Manchester United: Will a top four finish and a FA Cup save Louis van Gaal?
By Edgar Acero
The future is unclear for everyone, but more so these days for Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal.
The 64-year-old Dutchman finally had reasons to smile after a 1-0 win on Sunday over city rivals Manchester City, a result that allows United to keep the chase on for a top four finish. That pursuit, coupled with the possibility of silverware in the FA Cup, might just breathe new life into the prospect of van Gaal staying for a third season at the club. Still, the rumors of his impending departure have intensified as the casting shadow of Jose Mourinho has only grown bigger and darker in recent days.
A report from Spain revealed that the former Chelsea manager signed a pre-contract to take over the Manchester club at the end of the season. According to Spanish publication El País, the Portuguese tactician signed a deal in February for £ 15 million, in which Manchester United have the option to change their mind if they decide to go in a different direction.
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If the report is accurate, it speaks volumes to van Gaal, whose chances of staying with the Red Devils are dwindling by the hour. Still, he is in position to salvage what has been a disappointing season both domestically and in Europe.
The top-four race is, by all measures, wide open for at least six teams: Manchester City, West Ham, Manchester United, Southampton, Stoke City and Liverpool. With eight games to go, seven points separate Liverpool (9th place, 44 points) from Manchester City (4th place, 51 points). If one takes into consideration that third-place Arsenal has been woefully inconsistent, it becomes a race for two spots for some of those clubs.
The big question is whether van Gaal’s team has what it takes to prevail. While United’s recent form has been nothing to brag about (one win in their last five games in all competitions), van Gaal has found some success playing against top sides. A report from the UK’s Metro found that United has collected the most points (26) when playing against the best 10 teams in the league as compared to other top sides.
Such a statistic clearly shows that van Gaal’s men (or kids, since that’s where the positive results have come from recently) are more than capable of competing for a fourth-place finish. If van Gaal finds a way for Manchester United to perform the same way against the likes of Norwich City or Bournemouth, they might just be able to play in Europe next season.
At the same time – and unlike rivals Chelsea or Arsenal – Manchester United still have a shot at the FA Cup. That’ll be no easy task, however, as they’ll have a replay against West Ham on Apr. 6 after a 1-1 tie at Old Trafford.
Slaven Bilić’s men are in formidable form and United have been unable to defeat them at home on two occasions this season: the FA Cup quarterfinals’ first meeting and a scoreless draw on Dec. 5 in the EPL. Heading to Upton Park for a winning result is a difficult task these days and van Gaal’s boys are surely in for a tough time.
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Still, if he finds a way to win the FA Cup title and earn a spot in the Champions League, will it be enough? The rise of young stars Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial points to “maybe,” but Mourinho’s pre-contract with United surely says “probably not.”