After losing 2-1 at Sunderland, Louis van Gaal admitted that United reaching the top four to qualify for next season’s Champions League would be “very hard”.
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And now Murphy’s Law has got in on the act.
Some United fans who made the trip to Herning, where match tickets cost as much as £71 (91 Euros, $101), were heard to turn on their own side with abusive chants as United suffered a miserable 2-1 loss.
And if that wasn’t problematic enough, the club is playing some of its dullest football in recent memory to boot.
“I am not someone who would call for a manager to lose their job – but many supporters feel something needs to be done now”.
United are now on a run of three games without a win and on Friday the Manchester Evening News carried the headline “LVG Must Go” above a stinging comment piece on its back page. Of course he’s past his best, but he’s about the only player at the club at present that can lead and keep the others level-headed when needed. The difference is not so big any more.
Would United’s youth team beat the Danish champions?
There have been some suggestions Van Gaal may have just the three games ahead to save himself from the sack, while Mourinho has been quoted as saying he has no plans to return to managing Inter Milan next season, and adding: “I’m not looking for a club, but there are clubs that are looking for me”.
But Van Gaal still put out a starting XI packed with experienced internationals from Spain, France, the Netherlands, England and Argentina. Football’s a amusing old game and it throws up different things.
But United have now recorded just two wins in six since they beat Liverpool on January 17, increasing the pressure on their manager once again.
Van Gaal’s reasoning behind the early exit?
“When you overview everything you remember the first match against PSV with the decisions of the referee and also today against Wolfsburg – they were not positive for us”, he said.
One writer, meanwhile, was even labeled a “fat man” by the Dutchman during another media conference in January following his criticism of United captain Wayne Rooney.
“I hold meetings, evaluation meetings with the players, with my members of staff, I hold a Christmas lunch, I have held a speech and I feel the warmth and support of everybody in Carrington, the AON training complex”.
But Carrick stressed: “I don’t think you can use injuries as an excuse”.
The League One outfit may well be feeling encouraged after Thursday about their chances of springing an upset.
“I have been in the 70s when we got relegated, but even though we got relegated you felt the players were giving 100 per cent. To hear those songs is very disappointing but it is a reflection of how far we have fallen”.
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The Portuguese helped Inter become the first Italian club to complete the prestigious treble of winning the league, domestic cup and UEFA Champions League in 2010. “I can make the difference, in tactics and everything, but I cannot score goals”.
