Louis Van Gaal Comments on Future After Manchester United vs. Chelsea Draw

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal confessed his future remains in doubt in the aftermath of the Red Devils’ 0-0 draw with Chelsea on Monday.

Van Gaal was under massive pressure heading into the match, and despite failing to get on the scoresheet, his players did deliver an improved performance. However, the Dutchman admitted he’s unsure how much longer he has in the Old Trafford hotseat, per Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail.

“I cannot say that,” responded Van Gaal when asked if he would be staying on. "I know there are circumstances that the board has to decide to sack the manager. In this crazy world of football it can happen every day. When it is happening to Jose Mourinho it can happen also with me.”

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Although the display at Old Trafford was an improved one from United, the bald facts don’t make for positive reading for Van Gaal.

The Red Devils have now gone eight games without a win under the tutelage of the Dutchman and remain outside of the top-four spots.

It’s a slump that will need to be arrested quickly if United are going to finish among the Champions League places come the end of the season, which is surely a minimum requirement for this team.

As Bleacher Report’s Rob Blanchette noted after the match, it was a result that changes little in the grand scheme of things:

Indeed, despite some renewed endeavour and added purpose in possession, this was a performance that epitomised the issues that have been longstanding in Van Gaal’s side. The inability to carve out and take chances has been a consistent worry, meaning the Old Trafford crowd had to endure a 0-0 draw once again.

As we can see here courtesy of BT Sport Football (h/t Bleacher Report UK), United really struggle to begin matches with any kind of intensity either:

The fact that this kind of performance has been greeted as cause for optimism in some quarters is indicative of just how far standards have slipped.

United are a team who look in desperate need of a shake-up, and although Van Gaal has been defiant in the aftermath of the match, he doesn’t emit the aura of a man who feels as though he’s capable of turning things around.

OLI SCARFF/Getty Images

Indeed, as is evident by these figures from Bleacher Report’s Sam Pilger, the stats do not paint the Dutchman’s tenure in a positive light:

With a crucial period of fixtures to come, this winless run shows no sign of coming to a halt anytime soon. Granted, with matches coming thick and fast the festive season is not an ideal time to change manager, but the longer Van Gaal continues in his role, the more difficult it will be for any new boss stepping in.

United’s players at least seem as though they are ready to fight for their manager, as was evident during the game against Chelsea.

However, the Dutchman seems resigned to the fact that he’s in a losing battle at the moment and is fooling himself if he believes this performance against the toiling champions can spark a sharp turnaround in fortunes.