Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has hit out at Louis van Gaal’s tactics and described Manchester United’s football is “miserable”. Despite being third in the premier league table, van Gaal has been heavily criticized for his tactics and the playing style employed on the pitch.
Everyone was shocked by the display of Manchester United in their 3-1 victory against Burnley. The fans at Old Trafford booed of at half time during the half time break. Scholes describes the problem lies in taking the ball forward and the present team is not taking such risks.
“It does not give me any pleasure to say that at the moment I am struggling to watch Louis van Gaal’s team with any great enjoyment,” he wrote in his column.
“They beat Burnley on Wednesday night but it was Burnley who had by far the best of the first half. At times, United’s football is miserable. To beat opposing teams you have to attack, and to attack you have to take risks. Too few of the players in the current team are prepared to take those risks.
“As a midfielder at United I had to pass the ball forward and, yes, it did not always work. It did not always mean putting a chance on a plate for the strikers. It was up to them to get on the ball and score goals.
“Was it easy? No, but we were playing for United. It was not supposed to be easy. Of the current team, Angel Di Maria has taken more risks than any other player and, unfortunately, for him it has not worked out. He has given the ball away a lot for very little returns. Otherwise there seems to be an emphasis on possession. I would go further than that: there is an obsession with possession.”
Scholes also hit out at van Gaal for not playing Rooney in a more attacking role and also commented that van Gaal is moving Rooney around the midfield simply to accomodate both the strikers. van Gaal was also heavily criticized as he opted for 3-5-2 formation where they could not really attack.
“I feel they [Van Persie and Falcao] look like strangers at times, while Wayne Rooney is moved around the team to accommodate them,” he added.
“Wayne can play anywhere on the pitch. He is so willing, and he will give you at least a 7/10 performance most times. Against Burnley he ended up as a defensive midfielder. At other times he has been pushed out to the right-hand side, where he will look for the strikers early or switch the play. But if Van Gaal does not think Rooney is a better option up front than the other two then there really is a problem.”