Louis van Gaal is clear in his ambition to reclaim the Premier League for United. After the 4-0 mauling of QPR on Sunday - his first win as manager of the club - the Dutchman stated that he wanted to win the Premier League, before adding, If it is not this year, then the second or third year. If Van Gaal was to climb to the top of the Premier League summit this season, he would replicate the feat that he achieved at Barcelona and Bayern Munich where he won league titles in his first season as manager. The glut of signings appear to have vastly improved Uniteds squad, even down to the defence which was flimsy at best for Van Gaals first four outings as manager. Chief executive, Ed Woodward has given Van Gaal a clear target of a top three finish this season, and whilst the victory wasnt against the strongest of opposition, it should give supporters cause for optimism. Van Gaal claimed that United can do better, despite hailing the fantastic performance on Sunday afternoon. The weekends result saw Van Gaal drop his desired three at the back formation in favour of a back four and midfield diamond approach, which appeared to suit new signings, Daley Blind, Ander Herrera and Angel di Maria, as well as Marcos Rojo who played at left-back. It worked, with Di Maria and Herrera both scoring: and the watershed moment is just the beginning, according to the manager. This is due to the apparent lack of match fitness amongst the squad, with the likes of Rafael, Falcao all returning from injury. Jonny Evans and Marcos Rojo played despite being short of match practice and Luke Shaw was promoted to the bench after a lay-off. The injury list is still drawn out for Van Gaals side, with defensive frailties hidden under the surface through Chris Smalling and Phil Jones unavailability. United have had poor starts to the season and ended up bouncing back to win the league and other successes, can they realistically top the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City domestically this year?
I am an aspiring journalist with a degree in Media Studies and a passion for all things sport -- especially football and Manchester United. I am a former season ticket holder at Old Trafford and have been a Red Devil since 1998.
