Louis Van Gaal Must Use Angel Di Maria Through the Middle for Manchester United

It must have been heartening in some respects for Manchester United fans to hear Louis van Gaal declare himself dissatisfied with their performance against Chelsea.

For a side in United's present state of flux, a late draw against the title favourites might usually be regarded as a good result, but Van Gaal said that it “was not our best performance,” as quoted by the Guardian, and also upbraided Robin van Persie for removing his shirt after scoring the crucial goal.

The 1-1 draw was undoubtedly a good result for United, but as Van Gaal said, their performance wasn't their best of the season by some way, with several key men putting in disappointing showings.

Juan Mata created little, Adnan Januzaj was ineffective, Van Persie made up for another quiet 93 minutes by scoring in the 94th, while Angel Di Maria had perhaps his least impressive game in a United shirt.

It's the last of those that might be most concerning, but is perhaps also the easiest to fix. Di Maria started the game on the right wing, and while he switched with Januzaj over the 90 minutes, he was confined to either flank for the whole game.

Di Maria is of course a fine winger. He has pace, drive and a fine whipped delivery that can cause panic in even the most secure of defences. He carved out a reputation as one of the world's finest players while deployed on the flank for Real Madrid, and it was to the sound of much confusion that Real spent a world-record fee on Gareth Bale, ostensibly to replace the Argentinian.

However, he has perhaps played his best football in a more central role. It was there he played for Benfica, before earning his move to Real, prompting his then-manager Jorge Jesus to say at the time, as quoted by Tribal Football:

"

He is a genius. He has the ability and creativity to be different. There is no player in the world like him in his position.

He's not the best in the world, because Ronaldo and Messi, are of course, undoubtedly the best. But he's very strong one-on-one, makes goals, assists, he is important.

"

It was also there that he played in his final season at the Bernabeu, after Carlo Ancelotti re-purposed his side's formation to fit Di Maria in, from where he played a big role in the Champions League win and caused Diego Simeone to describe him as Real's best player, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

And of course, it is in the middle that Di Maria excelled for United in the early parts of the season, providing the thrust, dynamism and directness that they otherwise lack from the left or right of a midfield diamond, or from either side of a three-man central configuration.

It is understandable that Van Gaal might wish to adapt his formation to create more width, and when one considers the other options are Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia, it's equally understandable that he would opt for Di Maria in one of those wide positions.

However, Di Maria is one of the most exciting players in the world, never mind the United side or the Premier League, and he is most effective in a more central role, where he can influence the play more. He is the man around which Van Gaal can build his version of United, and should thus be used in his most effective position.

Di Maria may be a fine winger, but if United are to make the most of his talents, he must play in the middle.