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