5 Games from 2015/16 Season Manchester United Wish They Could Have Again
Manchester United's 2015/16 season is on the verge of being all over bar the shouting. The 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday essentially put an end to a meaningful charge at the Champions League places.
It is not just the dropped points; it served as a timely reminder that United under Louis van Gaal have been wildly inconsistent and capable of periods of remarkable incompetence. The idea of them putting together the kind of run needed to overhaul the teams above them always felt a little laughable.
Indeed, so poor have they been that winding back the clock and turning five losses into wins in the Premier League would not earn them enough points to go top. With 15 extra points, United would be second, three points shy of league leaders Leicester City.
These five games are not all from the league, but different results could have turned the tide of United's season. There are simply too many bad games to choose from to cover all bases in just five, though.
Of course, wishing the past could be different is always a futile pursuit, but in this case even more so.
If Van Gaal had these games to play over again, history suggests he would take exactly the same approach, getting exactly the same results. After all, repeating the same mistakes has been the defining characteristic of his performance in 2015/16, as the analysis of these games will show.
15 September: PSV Eindhoven Away
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This one sits outside the pattern of the following choices. Firstly because it is the only Champions League game listed—though the return leg at Old Trafford was another game United would have loved to have over again.
Secondly, United did not exactly underperform here; they were a little permeable on the counter-attack and a little ineffective in front of goal, but it was a decent 90 minutes of football. This is one they would love to have over again because a different result could have set a different tone for their group-stage campaign in the Champions League.
Mostly, though, it is one they would love to have over again because they could have avoided the fate that befell Luke Shaw.
The injury inflicted upon him by Hector Moreno's rash tackle has had a significant bearing on the course of United's season. Shaw's absence has led to instability in the back four and denied the Red Devils' left flank an attacking option it has badly missed.
It could be argued that this injury was the single incident that most detrimentally affected United's whole season. Of course they would want the chance to change the course of fate here.
31 October: Crystal Palace Away
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"We're Man United, we want to attack" sang the travelling supporters as their team stumbled through one of the most tedious 0-0 draws of the season.
When asked about the chant by Bleacher Report after the game, Van Gaal said that while supporters had a right to sing what they liked, hopefully they would be able strike up a different tune as the season progressed.
That song did leave the repertoire pretty quickly, but not because of increased contentment. The anger that bubbled up among fans during the Crystal Palace game and in the games that followed—the narrow home victory over CSKA Moscow being a particular flashpoint—dissipated into apathy as the season progressed.
It is not that fans have had much more to cheer about, but rather that it became abundantly clear Van Gaal could not care less about what fans were saying. He was going to keep playing his way.
With two static holding midfielders in Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger as well as Juan Mata ineffective on the right and Wayne Rooney at his laboured worst at No. 9, this was a performance to forget.
It was also the game that marked a turning point in Van Gaal's relationship with United's support, among the first in which vocal criticism could be heard from the stands. He did not take the hint and, as a result, has become ever less popular with the faithful.
12 December: Bournemouth Away
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It is possible this game will go down in United's history as significant given it marked the first senior start for Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, a player who has shown a good deal of promise this season.
However, apart from that and Marouane Fellaini's hilarious knee-running goal, there was little positive to take from it for United fans.
Bournemouth were just outside the bottom three when the game kicked off and had been struggling to establish themselves as a Premier League force.
Enter Van Gaal's United, who have been a tonic for more than one team in the lower reaches this season. An injury crisis forced the manager to field a makeshift back four of Guillermo Varela, Paddy McNair, Daley Blind and Borthwick-Jackson, but that was less of a problem than the poorly organised midfield comprised of Fellaini and Michael Carrick.
It was also a rare occasion this season in which David De Gea was culpable in United conceding, as an early corner in swirling wind caused him all manner of difficulties.
United had shown fight to get the game back to 1-1 after conceding but then seemed to retreat back into their shells. The Cherries' winner, when it came, did not feel surprising at all.
It was the second in a run of four defeats, which followed three draws, and really should have been the end of Van Gaal's time at United. Winning this one could have slowed the descent and given United a confidence boost after their failure in the Champions League.
Instead, it highlighted how poorly the Van Gaal project was progressing.
19 December: Norwich City at Home
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A week on from Bournemouth, and the embarrassment was not over.
United have, for the most part, been pretty decent at Old Trafford this season—at least in terms of grinding out results if not in terms of performance levels.
However, this was an exception. It was a remarkably poor showing from a team that should have been full of fire, eager to prove themselves after the twin ignominies of a Champions League group-stage exit and the loss to Bournemouth. Instead, they looked bereft of confidence, devoid of creative ideas and stripped of their will to win.
It was an indictment on the manager's effect on the squad. Van Gaal cited confidence as the issue in his post-match press conference but took little responsibility for his duty to help instill that confidence.
These are three points lost that could have at least made a different to United's campaign to finish in the top four, as inglorious an aim as that is. Instead, they gave Norwich one of only three away wins they have managed all season.
13 February: Sunderland Away
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Sunderland have won just six of their 32 league games this season. Their minus-21 goal difference indicates they warrant their spot in the relegation battle. Of course, one of those six wins came against United.
Even if the Red Devils have struggled on the road, surely the 3-1 win over Derby County, 3-0 win over Stoke City and creditable 1-1 draw with Chelsea that preceded this one should have given United some confidence?
Apparently not.
With Rooney playing through injury, United's attack was incredibly blunt. Although they had 61.9 per cent of the possession as the away side, the home side managed 21 shots at goal to United's 12.
It was a remarkably inept display from a team that had been showing a little promise in the preceding weeks.
That, of course, just about sums up Van Gaal's time at United. Frankly, reliving these games has been painful. Perhaps Manchester United would not want to have them again after all.
All quotations obtained first hand. Advanced data per WhoScored.com.
