Positives in Short Supply as Manchester United End Season with a Flat Display

The 2014/15 season will not be remembered by Manchester United fans as a classic. There have certainly been highs, and the basic target of fourth place has been achieved, but the limp display against Hull City was not hugely out of character, given the way the season has petered out.

There were some positives, if you looked hard enough. Victor Valdes pulled off a couple of excellent reaction saves. Ander Herrera's first-half display was superb. He made two tackles and completed 96.9 per cent of his 32 passes in the first 45. His influence waned in the second half, although he did put himself in good scoring position on a number of occasions.

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However, the bad outweighed the good, in terms of United's performance. Marouane Fellaini's red card was well deserved, as he put in a very bad challenge on Paul McShane. It was an unnecessary foul, too, well into Hull's half, and it meant United were left with even less fluency because of their change in shape.

Louis van Gaal's substitutions once again caused eyebrows to raise quizzically. He will have to improve on this next season. In particular, when bringing on James Wilson, the decision to take off Juan Mata rather than Wayne Rooney seemed a peculiar one.

Rooney's performance warrants particular criticism. He hit the bar early on in the game but otherwise was almost totally ineffective. His passing was dreadful—he completed just 69 per cent of his 29 passes, and not one of those created a chance. He had just two shots—one on target—completed no take-ons and made neither a tackle, interception nor clearance.

Mata made much better use of the ball. The statistics tell us he completed 87.5 per cent of his 48 passes, two of which were key, but even without the objective data, it was subjectively evident he was having a better game than Rooney, interchanging well with Herrera. 

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Before the game, Angel Di Maria's inclusion in the starting line-up seemed significant, given how long it has been since he had featured from the beginning of a match. In keeping with the general tone of the day, however, that positive was off-set by a negative, as he limped off with an injury after just 22 minutes of action.

All in all, a tough day at the office for United—especially for Phil Jones, who was punched in the stomach by Abel Hernandez.

Their failure to win means that since their victory over Manchester City in the derby on 12 April, United have acquired just five points from a possible 18.

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It has been a very limp end to the season, which, frankly, has felt like it has been over-bar-the-shouting since the beginning of May.

Liverpool's collapse meant that United were under no external pressure. However, the promise of third place—or even second—was a prize worth fighting for, given it comes with automatic qualification for the group stages of the Champions League. United have failed to take on that challenge, and the performance against Hull was emblematic of the last few weeks.

In spite of this, it is more than just an act of faith to believe things will improve next time out.

This season, whatever its flaws, has been a good deal better than last. Van Gaal's system has shown some signs of promise, and the squad will surely be strengthened in the summer. Six more points and a goal difference improved by four goals does not tell the whole story of United's progress over David Moyes' tenure.

Glorying in the season's remarkable high points—those being the home wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City and the away win at Anfield—does not tell the full story either, of course. There have been at least as many average performances as good ones, both in terms of individual players and the team as a whole.

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Even if it was reasonably in line with the last few weeks' displays, it is probably a mistake to read too much into the performance against Hull. United had next to nothing to play for, so it is hardly surprising they did not put on a clinic. What is certain is that much better will be needed as Van Gaal takes on the challenge of building from the base camp of European qualification.

All advanced statistics per WhoScored.com.