The Dutchman's future was thrown into focus again this weekend, but he responded by expertly orchestrating an away victory which put his side back in the Champions League picture
On a day which started with yet another round of rumours suggesting Jose Mourinho is about to take his job, Louis van Gaal will be the toast of the red half of Manchester after leading United to a crucial derby victory over City at the Etihad.
Van Gaal has insisted time and again this term that United’s decision-makers have given him plenty of assurance that Mourinho is not being lined up for the manager’s job at Old Trafford, despite ongoing reports that the Portuguese is a shoo-in to take over in the summer.
The latest came on Saturday evening, with a Spanish newspaper report claiming that the former Chelsea boss has signed a pre-contract agreement with the Red Devils. While Goal sources close to United insist there has been no mention of the former Chelsea boss being the club’s next manager, Van Gaal nonetheless needed a big result against neighbours City in order to keep the Mourinho bandwagon from affecting the mood around Carrington.
The Dutchman’s response was to orchestrate a fully-deserved 1-0 win on enemy territory, setting United up perfectly to pick at gaping holes through the middle of City’s suspect defence. With Jesse Lingard chosen in the No.10 role behind Marcus Rashford, and Juan Mata again utilised in the less-familiar right-wing position, Van Gaal clearly hoped to make the most of the susceptibility to pace of Martin Demichelis, Eliaquim Mangala and Fernandinho.
United got the start they craved, with Rashford’s superbly-taken effort crowning an opening 15 minutes which had seen the visitors exploit the lack of mobility and cover through City’s soft centre. The indescribably bad defending by Demichelis which allowed the 18-year-old to stroll into a one-on-one situation underlined how Van Gaal had got his tactics spot on.
They should have been rewarded with the chance for a second goal shortly before the break, with Demichelis’ reckless challenge on Rashford in the penalty area somehow going unpunished. The push and shove which followed, as unseemly and petty as it may have looked, at least showed that this was one fight United were up for.
Van Gaal could not have asked for more from his players. The all-for-one, one-for-all attitude was on display in abundance, with Mata’s key interception at the back and Chris Smalling’s rangy burst forward among the examples of United’s willingness to break down boundaries for the cause. In reality, it is all fairly fundamental stuff, but so rarely has it been on display this season that it really stood out at the Etihad.
While the manager admitted in his pre-match press conference that a defeat would rule his side out of the Champions League running, victory throws them right back into the mix. Less than three days on from burning what many had suggested was their most likely bridge to the tournament with the elimination from the Europa League by Liverpool, there is suddenly some sort of hope again.
Just as was the case against Arsenal, it was Rashford – who would be nowhere near the United XI but for a string of crippling injuries – who earned the vital result for Van Gaal. It says much about the way in which the 64-year-old has bumbled his way through this campaign.
But he will not care one jot how United dragged themselves back into the Champions League picture, only that they did it. And against the constant radio noise that Mourinho and his allies continue to make in the background, it is Van Gaal who is laughing longest and loudest in Manchester this Sunday evening.
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