Being third in the table, coming off the back of five consecutive Premier League victories, winning games despite performing poorly over the 90 minutes, and scoring late winning goals certainly gives reason to believe the old Manchester United are back this season.
The Red Devils won 2-1 away to Southampton on Monday night, but were heavily criticised for a woeful showing at St Mary’s. Saints were by far the more dominant side over the course of the game, creating far more chances and enjoying far more of the ball in the attacking third than that of their opponents, but they left without a point to show for their troubles.
Such a game was synonymous of United down the years, and something that continues to happen in recent weeks. Against Arsenal, the Red Devils rode their luck after enduring a first-half battering, but managed to win 2-1 at the Emirates last month to the fury and disbelief of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
While Manchester United boss Louis Van Gaal was happy with the result on Monday night, he admitted how fortunate his players were to have come away with a victory, saying: “It is fantastic, but I had hoped we would have done that with a better performance. We were the lucky team. Tonight there were too many of our players who were not good.”
One thing Van Gaal can’t be disappointed with is United’s knack for scoring important late goals. Against Chelsea back in October, it was Robin Van Persie who struck in the last minute of injury time to earn United a point, and in the win against Arsenal, Wayne Rooney sealed victory with just minutes of normal time remaining in the second-half.
Such determination, resilience, and belief is what has been at the heart of Manchester United’s bright start to the campaign. Top-four was the aim, and they are currently delivering. Performances are being heavily scrutinised against, but they are picking up consecutive wins. The United boss can point to the growing injury list as a reason for the lack of consistency in performances, but he’s cobbling together a side each game week to get a result, and it’s working against all odds.
In Manchester United’s title-winning campaign of 2012/13, the Red Devils were frequently criticised for poor showings, but they still managed to earn all three points from the majority of games that led them to win the league at a canter. There are certainly some similarities to Van Gaal’s debut season so far, with United only boasting a small selection of dominating and deserved league victories, while the rest have been gritty, unattractive, and at times inferior.
Such a tactic of winning certainly worked well for them in the past. Are Manchester United back to their old self this season?
