Things can change very quickly in football. Just look at Chelsea’s unprecedented descent down the Premier League table or Leicester’s meteoric rise for that matter. These rapidly changing events have cost one former Chelsea manager his job, whilst another former Chelsea manager has been proclaimed the de facto manager of the season.
But Chelsea’s decision to, somewhat justifiably, relieve Jose Mourinho of command in London will have wide reaching effects through the Premier League. It will not only improve Chelsea’s performance in the second half of the season and herald the arrival of yet another world class manager to London in the summer but the move move will have surely sent shockwaves of unease through the Van Gaal camp in Manchester.
In a bid to resurrect what remains of their fading season United should follow Chelsea’s lead and move decisively in changing the man at the helm of their rudderless ship. In fact, they should follow their lead so closely that they should appoint the very man who Chelsea just fired.
Life after Ferguson was never going to be easy for the Red Devils. The fact that his departure is still seen as a major turning point for the club, nearly two and a half years after he managed his last game, is a very real indicator that the post-Ferguson transition has not been a smooth one.
That is putting it lightly. For United fans accustomed to success, this period has been nothing short of a disaster.
David Moyes came and went in inglorious fashion. He lost, or more accurately never won over, an experienced and veteran dressing room. Despite his supposed Premier League credentials, Moyes never appeared a likely man to lead United through the post Ferguson transition. The idea of supplanting one Glaswegian dynasty with another was undoubtedly appealing to the suits lining United’s boardroom, but the realities and history of sport seems to suggest that rarely do two great dynasties flow neatly on from one another, especially when so heavily constructed on the cult of one man’s personality.
What became blatantly obvious by January of 2013 was that a buffer was needed, heralding a change from the Ferguson to post Ferguson eras in Red Manchester. On the surface at least, Louis van Gaal shaped as the perfect candidate for this role.
Van Gaal presented as a seasoned campaigner with a wealth of European experience. He looked too good to be true. A man with enlightened possession-based, attacking philosophies, whose sides played sophisticated and successful football and who had a reputation for dressing room control and aggressive promotion of young and emerging talent. This was the man who unearthed Thomas Muller at Bayern. Perhaps United’s own Muller was patiently plying his trade in their academy after being consistently overlooked by less perceptive eyes.
With promises to return United’s machismo before handing the reigns to a pre-appointed successor, almost certainly Ryan Giggs, Van Gaal arrived at United promising everything.
Nearly 17 months since United’s ominous 2-1 loss at home to Swansea in Van Gaal’s first competitive match in charge there is now enough evidence accumulated that the buffering project is not going very well.
Aside from a laboured top four finish last season it is hard to point to any real achievement of the Van Gaal era. United have suffered cup losses to MK Dons, Middlesborough and, most disappointingly, Arsenal in last season’s FA Cup quarter-final. Aside from the performances against Liverpool, United have been difficult to watch in the league. Predictable, cautious, dominant of possession but little else. United have come to embody many of the persistent criticisms of possession-based football.
Despite the significant investment of time and huge investment of money and talent, the Van Gaal project has not worked. Chris Smalling and David de Gea aside, it is difficult to point to a United player that has improved under his watch. United’s struggles are well-documented but seven goals from their last eight league games represents a trend not a blip. When that run includes 120 costly minutes against Middlesborough and a devastating goalless 90 against PSV, which saw them all but expelled from both competitions, this trend is outright alarming.
Moving on from Van Gaal seems the logical thing to do. This is an ailing side that is in need of an injection of new ideas. Giving the new manager a transfer window to make changes to the squad would also be a prudent decision. The time is clearly not right for someone of Ryan Giggs’ experience to take over. Giggs has been a caretaker before but with far less on the line. United still have a fight for the top four, Europa League and FA Cup campaigns to run. Experience will be essential in these fights.
The most popular candidate will of course be Bayern Munich maestro Pep Guardiola. This season looks almost certain to be Guardiola’s last in Munich. His credentials don’t need repeating here, the man is on rare and sanctified turf when speaking of managerial candidates.
But a number of factors threaten to throw a spanner in the works. Firstly, Guardiola will not come easily and his services will be bitterly fought over. Chelsea, City and even possibly Arsenal will all be fighting for the Spaniard’s services, should he decide on a move to England. United are but one dog in that fight.
In their current form United will struggle to qualify for the Champions League next season. Despite their history and pedigree, United would surely struggle to sell their rebuilding project to a manager of Guardiola’s class if they were to miss the Champions League.
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Dreams of landing Pep aside, United need to come to terms with their new reality. They have lost their aura of invincibility that Ferguson’s sides seemed to carry for decades. They are also a young side without the attacking talent to compete with the very best in the division. A return to winning ways would be a welcome step. At this stage a return to the aggressive domination of previous years seems like a fanciful dream.
Despite his struggles this season, Jose Mourinho is unquestionably a world class manager. His CV is almost unparalleled. League titles in Spain, Italy, Portugal and on two stints in England. Champions League wins with Porto and Inter Milan. An uncanny ability to establish formidable homer records. If it sounds pretty good because it is.
Above all, Mourinho’s best case is made by his availability. If he is mentally up for the fight, United to move swiftly to secure one the greatest manager of his generation. Mourinho with a point to prove is force unlike any other in world football. After being spurned by Chelsea, United would be wise to take the gamble based on Mourinho’s track record if nothing else. Concerns about his personality pale in comparison.
Its not often that football clubs are urged to take the short term view. But that is exactly what United need right now. Grandiose long term succession planning is admirable in theory but it has cost the club dearly in terms of player recruitment and nearly three lost seasons since Ferguson left his post.
In an ideal world Van Gaal would lead the team to a top three finish and Guardiola would take over at the end of the season. But this is not an ideal world and United need to act on their problems now. Their league finish and Guardiola’s availability are so far from guaranteed they barely warrant consideration right now. The so-called ‘Special One’ can turn this ship around and is available. He is the right man for the job.
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