The Squad for the Rest of the Season

With the two most recent victories over other top four contenders in Tottenham and Liverpool, it appears that Louis van Gaal may have finally reached a formation and squad that play to his philosophy. Juan Mata has come in and played brilliantly in the attacking midfield while Michael Carrick has also regained his starting role in the midfield. Both of these changes have been the result of absent players, as Daley Blind had to move from midfield to left back with Luke Shaw’s injury and Mata was chosen to fill in while di Maria was suspended. The question now becomes whether or not van Gaal should stay with the same squad or revert back to previous personnel combinations. The answer should be clear; if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

In the last two games, United have scored five goals while conceding only one. At 2.5 goals per game and .5 goals conceded per game, these numbers outweigh the 1.73 goals per game (52 in 30) and .9 goals conceded per game (27 in 30) over the entire season. With the current squad, United has improved offensively and defensively without changing tactically.

Two other statistics, as provided by Squawka, show that United have become more efficient in both finishing and passing. In the previous 28 games, United’s shooting accuracy was under 50% at 48%. The team was struggling to create clear-cut chances on a consistent basis. In these last two games, the shooting accuracy has increased to 58%, a major factor in the jump in scoring production.

Moreover, the average pass length has increased from 19 m in the first 28 games to 21 in the last two games. While the difference may not jump off the page, it represents a shift from the short passing that stymied offensive production earlier in the season.

Juan Mata is a major reason for the boost in statistics, having himself contributed two goals in the two matches, as well as a perfect shooting accuracy. It seems the Spaniard has done enough to regain van Gaal’s confidence, much to the delight of United’s fan base who had been calling for Mata to start. It will be difficult for di Maria to regain his starting role if Mata can continue his impressive form after the international break.

While United have conceded only one goal, they have still looked shaky in the back, with Phil Jones being the major problem. Once Marcos Rojo returns to health, Jones will probably be forced to the bench with van Gaal favoring the Argentine. The real concern for the defense will be what van Gaal chooses to do once Shaw has recovered. Blind, the multifaceted player that he is, has filled in well at left back during Shaw’s absence. Still, Shaw is the more natural defender, so one would expect him to take precedence over Blind. That means that Blind would likely return to holding midfield, but Herrera and Carrick have been playing in perfect harmony in the two game stretch. The pairing looks to be the ideal duo in the holding mid, so I don’t see van Gaal splitting them up. Essentially, someone is going to be left on the bench, which could be useful for tactical substitutions or even just for depth.

In a season plagued by injury and tactical indecisiveness from the manager, United fans have craved a sense of consistency from the team. In the last two matches, we’ve been rewarded for our patience. After not making any changes to the lineup that shredded Tottenham, van Gaal’s squad went on to end Liverpool’s long unbeaten run. It’s not just the results, but also the way that they’ve won: lethal attacking play with defense that steps up when necessary. This squad has shown glimpses of the United squads of old, and Louis van Gaal would be foolish to change anything.

Photo Credit: The Mirror

United vs. Tottenham Match Preview

Manchester United:

Injuries: In his pre-match press conference, Louis van Gaal confirmed van Persie will be the only player out for the game due to injury. Marcos Rojo will need to take a fitness test to determine his availability after picking up a knock against Arsenal on Monday. In addition, Jonny Evans will be serving the second of his six match ban for the altercation with Papiss Cisse against Newcastle and Angel di Maria will serve his one match suspension for the red card against Arsenal.

Last 5 matches: W-L-W-W-L

Likely formation: Remains to be seen. Van Gaal could elect to revert to playing in a 5-3-2 because of di Maria’s absence, or he could choose to keep with the formation and play Januzaj on the right side. Rojo’s absence could also influence the defensive setup.

