The aspect of soccer that I chose to write about is one of the most famous teams in the world, Manchester United, of England. The team has a long history of success, with many championships, in a sport that has very demanding fans and high expectations. The article that I chose is called “Louis Van Gaal falling below expectations at Manchester United”, on ESPN.com.
The article is about Manchester United’s new manager, Louis Van Gaal, and his team, which has been struggling in the FA Cup. They had a 0-0 tie with Cambridge United, which was the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition, and Van Gaal’s strategy and tactics have been questioned (Payne). Van Gaal had led the Dutch team to a third-place finish in the World Cup, so expectations were high when he took over Manchester United (Payne). But the draw represents a tough blow on title expectations.
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"Manchester United – Louis van Gaal".
I chose the article because it analyzed how Van Gaal is doing in several categories. He is praised for his rapport with the media, but criticized for complaining about the field, the officials and not crediting the opposition (Payne). It criticizes his strategy of positioning players, noting that his formation, which worked for the Dutch, isn’t working for Manchester United, especially when he has midfielders who are good at wing play (Payne). Finally, he is criticized for omitting scorer Ander Herrera from the starting lineup, and only playing him part of the time, instead of playing him over lesser players (Payne).
My favorite part is the end, when the writer points out that he has managed the team for a month, and that with the poor play, “the honeymoon is over”. It will be interesting to see if the team improves, or if they do end up finding a new manager in the future.
- Payne Mark, “Louis Van Gaal falling below expectations at Manchester United” ESPN.com, 24 Jan. 2015, Web. 25 Jan. 2015
