Manchester United lost 2-1 away to Swansea City this weekend, which meant the Welsh club did the double over the Red Devils in the Premier League, after beating Louis Van Gaal’s side earlier on in the campaign. Southampton, Liverpool and Tottenham could go above United on game week 27 depending on results, which would be catastrophic for the top-four hopefuls in their pursuit for the Champions League.
The race for top-four is very close, with only three points between four teams all chasing one place in the table. There’s only four points between 3rd and 7th into the business end to the season, so one win can change the outlook considerably. Arsenal were the big winners this weekend, as they slow started to pull away, but there’s plenty of games to go. United’s away form, however, is the sole reason for their current struggles. The Lancashire outfit have won only three league games from 13 played on the road.
Manchester United have had pressure on them to overcome last season’s debacle and finish in the top-four, or face losing a lot of their highest earners. Players such as Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao were brought in on big money to fire the side into the prestigious European competition, but they have been underwhelming so far. Manager Louis Van Gaal has also come under criticism for the club showcasing a pedestrian and disappointing style of player.
There were big expectations on Manchester United straight from the off this season after the club spent well over £150M on new players. Argentine playmaker Angel Di Maria set them back £65M alone from Spanish La Liga side Real Madrid, English left-back Luke Shaw was £33M from Premier League compatriots Southampton, Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera cost £32M from La Liga’s Athletic Bilbao, Argentine defender Marcos Rojo was £17M from Portuguese top-flight side Sporting Lisbon, combative and versatile Dutch midfielder Daley Blind was £15M from Dutch Eredivisie champions Ajax, and Colombian striker Radamel Falcao cost £6M in loan fees from French Ligue 1 giants AS Monaco.
With former Manchester United manager David Moyes having been sacked before the end of the season for poor performance, spending considerable less than that of his successor, surely Van Gaal’s future at the club directly relies on him delivering a top-four place? The successful Dutch coach has been given lucrative resources to bring European football back to Old Trafford, so failure just cannot do. The club are set to spend big in the summer again, but they’ll struggle to attract the names on their shortlist if they can’t offer Champions League football. As things stand, they aren’t quite looking like a side capable of doing so.
Should Van Gaal be sacked if they miss out?
