Manchester United's West Ham Loss Highlights the Need for More Attacking Impetus

Manchester United had, by a combination of a reasonable run of form and the capitulation of their neighbours, wrested UEFA Champions League qualification back into their own hands.

Sadly, and perhaps predictably, they let it slip through their fingers as they lost 3-2 to West Ham United on Tuesday. Only a loss for Manchester City in Swansea on Sunday and a win for the Red Devils at Old Trafford against Bournemouth will now get United into Europe's elite competition next season.

It was a maddeningly frustrating evening for the visiting fans, a festival of footballing incompetence punctuated by a brief moment of hope, and a tiny flirtation with a top-four spot that had previously eluded the Red Devils for the whole of the calendar year so far.

Having had their bus pelted by West Ham fans on its way to the ground, United's display was such that their own fans might have been inclined to do similar on its way out.

It was a performance in which the players let their much-maligned manager down. But Louis van Gaal must take a huge share of the blame, given that it was also a game in which mistakes he made—both on the night and throughout the season—cost dearly.

United's most egregious underperformers against West Ham—and there are plenty to choose from—were probably Daley Blind, Ander Herrera and Marcos Rojo.

Blind may have outperformed expectation at centre-back throughout the season, but his poor displays have been catastrophic. This, like Tottenham Hotspur away, Swansea City away and Watford at home was up there with his worst.

The errors are too numerous to catalogue, but the most extreme was allowing Andy Carroll the freedom of the Boleyn Ground to score. The former Liverpool man politely declined, but Blind's positioning was so atrocious he may as well have been marking the striker at the Olympic Stadium.

Van Gaal's role in all this was to have so heavily relied on Blind as a centre-half throughout the season. The Netherlands international is an excellent option for providing cover at centre-half. Blind as first choice means something has gone wrong with squad assembly.

Rojo's performance was typical of his recent form. He offered little in attack and has a reckless quality in defence which spreads uncertainty throughout the back four. Ironically, Van Gaal, who has received so much praise for bringing through youngsters, kept Cameron Borthwick-Jackson on the bench at West Ham.

Youngsters may get their chance when covering for injury, but in general Van Gaal has reverted to a more conservative option when he has had the choice.

Herrera's performance was shambolic. His lack of attention and positional discipline was central to opening up the space the Hammers needed for their first goal.

The Spaniard completed just 65 per cent of his passes—he averages just under 84 per cent. He was dispossessed four time—almost four times his average of 1.3 dispossessions per appearance.

But here Van Gaal must also take some blame. Herrera is playing with ring rust, having endured confidence-sapping treatment all season. In and out of the side, unable to build up the kind of automatic understanding with his team-mates that can offer such rewards in moments of pressure like this game.

The players warrant some of the well-deserved criticism that will come their way, but ultimately, this is the manager's failing.

Per BBC Sport, Van Gaal said after the game: "I think it is still possible but it is not in our hands and that is the difference. It is very disappointing because we were ahead. We gave it away because of the set plays." 

It is too simple to say United gave it away because of the set plays. In truth, this was a chance they should never have been given, their mid-season form being so poor that only a capitulation from Manchester City allowed them back into the race for the top-four spot.

And it is all very well to blame the set plays from which United conceded, but they had three shots in total in a must-win game. West Ham, incidentally, had 20. It is in this area that United have truly failed this season. 

It is entirely in keeping for the side that Van Gaal has built to lack attacking impetus. So rarely has its attack mustered a serious offence on an opponent's goal. So often they have created precious little. 

Over the course of the season they lie 15th in average shots per league game and 13th in average number of shots on target. They have not been an effective enough attacking unit.

Without the outrageous talents of Anthony Martial, things would have no doubt looked even less rosy, and they would likely be even lower than 10th in the goals-scored column.

United may yet finish fourth. It is not inconceivable that Manchester City could lose to Swansea City on Sunday, and United beat Bournemouth.

But if they don't, it was not West Ham scoring from two poorly defended set pieces that cost them their chance.

The chance was lost at in a series of lacklustre performances; at Crystal Palace, at home to Newcastle United, at Sunderland and at West Bromwich Albion. It was lost in the shambles at Arsenal and at Tottenham Hotspur and when Norwich City visited Old Trafford.

It was lost through inconsistency, and through the inability to build an attack which functioned, or a defence which could be relied upon under pressure. It was lost by a manager who has failed in his task to make United a reliable attacking threat. 

Simon Stone of BBC Sport wrote of United's reported contact with Jose Mourinho: "A verbal agreement that the 53-year-old Portuguese will become the next manager at Old Trafford is believed to have been reached."

Even for those fans with misgivings about Mourinho, surely he must now seem a preferable option to Van Gaal.

The West Ham defeat was simply the latest in a long line of failures which should now cost the Dutchman his job.

Advanced statistics per WhoScored.com.