Manchester United’s dream came crashing down this afternoon after Leicester City produced a miraculous performance, beating the Reds 5-3. The game was filled with controversy as referee Mark Clattenburg made some questionable decisions. United boss Louis van Gaal spoke openly after the game, insisting that United only had themselves to blame.
Van Gaal seemed a little confused in his comments afterwards, as he stated: “We had complete control. How is it possible that you give this game away?” Well, firstly, the Reds seemed shocked after the first penalty was rifled home by Nugent, and frankly didn’t pick their heads up after this. Plus, they failed to keep possession in key areas; Blind and Herrera, who looked composed in the first half, often lost the ball, resulting in Leicester launching attack after attack. Many fans also questioned as to why ex-United defender Ritchie de Laet lasted the full game without being sent off for a second bookable offence. If you pair all these points up with some shoddy defending, it becomes even more clear as to why United let a two-goal lead slip twice during the game. Despite this, LVG ordered that he “cannot blame the defence,” as his side didn’t play “as a team” in the second half. He added: “I don’t want to criticise personal errors, that happens. We didn’t keep possession which was our main mistake.” It’s hard not to agree with the manager’s view on the game, and he will have a lot to work on with the team this week in training.
The main turning point of the game was when Clattenburg awarded a soft penalty to Leicester after Rafael made slight contact with Leicester striker, Vardy. Vardy went down very easily, and some say a foul should’ve been given to United when he clattered Rafael just seconds earlier. However, van Gaal was composed when speaking of the incident. He said: “As a player (Rafael) you don’t have to do that and allow the referee (to award a penalty). We have to look at ourselves.” As is evident from these quotes alone, the United boss is making it very clear that United cannot solely blame the refereeing decisions for their defeat today.
Aside from the game, van Gaal was quick to clear up any rumours regarding his substitutions and also dropped hints for his team selection for next week’s game against West Ham. The boss explained: “He (Evans) got a kick. I don’t know how bad it is, we will have to wait and see. He’s on crutches.” This alone will make United fans shudder, as Evans is their most senior defender and Phil Jones is also out through injury. United’s defence was pushed to the limit today, and without Evans they looked very shaky. He also expressed that “(Falcao) played well, but I have to build (his fitness) up.” The boss quickly added, “I think Shaw shall be fit enough to play and Rojo and Smalling can play. We can manage.” It seems as though the United boss is still happy with squad, despite still having various key defensive players not available for selection.
Louis van Gaal will be less than impressed with his side’s performance today, and will be even more upset because of the manner of the defeat. However, the Dutchman remains positive and exaggerates that United can only blame themselves for today’s defeat.