Changes Manchester United Must Make to Shed 'Bang Average' Tag

Sky Sports pundit and former Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp has described Manchester United's season as "bang average." In his column for the Daily Mail on 25 May, Redknapp wrote: 

"

They have been bang average this season. I can’t believe so many people think fourth place with no trophy is a good job. They were champions two seasons ago!

They have been heavily reliant on David de Gea, Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick. If De Gea leaves, they need a goalkeeper, a defender and a goalscorer.

How they must wish they had not lost [Paul] Pogba to Juventus. And they are a long way behind Chelsea; I can’t see them catching them next season.

"

Redknapp's points are fairly easy to pick holes in. United were, indeed, champions two seasons ago, but have since lost the modern game's finest manager—who dominated the club for over two decades.

They have seen their best defenders leave, old stalwarts retire, and made a very poor choice of immediate successor to Sir Alex Ferguson.

The idea that somehow this season should be measured against the season before last rather than last is difficult to countenance, given it strips context from the attempt to understand the current situation. Doing that will always limit your capacity to accurately gauge progress.

There is also a side note to be made about Redknapp's inclusion of Rooney as a player whom United relied upon. In the five games in which Rooney did not play this campaign, United were unbeaten. They won two and drew three, but two of those draws were creditable results against Chelsea and Arsenal.

He is, however, correct about the other two players he has cited. Carrick played in only two of United's eight league defeats of the season. United's point-per-game in the league with Carrick in the side is 2.3 recurring. Without him it was just 1.4. That alone indicates a level of reliance, although of course, there were more factors at work than just Carrick.

De Gea's contribution has been obvious for all to see.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Neither is Redknapp wrong about United's need for improvement. His logic for suggesting United are "bang average" may be flawed but "fourth place and no trophies" is certainly not the goal of the club.

What United need to do to shed the tag—however much of an oversimplification it is—is to play more football like they managed as they locked up European qualification ahead of two of Redknapp's old teams. In brushing aside Spurs and Liverpool, United showed a glimpse of what they could look like if Van Gaal's approach bears fruit.

In order to do that consistently, Redknapp is probably underselling the necessary shopping list. As well as a potential replacement for De Gea, "a defender and a goalscorer," a new right-back is needed, given Van Gaal's reluctance to play Rafael.

They also need to ensure they lessen their reliance on Carrick, and strengthen their options in midfield. Again, Redknapp is correct here, as Pogba would certainly make a difference.

The single greatest need United have is for more goals. This season saw their lowest tally in the league since 2004/05. Rooney being United's top scorer with 12 goals shows just how little impact any of United's strikers have been able to have. 

The acquisition of goal-scoring winger Memphis Depay means United may have already taken steps to address this, although goals scored in the Eredivisie have not always translated to Premier League success. With the departure of Radamel Falcao and rumours about Robin van Persie's future, per David Anderson in the Mirror, United's need for a striker looks key. 

Bringing in a striker who can be effective in Van Gaal's system and add, say, 20 goals to United's tally would automatically improve the side. 

However, it is not as simple as saying United need to buy new, higher-quality players in order to improve their performances next time out. After all, some very high-quality players have failed to lift United this season.

At their brief best, United relied mostly upon players who were at the club when Van Gaal arrived—with Ander Herrera being the exception. Indeed he is the only one of last summer's signings who made the top 11 in my Power Rankings at the end of the season.

United's best work was done when Van Gaal stopped trying to accommodate all United's best individual players and—through a combination of luck and judgement—picked an XI which could execute his ideas.

Those ideas are not that easy for players to grasp. Speaking to MUTV (h/t the Mirror), Ashley Young said of his manager:

"

I think if you ask any player, he demands a lot. There’s a lot of little details he demands in training.

You go out and give it 100 per cent anyway, but the manager looks at every little detail – like passing, where to pass the ball, make sure it’s on the right side of the player, where he wants to receive it.

It’s all little details he’s given us and football’s about thinking. You’ve got to have a good football brain to go out there and do well, week-in, week-out.

"

In essence, Young is talking here about players getting the oft-mentioned philosophy. More than anything else, for United to be successful under Van Gaal, that is what is required.

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

It would have been a convenient and comfortable off-season narrative had United ended the season on the high which they achieved in March and April. If they had sustained that form for the run-in, it would be easy to suggest that the philosophy had now clicked and with a couple of key additions, all will be rosy at Old Trafford.

The collapse which followed the loss to Chelsea, though, told a different story. Instead of bouncing back from that blow, it seemed to dent confidence across the team. In the five games that followed, United managed just one win, scoring only three times.

Thus it could now appear that the good period had been a blip, and the collapse was a regression to United's natural level. However, there is another argument which suggests with the wind taken out of their sails by Chelsea, and no obvious challengers for fourth place, the team allowed complacency to creep in.

Earlier in the season, even when things were shaky, there was a clear will-to-win shown. That reared its head one more time in the scrappy victory over Crystal Palace, a victory for determination and effort on United's part, rather than silky skills and footballing quality. That was the exception rather than the rule during the run-in, however.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Redknapp's description of United as "bang average" is hugely reductive, and a soundbite rather than a fleshed-out idea. In truth, United had a very poor start to the season, and a very poor end, but in between that, they played some good football. They also managed some good results when they were not playing such good football.

They were clearly a long way behind Chelsea—17 points is a huge gap. Redknapp is correct about that.

But when Louis van Gaal implored the crowd at United's end-of-season awards that United were "very close" per the Guardian,  he clearly believed what he was saying. He seemed to be saying that if they had managed to overcome the challenge set by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the subsequent results would have been different.

Jon Super/Associated Press

In order to shed the tag, United will have to hope their transfer window results in a better balanced squad, one who can consistently carry out Van Gaal's instructions. They will have to ensure their heads do not drop in the face of adversity.

There will presumably be a good deal less early-season experimentation and hopefully a lot fewer injuries.

Two years ago, Chelsea finished 14 points behind United. Last year they finished four points behind Manchester City. Next season, assuming a perfect storm does not result in a United title win, that kind of progress should be the aim.

United have had their "bang average" moments this season, particularly in the last few weeks. However, looking more closely at the detail, there is the promise of much more ahead in Van Gaal's squad.

Those who would wish to write off United should be cautious in doing so. With some sensible additions, and a more settled system, closing that gap looks very possible.