Breaking Down Robin Van Persie's Performance for Manchester United vs. West Ham

Manchester United rescued a point in dramatic circumstances against West Ham on Sunday afternoon, but the stark truth about the Red Devils' performance cannot be hidden.

Louis van Gaal set up in his now familiar 4-4-2 diamond formation with Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao as his strikers.

It was a difficult afternoon for the whole of United's attacking unit as the Hammers pushed forward, raiding with intent. 

Van Persie played to the right-hand side of the attack but was clearly not in tandem with his Colombian partner. Falcao often dropped in deeper to receive the ball, leaving RvP isolated in his wider berth.

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There was a clear lack of movement from both players as United moved onto the front foot, but this seemed to be a tactical ploy, opposed to the players not wanting to run the channels.

However, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher criticised United's strike force and proclaimed James Wilson should have been thrown into the mix, per Jack Bezants of the Mail Online:

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I can't believe (James) Wilson didn't come on at some stage of the game. Falcao and Van Persie lack movement and I don't think this is a partnership that's working.

Everyone talks about United and that they need a centre-back—they have one of the best defensive records in the league, although (David) De Gea is part of that, but that's the reason you pay him. The problems are at the other end of the pitch.

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Football blogger and United fan, Sam Peoples, also spoke about the issues facing RvP and Falcao, criticising the Dutchman for his lack of running. Squawka.com also highlighted the former Arsenal skipper's lack of involvement in the opening part of the match:

There is little doubt Van Persie is struggling in this system but clearly he is not the only one. If United played a conventional formation with two strikers, playing as a partnership, it is likely we would see RvP connect with Falcao more regularly.

But instead, both are asked to practice more pragmatic styles, playing positionally deeper, and unable to run beyond the opposition defence.

It is worth noting Van Persie and Falcao are not suddenly bad players—but the system is making them look poor.

Like El Tigre, Van Persie did receive a guilt-edged opportunity in the game to pull a goal back for United, but both failed in their attempts.

This is commonplace when strikers are starved of service, surviving on scraps. Van Persie is not receiving the quality of support he was in his first year at United under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

Now, RvP is asked to play a more functional attacking role which allows Van Gaal to keep United tight and compressed—but the speed of the team's play is almost pedestrian.

If Van Gaal wanted to play with pace up front, he has one of the fastest strikers in England on his bench in Wilson, and the boy was not used against West Ham.

So we can only deduce Van Persie was doing his job on Sunday afternoon, to the disappointment of the watching millions at home, who would rather see the striker converting a multitude of chances.

We must to be wary of judging Van Persie, considering his past form, and now being asked to do a different role under Van Gaal.

But WhoScored.com scored Van Persie as the best performing attacker on the pitch at Upton Park, proving he was not as poor as he might have seemed to the naked eye.

LvG has the striker in his selection because he trusts him, and relies on his leadership and experience, but the truth is RvP is not suited to this current role.

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

The same can be said for Falcao—and Wayne Rooney, Angel Di Maria and Adnan Januzaj—all being asked to play in positions that are not natural to them, with tactics that stifle their skill.

This is why we are seeing a regularly inconsistent performance level being achieved, as Van Gaal tries to get blood from a stone.

The manager has to be brave and temporarily play a formation that may exclude one or two of his stars.

At the moment, the qualities of Ander Herrera are being wasted on the bench as the boss tries to play his superstars, using tactics which do not work.

United sit in fourth position in the Premier League table but Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Liverpool are now within striking distance, and the Old Trafford club are going to be found out, sooner or later.

On this evidence, Van Gaal's team will not be finishing in the top four, and the Dutch coach may find himself out of a job come the summer.

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

As for Van Persie, he will continue trying his best for a manager who he loves, but the tactics are suffocating one of the Premier League's greatest ever strikers.

If LvG wants a different kind of forward, he will have to go out and buy one—but with two transfer windows already under his belt—the buck has to stop with the manager, rather than his attackers. 

Van Gaal has a perfectly good, hardworking centre-forward in Rooney, but opts to play him in a midfield role which makes him look very average. 

The football being played at the moment certainly is not any better than we witnessed under David Moyes, but as the Scotsman's luck ran out, Van Gaal's continues in earnest.

But the likes of Van Persie will continue to suffer as they are asked to carry out instructions that are not conducive for entertaining football. The "Manchester United way" appears to have evaporated, and does not look like returning anytime soon.