TIM KRUL, at the World Cup, helped showcase the originality of Louis van Gaal. But are Van Gaal’s Manchester United predictable? At Old Trafford Krul also threw light on that.
Despite starting and finishing by putting Newcastle under attack, attack, attack, Van Gaal’s side could not embody their supporters’ old cry during the long period in between.
For a huge swathe of play in the middle of the match they had no momentum, no impetus, though they had plenty of the ball. This caused Van Gaal to hail the performance as one of the best of his reign, but in this stadium you’re judged by three things: results and thrills and goals.
The truth was that for all Van Gaal’s work in turning United into a possession-heavy team, their best spell, from around the 70th minute on, came when Javier Hernandez joined Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata came off the flank, midfielders rushed forward, crosses flew in and they mixed up their game.
Playing deliberate, methodical Van Gaal football, they were too easy to deal with for Newcastle. Steve McClaren knows the drill for getting results at Old Trafford: weather the opening, dig in and frustrate.
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Of course, deliberate, methodical Van Gaal football can be attractive and, history tells us, super-successful when it clicks. But still the faithful wait. Players rigidly in formation, the ball moving with care, his team appeared to be acting out a tactics graphic in slow motion at certain times.
Wins versus Tottenham and Aston Villa had similar traits but different outcomes because, in one of their irregular moments of penetration, Manchester United converted a chance. This didn’t happen here and it was largely down to Krul.
The goalkeeper, who Van Gaal famously brought on for a penalty shootout against Costa Rica in Brazil, made a fine low save from Mata during Manchester United’s good beginning and did something even better in their “onslaught” (as Steve McClaren put it) at the end of the game.
Mata exchanged passes with Morgan Schneiderlin and found Hernandez on the edge the box and he passed back to Mata who shot and the ball spun free. It was the kind of situation Chicharito lives for. Reacting fastest, he swooped in on Krul and did little wrong, attempting to give the goalkeeper “the eyes” and feint as if going for a near-post finish, before opening his body and rolling a shot toward the far post. Yet Krul resisted committing himself then spread his body and, with a jutting leg, prevented the ball from going in. Before the match, he had said to his defenders: “You help me and I’ll help you.”
Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor, particularly, kept their side of the bargain and maybe the woodwork was in on it too. A few seconds into stoppage time, Chris Smalling, who was again Manchester United’s best player, headed a corner against the base of a post. Newcastle counter attacked and came just as close to scoring themselves. Papiss Cisse sped forward, Luke Shaw — too nice, perhaps — resisted temptation to trip him and Cisse centred but Florian Thauvin failed by inches to reach it with his foot and convert into an open goal.
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Thauvin made his debut as a substitute and another substantial summer signing, Aleksandar Mitrovic, impressed in his first Newcastle start. The stats showed that Newcastle failed to get a shot on target but, sometimes, what are stats? Not counted was Mitrovic’s magnificent first-half header that looped, from 15 yards out, over Sergio Romero, but struck the bar.
Mitrovic’s effort came during the lengthy spell when Newcastle were containing their opponents. McClaren had them set up well, with Vurnon Anita and Jack Colback working energetically to protect their back four, Georginio Wijnaldum dropping off and Gabriel Obertan and Ayoze Perez tucking inside to swell their numbers in midfield.
Manchester United began getting outnumbered in the middle of the pitch. Bastian Schweinsteiger began like a train but, after half an hour, was like a traction engine and, when his legs gave, it exposed Adnan Januzaj’s inability to go deep and help in the central area.
Manchester United had needed to score during their good start and Rooney, so desperate for a goal, went clear from Schweinsteiger’s pass and beat Krul, but was offside. Van Gaal talked about video refereeing but replays suggested that the officials, by a fine margin, were correct.
Memphis Depay nutmegged Chancel Mbema twice and had the beating of McClaren’s right-back. But he didn’t know what to do with it. During a spell of doughty Newcastle defending, Mbema blocked a cross from Depay and a shot from Januzaj, Haidara dived to repel a Mata cross and Taylor stopped a Depay effort.
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During the late siege, after terrific work from Schneiderlin, Rooney crossed deep to Mata but the Spaniard volleyed into the stand. Shaw, breaking confidently, passed himself into a shooting position but couldn’t beat Krul and then Depay miscued a header when Michael Carrick picked him out.
Carrick was on, after 59 minutes, for Schweinsteiger, in continuation of their job-share arrangement. It is another novel situation, engineered by Van Gaal. But his team, to win the title, need more pace and variation. Opponents will get too used to them otherwise. Star man: Tim Krul (Newcastle) Manchester United: Romero 6, Darmian 7 (Valencia 77min, 5), Smalling 8, Blind 7, Shaw 7, Schneiderlin 7, Schweinsteiger 6 (Carrick 59min, 6), Januzaj 5 (Hernandez 67min, 6), Mata 6, Rooney 5, Depay 5 Newcastle United: Krul 8, Mbemba 6, Taylor 7, Coloccini 7, Haidara 6, Anita 7, Colback 7, Obertan 5 (Thauvin 69min, 6) Wijnaldum 6, Perez 6 (Tiote 78min, 5), Mitrovic 7 (Cisse 88min, 6)