Storyline:

Coming off of an excruciating loss to the Gunners on Monday, United will look to right the ship with Champions League qualification in the balance. The FA Cup loss was a tale of two halves, as United dominated the first half, despite allowing the opening goal, but were outplayed in the second. The defense made several critical mistakes, including Valencia’s errant back pass to de Gea, in addition to poor positioning out of the entire right side of the team. In attack, United moved the ball well in the first half but were largely lacking creativity in the second, some attributing this to Carrick coming on at the half. Hopefully van Gaal will have realized that Blind and Carrick cannot play alongside each other as the two are far too similar in playing style.

With di Maria suspended for the match, it will be interesting to see what formation and squad van Gaal chooses to go with in his absence. If he were to stay with the 4-2-3-1 that has provided mixed results for the Red Devils, the likely replacement would be Januzaj on the right side. Still, he may decide to revert to a 5-3-2, which would mean bringing on another striker. It’s difficult to see that happening as Falcao failed to produce this week while playing for the U21s. Even still, van Gaal could utilize a diamond in the midfield, with Blind at holding, Herrera and Mata central, and Fellaini at attacking. Unfortunately, that would mean a lack of width and United would likely be exposed down the flanks by the likes of Tottenham’s wingers Lamela, Chadli, and Townsend.

I personally think this game will be decided in United’s defensive third. Harry Kane comes into the matchup in sensational form, winning Player of the Month in the Premier League for the second consecutive month. Should Rojo miss the match, the likely central defensive pairing would be Smalling and Jones. The two would need plenty of help from the wide backs and contributions from the holding midfielder, be it Blind or Carrick. If the defenders can manage to stifle Kane for the full 90, the match up starts to look more favorable. Easier said than done, however. Also of note is the possible inclusion of Rafael at the right side of the defense. With Valencia having perhaps his worst game of the season in Monday’s match and Rafael putting forth a good showing in a match for the U21s, this would appear to be the Brazilian’s best opportunity to make it back into the starting lineup. Should van Gaal choose Valencia over Rafael, one would think it could be an end to the right back’s time at United.

Tottenham:

Injuries: Tottenham will be at full strength for the game.

Last 5 Matches: L-D-L-W-W

Likely formation: 4-2-3-1

Storyline:

Tottenham are in a similar situation to United entering the match up. Like United, Tottenham’s season will finish with the chief objective being Champions League qualification after losing in the League Cup and bowing out of the Europa League, as well as an early exit in the FA Cup. Tottenham supporters will be desperate for UCL play next season, though for different reasons than United supporters. Spurs have only been able to qualify for the Europa League in recent seasons, so the club and fans alike will both be craving top level European competition.

The keys to success for Tottenham will be Harry Kane’s continued dominance as well as improvement out of the defensive players. Again, similar to United, Tottenham’s defense has been shuffled week in and week out, with no definite back four having been settled upon. Jan Vertonghen, Erik Dier, and Youhnes Kaboul are just some of the names that come to mind when thinking of Spurs’ defenders this season. They’ll likely need to contend with a lone striker from United this Sunday, unless van Gaal elects to add another striker to the attacking line.

Prediction: Both teams will come out to win the game in hopes of getting a crucial three points in the final stretch for a top four finish. Louis van Gaal said in his press conference that the United players have reacted well to the defeat against Arsenal, but we will only know for sure come game time. For United, it will be crucial to deliver a stout defensive performance, as well as improved play from the midfield with more forward passes rather than side to side or backwards. For Tottenham, they’ll need to defend United’s star studded attacking line, which will likely consist of Rooney, Young, Herrera, Blind, and possibly Juan Mata. I have a feeling United’s defenders will make a mistake to cost us a goal, either from Harry Kane or Christian Eriksen. Still, I expect United’s attack to be too much to handle for the Spurs back line, especially in front of the Old Trafford faithful.

United 3 – 1 

United vs. Arsenal Match Report

Well this is just painful. The main reason it took me so long to get to this match report is because I had to go to other work, but in retrospect it was probably a good thing to take a step away from my TV, from Twitter, and from my computer screen.

