to allow those chosen players to finally adjust to their team-mates and their new system.
3) Defend better
Once the system and line-up are sorted, the defence will improve naturally.
Still, van Gaal must consider playing a more defensive shape against better sides. He can’t rely on David de Gea to save his side every week. He must decide which of his unreliable cast of defenders he can rely on, and which of them must go.
2) Buy a midfielder
Daley Blind has performed admirably, putting out fires ahead of makeshift defences with little support from the attacking line-ups van Gaal has played.
Against the Blues the manager deployed Marouane Fellaini as a physical presence alongside Blind, but this is no more than a short term solution.
Michael Carrick is at the end of the road and a player with passing ability and plenty of energy is needed alongside the Netherlands international.
1) Make Old Trafford a fortress.
If United are to climb the table, they need consistency and the key to that is to ensure that they get three points at home every week.
Smaller teams are now coming to the Theatre of Dreams and putting up a real fight, when previously they would be beaten by their own fear of attacking.
A good run of results at home will become self-perpetuating, as the fear-factor returns to Old Trafford.