When Manchester United appointed Louis Van Gaal in the summer of 2014, they were desperate for a change from the dismal failure of David Moyes – notoriously billed as “The Chosen One”, due to his appointment by predecessor Sir Alex Ferguson. And in Van Gaal, United secured Moyes’ polar opposite. Where Moyes was modest, meek and ultimately weak, Van Gaal has proved to be fearsome, confident and imposing. He has brought about a remarkable change in feeling at the Manchester giants, if not in results, but in hope for the future.

Van Gaal’s United revolution has been epitomised by the summer overhaul of the first team squad. Players in the twilight of their careers such as Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand were dispensed with, and squad deadwood was removed, leading to the departures of Shinji Kagawa and Alex Büttner to name just a few. These players have now been replaced with £150 million pounds worth of talent, including British record signing Ángel Di María for £59,700,000 as well as making teenager Luke Shaw the 4th most expensive defender of all time, by paying Southampton £27,000,000 for his services.  This is in stark contrast to the summer of 2013 when United, under Moyes, tried and failed in embarrassingly public pursuits of Cesc Fàbregas, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, at the same time allowing themselves to be led down blind allies by money-grabbing agents. Ed Woodward and co. were left with nothing to show for their efforts other than panic buy Marouane Fellaini, who has so far proved to be an expensive flop. This time around United’s squad looks re-invigorated and re-energised by summer signings, with several already becoming key starting players. They now possess a side capable of hurting teams from all areas of the pitch, and individuals who can win a game with one moment of brilliance, a quality clearly lacking from the team last season. However there is still work to do for Van Gaal, with a world class centre-half still clearly lacking.

Van Gaal’s fearsome reputation has also restored an element of grandeur and importance to United this season, which has been crucial in maintaining their position as the biggest club in English football. The appointment of Moyes quickly resulted in the fear factor that had always surrounded United under Sir Alex Ferguson dissipating, but Van Gaal has done much to arrest this fall from grace. Moyes seemed overawed by the job in hand at United, and introduced an attitude of inferiority to the club, describing how Liverpool were “favourites” at Old Trafford, and incurring the wrath of United fans when stating that they “aspire” to be like cross town rivals Manchester City. This lead to both a chronic lack of confidence from the players, as well as giving the opposition more confidence and belief that they could get a result against United, evidenced by famous wins for West Bromwich Albion and Swansea to name but a few at Old Trafford. Things could not be more different under Van Gaal. He is combative, aggressive and assertive in media conferences, giving an air of complete authority. In his first press conference he emphatically promised to “make history” with United, and has since stated his desire to capture both the Premier League and the Champions League whilst as the helm. Van Gaal’s confidence has clearly rubbed off on his players, with United playing with a new found attacking verve and confidence, best demonstrated by the recent 4-0 demolition of Queens Park Rangers at Old Trafford.   

If there’s one thing Van Gaal has been abundantly clear about since his time at the club, it’s his vision for the implementation of his famous “philosophy”. Whilst the overuse of this buzzword has become almost comical, its effects have been clear for all to see. In terms of style of play, United have re-discovered their attacking prowess of old, scoring 16 goals in just 9 Premier League games, including 4 vs QPR and 3 vs Leicester City, in some wonderfully offensive displays. Compare this to some of the dire displays witnessed under Moyes last season, and Van Gaal’s impact can clearly be seen. United resorted to playing a slow paced, defensive style of play, culminating in a Premier League record 81 crosses in one single match against Fulham, a style which centre back Dan Burns said he hadn’t seen “since the conference”. Under Van Gaal United ‘get bums off seats’, and have reverted back to playing what has become known as the ‘United way’ – fast flowing, attacking, possession based football, with excitement and a bundle of goals.

Despite all this, it is clear that the Van Gaal transformation is not complete; no doubt he would argue that it is only just beginning. The need for a commanding centre back is still glaringly obvious, and United’s leaky defence is still a major cause for concern. But the message is clear: United are on the way back, thanks to Van Gaal’s managerial brilliance.  

Jack Medlock, Caterham School