In all the matches that United have played this season, regardless of the result, this must have been the most agonizing for fans to watch. For once, United actually came out and played pretty well in the first half, aside from Arsenal's goal. The Gunners scored on a defensive miscue from the right side of the defense, with Valencia and Smalling both pushing centrally while di Maria stood watching. I hate to say I told you so, but this was one of the things that worried me going into the match. Di Maria is essentially useless on defense, so he left Valencia out to dry most of the game. Yes, Valencia didn't help things for himself, particularly when he gave a terrible back pass to de Gea that led to Arsenal's winning goal, but di Maria did little to help him. Having Rafael at right back and Valencia on the wing would surely have made for a different story. The left side of the defense did pretty well, until Shaw had to be subbed off at half time due to apparent injury.

Even so, most of Arsenal's chances only came after United went down a man thanks to a moment of idiocy from di Maria. There's really no excuse for how he conducted himself, first receiving a yellow for simulation (which has bothered me all season with him), then receiving a second yellow for pushing the referee. I can forgive a player for playing poorly, I can sometimes forgive a player for trying to win a foul, but I can never forgive a player for making such a rash decision and costing his team the game. From that time on, United were going to be up against it. The same idea goes for Januzaj, who followed suit by going to ground far too easily and earning a booking for diving.

The central midfield play for United in the first half was good, only to turn to mediocrity in the second half. Blind and Herrera successfully eliminated Ozil from the match, while still maintaining decent spells of possession. Young struggled for most of the night on the left side, particularly in dealing with Oxlade-Chamberlain's pace. Di Maria basically cost United the game, despite his wonderful first half cross into Rooney that gave United the equalizer. Even Fellaini managed to have some nice instances of control in bringing the ball down by chest or heading it to teammates. At the end of the first half, everything seemed to be going well for United.

But everything changed in the second half. United didn't look like the same team. Van Gaal swapped out Herrera for Carrick at the start of the half, likely in an attempt to strengthen the middle of the field in defense. Unfortunately, Carrick didn't contribute much to the offense, failing to deliver the incisive passes we've come to expect from previous seasons. Blind never really seemed to gel with Carrick, and the duo were unable to push the Reds forward to goal. United never really looked like equalizing after going down a man, despite a couple of half chances.

The defeat, as I said, is particularly difficult to handle. Not only did it come at the hands of Arsenal, a team we have dominated in recent history, but it came even after a first half of good action from the players. I don't know how or why, but all the momentum United had going into the break dissipated by the time the second half started. Even so, Arsenal still didn't look to be that big of a threat, with the goal coming off of a big mistake from Valencia, as mentioned.

United will need to pick themselves up and dust themselves off, and quickly. The game that was supposed to give United confidence and a hope of a trophy this season proved to be the game that could decide the fate of the season. With the tough run of games coming up, beginning with Tottenham on Sunday, we are going to learn a lot about the character of the squad.

On a side note, Welbeck really angered me when he celebrated his goal. Firstly, the goal wasn't even the result of great build up, he merely capitalized on the previously mentioned Valencia mistake. Secondly, and more importantly, it wasn't the fans that wanted to see him go in the summer, it was van Gaal who felt he had no place in the squad.

United vs. Arsenal FA Cup Match Preview

Manchester United:

Injuries: Robin van Persie remains out with his ankle injury. Luke Shaw will likely make his return from the fatigue and injury that kept him out of the past two matches. Jonny Evans is suspended for the next six games due to the infamous spitting incident with Papiss Cisse in the Newcastle match. Phil Jones is also likely to return.

Last 5 Matches: D-W-L-W-W

Likely formation: 4-2-3-1

Storyline:

This could be United's biggest game of the season. With the squad mostly at full health, the game against Arsenal will prove to be a measurement of van Gaal's success with United up til this point. There's plenty of speculation about the importance of the match, particularly after van Gaal himself came out and said Champions League qualification is more important than the FA Cup trophy. Still, I for one do not want to see United give anything but their best effort against the Gunners. With Liverpool having drawn Blackburn in their match up, they’ll have another game to play midweek before facing United in the EPL. Thus, it’s crucial that United avoid a replay match, as they’ll be in the same situation as Liverpool and will lose the advantage of extra rest.

