Man United’s transfer business has given LVG a real dilemma
Faster. Higher. Stronger. The Olympic motto, styled on the values of the Ancient Greeks thousands of years ago. Physical prowess coupled with discipline and technique. Not pensive and wishy-washy, like that tiki-taka tosh, but neither is it a brutal display of overwhelming force like a love-beast spawned from a drunken encounter between Kurt Zouma and Yaya Toure.
That’s the sort of trajectory I imagine the internal monologue of Louis Van Gaal takes. Kind of like how his team can string together 45 passes before lumping it somewhere in the direction of Marouane Fellaini’s sumptuous hair, as if mesmerised by its power and lured in by its gravitational pull.
You can imagine that Manuel Neuer is probably Louis Van Gaal’s perfect physical specimen. He’s 6ft. 3” and broad-shouldered with an aura of discipline, technical ability and masculinity. An all-round dreamboat, you might say – Louis would. The next best thing is Bastian Schweinsteiger. Tall, broad and handsome, he can pick a pass, find a forward runner, and keep the midfield ticking over with all the assurance of a South American General getting ready for a coup.
Then there’s Morgan Schneiderlin. A similar player, blessed with technique and bulk. He’s not huge, but then he’s no Philipp Lahm either. He’s classy, but not small, like a Bentley or a Rolls Royce. No showy Ferraris or Porsches for LVG. He wants style, but he wants miles to the gallon, too. This midfield collection is made up of substance as well as technique.
But how do you fit them all in? That’s the question now. You don’t get many miles to the gallon in a clown car.
Ander Herrera is a classy passer and a willing midfield runner. Angel Di Maria – though he might be on his way out – is another midfield scurrier these days, no longer at his best on the wing. And if he does stay, Depay will play in the wide role. That’ll take some of the pressure off the Argentinian and he can show us what he’s really made of – presumably some bizarre combination of Road Runner and Harlem Globetrotter.
Then there’s Michael Carrick, Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata. A myriad of midfielders all vying for a place in Louis Van Gaal’s masterplan.
If it were up to me (though much to the relief for everyone at Carrington, it isn’t) Carrick would be the first name on the teamsheet. He can do something that no other United midfielder can do: drop behind everyone else and start the game from there. Picking passes from between the central defenders like Ruud Krol, Pep Guardiola or Andrea Pirlo. Carrick can do something only an elite group of players can. If United are going to play a possession game, they need him or someone of his ilk.
And then it’s over to the others.
So let’s presume Van Gaal will continue with four at the back, just as he ended the 2014/15 season. That leaves a central midfield three, and if he’s feeling ‘midfieldy’ he can play two attacking midfielders in the wider roles. If not, then two wingers. Carrick takes one spot in the midfield – my executive decision – and so Schneiderlin, Mata, Fellaini (if he’s not considered an attacker these days), Schweinsteiger, Herrera, Blind and possibly even Rooney will be vying for three spots.
What a position to be in! It’s summer recruitment gone mad, but United fans must be jubilant. Actually, I’ve seen them on Twitter – I know they’re jubilant!
And I know what you’re thinking, United fans – leave Carrick out, we’ve got enough power and technique across the board to leave him out. Sure, his passing ability is second to none, but the rest of those guys you’ve mentioned have more than enough ability – and remember, Carrick is getting old.
But Carrick can tackle, he can intercept and he distributes intelligently. So long as he has the legs and the ability to concentrate for 90 minutes he’s tough to replace. It’s not Carrick as such who is irreplaceable, it’s the position. And there’s just no one else who does it. Or at least, no one who does it as well.
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And so will it be Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin who fill the final two berths? What about Ander Herrera? Maybe Daley Blind will be utilised at full-back. Maybe Rooney up front with Mata and Depay supporting from the left and right. There’s still Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young to think about, and surely another signing up front, too.
I’m not here to give Van Gaal ideas, nor am I here to offer a starting XI. I have no idea what Van Gaal is going to do with this team, but I know it’s going to be interesting to watch it. With so many quality players, how could it be anything other than interesting?
So where does Van Gaal’s internal monologue take him now? How many more players are going to be added to his burgeoning midfield? And who will get the nod in his strongest XI? We’ll have to wait and see, of course, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Van Gaal favours a power and precision approach to next season, and he has the henchmen to do it.