The final question put to Louis van Gaal on Saturday evening seemed a ridiculous one. His Manchester United side had just drawn against the league leaders after dominating possession to what, in the second half in particular, was a remarkable degree and consequently lay third, a point off top spot. One could imagine the look of utter contempt, probably followed by a withering put-down, that “Can you win the league?” would have elicited from Sir Alex Ferguson.
Leaving aside the issue of politeness, however, Van Gaal’s response went some way towards explaining why more than a few United supporters believe he is the wrong man to be leading the club.
“I’m working in a process of three years but I want to be champion when you can be champion. We were second [before the kick-off] and I think now we are third, so we are in the circumstances to fight for it, and we shall fight for it, because we are a good team that’s difficult to beat for every opponent. And we can win [against]every opponent, but it’s a rat race, it’s not so easy,” the Dutchman responded.
As a summary of what United have become under Van Gaal, “a good team that’s difficult to beat” is impossible to argue with. The lack of ambition the phrase suggests, however, was evident throughout a match in which Leicester, once Jamie Vardy had scored for a record-breaking 11th consecutive game in the Premier League, found it hard to maintain the marvellous levels of energy and intensity that have taken them to their current heights.
Given the focus on Vardy coming into the game it was surely understandable. The former Fleetwood forward’s goal was created by an exquisite pass from the full-back Christian Fuchs after City broke quickly from a United corner, and it was finished with the thumping certainty that has become the Yorkshireman’s trademark.
The joy shown by all Vardy’s team-mates said much for the spirit and camaraderie which their manager, Claudio Ranieri, said is the best he has known at any of the many clubs where he has been in charge.
There must have been an element of relief involved too, though, and once United’s Bastian Schweinsteiger had brushed aside the attentions of the relatively diminutive Shinji Okazaki to head home Daley Blind’s corner just before half-time, Ranieri’s team struggled to create any sort of momentum.
Ranieri’s two-handed gesture urging his players to press higher up the pitch was an almost continuous feature during the second period but United’s miserable failure to exploit their huge share of possession left the Italian happy enough.
“We wanted to press in a high way but it was difficult,” the Leicester manager said. “But I think we made a fantastic performance because, against this experienced midfield – Michael Carrick, Schweinsteiger, Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney – it was very, very difficult for us to close, to be compact.
“They kept possession all the time, they wanted to find some good space to score a goal, but I think we closed the space very well and we were always ready to counterattack.”
The Foxes did so once in the second half and had Leonardo Ulloa allowed Riyad Mahrez’s pass to run through to Vardy, instead of cutting inside and hitting a tame shot that the United goalkeeper, David de Gea, kicked clear, City would still be top.
United’s chances were limited to another Schweinsteiger header, comfortably blocked by the City goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel, and a couple of long-range efforts that went wide. Rooney looked positively ponderous before being substituted and Anthony Martial peripheral, but as Van Gaal admitted what had been Carrick’s first words on returning to the dressing room, it was the sort of match United should still have won.
“That was also my feeling. When you want to be champion you have to win this kind of match. We defended very well because we played against a team which had scored 28 goals, and we gave just two chances – that I was pleased [by]. But we know Leicester are a counterattacking team and with their corner kicks we had showed the players [with videos] that we had to organise better than all the other clubs, but we didn’t do that. And also we missed big chances in the second half – when your dominance is so great you have to make profit of it and we haven’t done that.
“How do we change that? You have to take into account there are, I think, 10 bodies behind the ball in the middle and then it is not easy to create chances. Nevertheless we have created big chances and you have to take them.
“We didn’t finish the chances – but there shall be a time when we shall be finishing the chances. It’s a matter of time or luck, or something like that.”
Buying a proven striker in January may be a rather more reliable solution and Vardy is certain to be the subject of speculation, the more so if before the close of the window Leicester have secured the 11 points they need to reach 40.
Man of the match Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