"Of course, I think it is a massive trophy. It is a trophy that, growing up as a youngster, I used to love watching and I was fortunate enough to see Everton lift the FA Cup in 1995 when I was nine years old. It I something which I would love to do and hopefully it can be this year." - Wayne Rooney (Sky Sports)

Red Devil Armada Post

Be sure to check out my article on Red Devil Armada about why Rafael must start against Arsenal for United to win!

http://reddevilarmada.com/2015/03/07/louis-van-gaal-start-rafael-arsenal/

The Spit Seen Round the World

Jonny Evans has been banned for six games for his spitting incident with Papiss Cisse in the match against Newcastle.

The fact that we're discussing an altercation between two players because of spitting is really indicative of how sensitive we are to these kinds of incidents. This "Spit Seen Round the World" has prompted arguments about how the penalty for spitting should compare to the penalty for racist acts or career-threatening tackles.

Right now, I'm watching the pre-match coverage on NBC Sports and they're discussing the incident. Their opinions are, from my understanding, that they would rather have suffered a career ending injury from a tackle than be spat on, because of how demeaning it is to be spat at.

You're kidding me. If I were to ask any player currently in the EPL, no in any league in any country, that player would tell me he'd rather be spat on than to give up his playing career. Being spat on is definitely not the most degrading thing that can happen to you. By saying that, you're completely undermining everything that has happened with regard to racism in football recently. You're essentially saying that Gervinho, who had an inflatable banana thrown at him during a match, should just buck up and get over it. Instead, we should be more appalled that Cisse and Evans spit at each other.

I apologize, but I can't listen to all this talk about spitting being so horrible and just sit here idly. Spitting is gross, we can all agree on that. There's no place for it in the game; kids watching around the world should not see players behaving like that. But kids also shouldn't see players being mocked because of race, or players being the victims of ridiculous challenges that not only threaten their career but also their livelihood.

If the FA wanted to make an impact with the match bans for these two players, they've certainly accomplished that, but not in the manner they would have hoped. People aren't delighted that the FA has effectively said they won't stand for spitting, they're enraged that the FA has effectively said that they will stand for racism.

Cisse Apologizes for Spitting Incident

As reported by the Manchester Evening News, Papiss Cisse has apologized for spitting at Jonny Evans. He has apologized to his teammates, the supporters, to Evans, and to every football fan who saw the incident.

Cisse went on to say, "I reacted to something I found very unpleasant. Sometimes it is hard not to react, particularly in the heat of the moment. I have always tried hard to be a positive role model, especially for our young fans, and yesterday I let you down."

To meet it seems like a genuine apology rather than the kind of apology a player is forced to do by the higher ups in the organization to retain the club's image. Evans himself has denied spitting at Cisse, but after watching the replays I'm not entirely sure. If Evans could come forward in a similar fashion as Cisse, the incident would soon be forgotten.

There's really no room for this type of behavior in football today, it undermines what football is all about for us fans. At the end of the day, football is just a game, as much as we fans tend to forget that. Players would do well to remember that as well. I understand getting caught up in the moment, but there's no need to tarnish the game for the younger fans watching the games, as Cisse pointed out. 

According to BBC, both players could face match bans as a result of the incident. Evans could face missing six matches while Cisse could miss an additional match due to a sending off earlier in the season against Everton. The punishment will only be decided once Anthony Taylor, that match's referee, has submitted his report. In light of Cisse's apology, I'd expect his punishment to be reduced should either player be punished. 

Neither manager for the clubs had much to say on the matter, both saying they couldn't see what happened. 

Good on Cisse, I say. We'll have to wait and see what Evans does in the meantime. 

Manchester United at Newcastle Match Report

Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle (as I predicted)

This match recap will have to be a quick one as I only got to watch some of the game due to class. Wednesday games are really tough to catch, but I’ll do my best to give a recap of the action.

