Louis van Gaal Has to Manage Robin van Persie's Decline at Manchester United
Robin van Persie will go down as one of the finest goalscorers in Premier League history when he retires.
Over the course of the last five seasons, he has registered a goal once every 116 minutes. Even under David Moyes, when the Dutchman supposedly looked disinterested and a shadow of his former self, he struck once every 133 minutes.
This season, Van Persie’s strike rate has dropped to a goal every 226 minutes.
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Equally concerning is the fact that he has struggled to make an impact against three promoted teams and two sides that finished in the bottom half of the Premier League last season.
Van Persie’s last-gasp equaliser against Chelsea was, however, a reminder of the threat he poses.
Louis van Gaal is therefore tasked with managing Van Persie’s decline, in order for Manchester United to see the best of him.
Signed in the summer of 2012, Van Persie will long be associated with United’s title win in 2013, scoring 26 times in 38 appearances at a rate of a goal every 120 minutes to secure Sir Alex Ferguson’s 13th and final Premier League trophy.
Often seen as an injury-prone player, Van Persie featured in all 38 league games for United in his first season, having done the same at Arsenal the year before. He scored an incredible 56 goals in those 76 games.
Van Persie picked up the Golden Boot for two years running and finally had a Premier League title to his name.
His second season at United was essentially split into two chunks due to a groin injury, yet he scored seven league goals in 11 games in the first spell and four goals in seven games in the second at a rate of a goal every 133 minutes.
Despite injury problems and a seventh-place finish under David Moyes, Van Persie scored just 13 minutes less frequently than he did under Ferguson.
All other variables aside, the statistics show Van Persie put the ball in the back of the net just as regularly in his second season as he did in his first.
The player's remit as a striker is to score goals.
He’s struck eight times in the Premier League in 2014, scoring United’s first goal in six different games. Another proved to be a winner against West Ham United, while the final goal sealed a comfortable win over Hull City in May.
Travelling to the World Cup in Brazil with an unfancied Netherlands side in June, Van Persie scored one of the goals of the tournament and finished with a total of four. That record was bettered only by James Rodriguez and Thomas Muller, per FIFA.com.
In Van Persie’s biggest game for United this year, the second leg of a last-16 Champions League tie with Olympiakos, he scored a 26-minute hat-trick to take United through to the quarter-finals. However, he was forced to miss both legs against Bayern Munich through injury.
United have had a miserable 12 months on the pitch, with a 1-0 win over Arsenal the only positive result against a big team in the Premier League.
Who was the scorer for United on that occasion? Van Persie.
The Dutchman would have naturally been delighted when compatriot Van Gaal was announced as Moyes’ successor in May.
His celebration of an outstanding headed goal against Spain at the World Cup, sprinting toward the bench to celebrate with the coach, was reminiscent of his celebration of a goal scored against Stoke City. He ran half the length of the pitch to hug Ferguson.
With Sir Alex retired and Moyes sacked, Van Gaal was probably the man to get the best out of Van Persie at United.
However, the Dutch striker has looked off the pace this season.
At 31, Van Persie is in the latter stages of his career. Age-related decline is inevitable.
Van Gaal must therefore manage Van Persie carefully, deciding when to rest him and when to play him. Substituting him after an hour, handing him a 30-minute cameo at the end of games and using him as a super sub are all viable options.
Playing Van Persie as a lone striker for 90 minutes, however, is too much to ask of him.
There were signs of an understanding with Radamel Falcao when the two men played together against Leicester City and West Ham United, and perhaps that is how Van Gaal will look to utilise his two star strikers.
With United out of Europe and playing just one game a week, Van Persie has plenty of time to recover between matches.
He may have lost some sharpness, pace and mobility, but his unwavering ability to put the ball in the net is the reason he’s in the team.
If Van Gaal can manage his decline, Van Persie will score many goals for United this season.
All statistics via WhoScored.com
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