5. Tactical Inflexibility
Van Gaal loves his attacking football and so do the Old Trafford crowd. However, Van Gaal's attacking football only comes in one shape, his trademark 4-3-3, and he's had a tendency to force players into his system rather than finding the right system for his players. The United squad is not especially well cut out for that formation, and it will be interesting to see what happens to the likes of Juan Mata - a specialist in the No.10 position and severely diminished elsewhere - or how Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney will play together in a three man front line without the temperamental Englishman feeling second favourite to a player who has a strong existing relationship with his manager. Van Gaal will certainly be well supported when it comes to transfer funds, especially given how United will not be playing in Europe this season and free from the burden of Financial Fair Play rules, but making the kind of wholesale changes required to rebalance the United squad so its strengths are best utilised in the manager's preferred formation will be a major undertaking. While the need to fit players into a formation they are not ideally suited to is a problem, the lack of flexibility van Gaal has shown in refusing to develop any backup tactics even in the face of poor results will be more concerning. Arsene Wenger suffered this season when attempting to stick to his philosophy of attacking football against Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea, all of whom tore the poor Gunners to shreds. Versatility is one of the most important attributes in modern football for players and managers alike, as Brendan Rodger's Liverpool and Manuel Pellegrini's Man City demonstrated last season with highly flexible tactical approaches, but it is not something van Gaal has shown much interest in developing in the past. Even if he does break from old habits, there'll likely be a learning period - look at José Mourinho's failed attempts to get Chelsea playing more expansive football in the early stages of the season - which could grind his Old Trafford revolution to an early halt.