There were some changes to the formation and personnel from what we saw against Sunderland. The back four remained the same, which makes me think that Luke Shaw is either hurting or really needs to regain his fitness. Evans looked shakier in this appearance, and United were lucky not to concede on a couple of occasions.

Manchester United at Newcastle - Match Preview

Manchester United:

Injuries: Robin van Persie will miss the match with the same ankle injury that kept him out of the Sunderland game. Michael Carrick could possibly make his return as a sub after a muscle rupture injury that has kept him out for over a month now. Phil Jones was ill for the last match, but I’m assuming he’ll be ready to face Newcastle on Wednesday. Lastly, Luke Shaw was kept out of the last game apparently due to tiredness. Hopefully the time off will see him return to full fitness.

Last 5 matches: W-D-W-L-W

Likely formation: 4-2-3-1

Storyline:

United enter the matchup coming off a relatively unconvincing win against Sunderland. Yes, we were able to win 2-0, but only after winning a penalty and Sunderland going down a man for about a third of the game. United continued this season’s trend of dominating possession without creating all that many chances on target, something they’ll look to correct against Newcastle.

My Manchester United XI

Formation: 4-1-4-1: United’s history is steeped in the 4-4-2 formation, but with the current squad and injuries to van Persie and Wilson, I think it’s a better idea to play with one striker. Moreover, the biggest problem in United’s attack this season has been getting the ball from the midfield into the strikers, so why not add another midfielder. Besides that, the strikers haven’t been able to work hard enough off the ball to get into good position, so adding a midfielder and losing a striker creates more space in my opinion.

United vs. Sunderland Match Report

United vs. Sunderland Match Report

Final result: United 2 - 0 Sunderland

Pre-match news: Luke Shaw came off the team sheet due to injury, so Rojo had to push out to left back and Jonny Evans came in at center back. It was a surprising decision, choosing Evans over Phil Jones or Paddy McNair, considering how much Evans has struggled recently. I didn’t mind it all that much giving Evans another chance to redeem himself before putting the nail in the coffin, especially against a weak attack in Sunderland. Granted, Young could have played at left back to allow Rojo to stay central. In the midfield, van Gaal elected to go with a seemingly flat four, with Young and di Maria on the wings. I’m happy he selected two natural wingers, though I would have preferred Januzaj over Young (even though I know I’m in the minority with that opinion). Blind and Herrera in the midfield, both good choices. Still wish there was a way to fit Mata into the starting lineup, but the only real way would be to drop a striker. Up top, sticking with the two strikers, Rooney and Falcao got a chance to start alongside each other. Falcao probably got the nod over Wilson just because of experience, but Wilson was ready to go on the bench, along with the other subs: Lindegaard, McNair, Carrick, Fellaini, Mata, and Januzaj.

Update: Changes to the projected lineup as it looks like it will now be a 4-2-3-1 with changes to the midfield and strikers. Herrera will drop into holding midfield with Blind while Rooney, Young, and di Maria will control the attack midfield. Falcao will get the chance as the lone striker. Biggest issue now will be service into Falcao, hopefully he can make enough runs to get into decent position.

United vs. Sunderland Match Preview

Manchester United:

Injuries: Robin van Persie will be out without a reported timetable for return thanks to an ankle injury picked up in the match against Swansea. Carrick’s return will likely have to wait another week as, according to van Gaal, he needs more match rhythm.

Last 5 matches: W-W-D-W-L

Likely formation: 4-1-3-2

Storyline:

Following a 2-1 defeat to Swansea last week, United look to regain their footing and capture three crucial points towards a tight race for the top four and a berth in next season’s Champions League. United currently sit in 4^th, one point behind Arsenal and one point ahead of Southampton, so there is no room for comfort, especially with a tough slate of games to finish the season. In a seven game stretch starting March 9th, United will face Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Aston Villa, City, Chelsea, and Everton, in that order. I reckon United will need to secure approximately 27 points in the final 13 games to secure a place in the UCL, so three points against Sunderland is a must.

