Louis Van Gaal Must Address Manchester United's Lack of Creativity in Attack

Manchester United’s 0-0 draw with Newcastle United was ultimately a game that summed up Louis van Gaal’s team at this early stage of the season: strong in defence, dominant in midfield but poor in attack.

It’s been a running theme since Van Gaal took charge that United have been slow and ponderous offensively. Newcastle certainly deserve credit for the way they defended, but United simply didn’t trouble them often enough and lacked a creative spark.

With the exception of the first 20 minutes, United created very few chances. That an attacking quartet of Wayne Rooney, Adnan Januzaj, Memphis Depay and Juan Mata failed to score a goal against an average Newcastle side is cause for concern.

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United were reactive rather than proactive against Newcastle. Instead of attacking with pace and intensity to create goalscoring opportunities—traits that made Sir Alex Ferguson’s teams so dangerous and revered—Van Gaal’s side waits for space to present itself and plays at a more casual tempo.

And that’s why United struggle when playing against teams who defend deep and maintain a compact shape. When there’s little space to exploit, United run out of ideas all too quickly.

That was certainly evident against Newcastle, who were far too open at the start of the game and presented United with a number of chances to score. But once they got organised, it was noticeable that United lacked any sort of inventiveness.

The point is that the onus was on United to take the game to Newcastle and find ways to break them down. But passing the ball around without purpose and waiting for something to happen is not—and never will be—the hallmark of a title-chasing team.

The first weeks of the season have shown that United’s lack of imagination in attack stems from a style of football that is far too slow. Beyond making one or two signings in the last week of the transfer window, Van Gaal must rejig his midfield and attack to inject some more creativity.   

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First, Van Gaal needs to find a player who can operate in the No. 10 role on a permanent basis. Five players have been tested there—Memphis, Ander Herrera, Januzaj, Rooney and Marouane Fellaini, in that order—and yet Mata hasn’t been one of them.

So far this season, the Spaniard has looked isolated out wide on the right flank but has been creative in central areas. As United attacked Newcastle in the last 10 minutes in search of a winning goal, he was the only player who genuinely looked like creating chances to score.

Protected by the two deep-lying midfielders in Van Gaal’s newly introduced 4-2-3-1 formation, it would border on negligence not to try Mata in his most natural position as a No. 10 and give him the freedom to dictate play from the middle of the pitch.

That would also allow Van Gaal to utilise more pace on the wings. The prospect of Mata centrally and both Memphis and Januzaj—or a new signing—on either flank has a more balanced look to it.

The biggest issue, which came to the fore once again in the draw to Newcastle, is Rooney. Not sharp enough athletically to play as a No. 9 and lacking the technical prowess required of a No. 10, he is drifting between the two positions and looks lost in the final third of the pitch.

Van Gaal is unlikely to drop him and will probably shoehorn him into the starting XI even if it comes at the detriment of the team, but finding a role for Rooney is becoming an increasingly pressing concern and one that won’t be easily solved.

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In many ways, United’s 0-0 draw with Newcastle proved typical of Van Gaal’s tenure thus far. The football on display was mechanical and methodical rather than expansive and exciting.

The prior wins against Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa came via an own goal and a deflected Januzaj strike, which worryingly remains the only goal United have registered in the Premier League so far this season.  

Perhaps most concerning, though, is the predictability about United’s general play. Newcastle tightened up after a nervy opening but found it remarkably easy to defend against Van Gaal’s possession-based football for most of the match.

The absence of any risk-taking—a feature of many of Van Gaal’s sides throughout his managerial career—was particularly noticeable against Newcastle. Even in the final 10 minutes of the game, when United began to assert some pressure, there was very little pace in the game.

With two wins and a draw, United have accrued five more points than they had at this stage of last season. That is all that really matters at this point. But what is becoming problematic is a style of football underpinned by a lack of creativity in attack. 


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