With van Persie out due to injury, who will start as the two strikers remains to be seen. Falcao, Wilson, and Rooney are all available as the most natural choices, and I expect to see Rooney and Falcao. Given Falcao’s form this season, though, I could see van Gaal using Wilson instead. The right side of the defense will also be something to keep an eye, specifically who van Gaal elects to use in right central defense and who he choose between Rafael, McNair, and Valencia at right back.

Expect United to continue to dominate possession, but the result of the game will likely depend on the quality of chances they can create from that possession. United’s midfield will need to provide proper service to the strikers and quick passing. As such, I hope to see Fellaini on the bench for the game unless United are desperate late in the game, which wouldn’t surprise me.

Sunderland:

Injuries: Jones, Rodwell, and Giaccherini

Last 5 matches: L-W-D-L-D

Likely formation: 4-4-2

Storyline:

Sunderland enter this matchup struggling, having dropped 10 points in the last five matches. At only three points clear of the relegation zone, Sunderland, like United though for different reasons, have little room for error. In the last round of the FA Cup, Sunderland lost to League One side Bradford City, so Gus Poyet must be feeling the pressure to win or at least hold their own versus United. Jermaine Defoe and Steven Fletcher will provide a decent attacking duo with Sebastian Larsson creating from the midfield.

Like other teams that have faced United this season, expect Sunderland to play counter attacking football. When United’s defense has been caught on the break thus far this season, it has not been pretty, most recently in Swansea’s game winning goal last week. If Sunderland can stay organized in defense for the duration of the game and capitalize on the few chances they’ll most likely get, United could be in for a second straight upset which would put Champions League football in jeopardy.

Prediction: United 3 – 1 Sunderland 

Manchester United’s All-Time Best XI

This may be the most difficult post I’ve made so far. With United’s rich history of talent in every position, it’s extremely challenging to narrow the pool down to the best starting XI. A lot of my choices are biased somewhat by personal preference and really who I was able to watch. Don’t agree with my picks? Let me know who you'd change in the comments!

Falcao's Folly

When Manchester United signed Radamel Falcao on loan at the closing hours of the summer transfer window, there were a multitude of reactions from the fans and press. The fan base mostly had a feeling of overall excitement after the signing with the hopes that Falcao would return to the form he showed before his knee injury. The press was more skeptical. Falcao missed the World Cup because of his knee injury and there were questions raised about whether or not Falcao would ever return to his peak form. Regardless, United had signed one of the world’s best attacking players. Or so they thought.

And the award goes to...

With the Oscars happening last night, I thought it would be fun to write a quick article handing out awards for the United season thus far. Granted, there’s no way I can give out an award for best Actress, but I’ll do my best to give a parallel award for some of the major categories. Bear with me.

Academy Award for Best Result (Best Picture)

Nominees:

September 14^th vs QPR: 4 – 0

November 22^nd vs Arsenal: 2 - 1

November 29^th vs Hull: 3 – 0

December 14^th vs Liverpool: 3 – 0

And the winner is…

United 4 QPR 0 – Way back in September, if you can remember back that far, United had one of their most complete performances this season. Granted, the result came against a side who is now fighting to avoid relegation in QPR, but the performance is still in my opinion United’s best showing. It was a game of debuts for the Reds as Rojo, Blind, and Falcao all made their first appearance with the team. Rafael and Herrera also returned from injury to give the squad a needed boost. Di Maria sparkled in his home debut, netting a goal off of a brilliant free kick and setting up Juan Mata in the second half; Rooney and Herrera joined them on the scoring sheet. In defense, van Gaal used a back four consisting of Jonny Evans, youngster Tyler Blackett, and the aforementioned Rojo and Rafael. Blind played a holding role with Herrera, Di Maria, and Mata completing the midfield and Rooney and van Persie up top. The Reds dominated possession and the scoring chances, as well as holding QPR off the scoring sheet to get their first win of the season.

Feb 21st - at Swansea Match Report

Swansea 2 Manchester United 1

To start, I'll try not to use this as an opportunity to vent my frustrations with how the game went.

Pre-match notes: Rooney started in his natural position at striker, Paddy McNair started at right back, and Fellaini started in the midfield. Falcao remained on the bench for the duration of the game.

It was a game that symbolizes much of how the season has felt for Manchester United fans. United dominated possession and had more chances but failed to capitalize. In the first half, United scored on the result of a beautiful run of passes. Herrera got a lucky deflection after a nice lay off pass to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. Great play from Luke Shaw to get up the flank with his pace and cause problems for the Swansea back line. Things looked bright for the United squad, with Rooney and van Persie linking up better and being more involved than the other striker pairings that have been used this season. Herrera was working well at both ends of the pitch, having also cleared a shot off the goal line, as proved by goal-line technology.

Swansea answered just a minute later with a nice cross from Shelvey into Ki for the equalizing goal. It looked like a nice play, but Shaw really lost his mark on the goal. That was pretty much the story of the first half for the United defending, Swansea players finding too much space in the box and Gomis being able to dominate the defenders.

At half time, Valencia came on for Paddy McNair, who was having a rough go at it in only his third start at right back for the senior team. Valencia provided more pace down that side and really increased the attacking options for United. The marking from the United defense continued to be poor, however, with Shaw again letting Ki get past. On the attacking end, Rooney was playing exceptionally well in his natural position having played in a deeper midfield position recently.

United had a dominant spell to open the second half, with plenty of chances. Fellaini did well to hold up the ball and distribute to other players moving forward. It seems like van Gaal knows how to utilize Fellaini's talents, which is ironic because Moyes had played Fellaini in a deeper midfield role last season even though he had worked with Fellaini for years at Everton. Fellaini is able to tower over other players to put the ball back into the danger area.

Ashley Young eventually came on for Luke Shaw, a sign that van Gaal was really going for the win in this matchup. Young picked up where Shaw left off, providing his own pace to again cause havoc for the Swansea defense and winning numerous corners. However, on these corners, di Maria failed to deliver any good services for the United players to run on to.

Through a combination of strong defense and poor finishing, Swansea weathered the storm to go on to counter and take the lead. After an errant pass, Shelvey had a strike on goal that deflected off of Gomis' head, leaving de Gea helpless. The play, a quick counter from the opposition leaving the defense stranded, has been all too familiar for United fans this season. From then on, United would force the attack by playing long balls into Fellaini and hoping a chance would present itself. In recent games when United has been losing, this technique has worked well, but for this game it just didn't go to plan. Swansea was too strong in defense and United couldn't equalize, leading to the 2-1 loss.

It's frustrating to watch United dominate possession so well only to still lose the game. It was a combination of bad luck in the go-ahead goal for Swansea and not capitalizing on opportunities. Credit to Swansea though for playing a great game, it's the first time they've completed the double against United, having already won back in the season opener at Old Trafford.

Update: As Louis van Gaal stated in his post match press conference: "We played well today, we just forgot to score." United drop to 4th in the table for now as Arsenal move up the table and Southampton in 5th with a game tomorrow against Liverpool.

Up next for United is a matchup against Sunderland, a game which United fans will hope United will win easily. That remains to be seen, however.

The State of Januzaj

Last year, Adnan Januzaj was one of the few bright spots in a long and dreary season for the men in red. While many of the more senior players struggled to find their form under David Moyes, some going on to eventually voice their concerns, several younger players, including the likes of James Wilson, Tom Lawrence, and Adnan Januzaj made their first team debuts for the club. Januzaj showed impressive ability and a certain flair, leading many to believe he could someday be as great as Ronaldo.

Then things took a turn. After finishing in 7^th in the Premier League and being eliminated without a deep run in the FA Cup, League Cup, or Champions League, United parted ways with Moyes and eventually appointed the then Netherlands manager, Louis van Gaal. At the time, the new manager spelled promise for Januzaj, as van Gaal has been credited with the rise to stardom for several players, including, but not limited to, Xavi and Iniesta with Barca and Müller with Bayern.