LVG Bringing XYZ to Old T

Article by e-Manchester United Correspondent Carl Bishop

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Louis Van Gaal will sweep in to Manchester next month swathed in a cloud of unbridled excitement from Reds fans and teenage curiosity from everyone else. Will United diehards need to learn 4 languages and change nicotine brands to a more exotic product? Will the media circus reduce the clowning to an appropriate line of inane questioning when faced with the spiky Dutchman? Of course not. However, things will be spectacularly different than last seasons de-Moyes of the English standard bearers and the appointment of LVG is exactly what the club needed. He is a modern thinker who upholds the Manchester United mantra of winning by entertaining, unlike a certain Portuguese Premier League rival Coach and once student to King Louie. Possession alone does not get it done as the Spanish and now German top flights are understanding thanks to yet another Van Gaal disciple, albeit a player rather than Coach. Mourinho and Guardiola do not fit like Van Gaal in a role that demands more than just victory on the pitch.

Accompanying King Louie will be a host of new Gods. Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw have undergone their transformation from human player to Deity already, but who else can make a justifiable dent in the multi million pound Red Devil warchest? Make no mistake, the price of a player does not interest Mr Van Gaal one iota. The United boss is interested only in who fits his vision for each and every position within his fabled 4-3-3 formation. But do not get too hung up on the apparent mystifying schemes of Van Gaal, as every United fan worldwide will soon see that under the Dutch master tactician formations are just a lining up point at kick-off. The manager possesses the two most important logistical attributes in team sport, a system that works and the teaching ability to translate to the field of play. In every Van Gaal team each player is educated how to react given every conceivable set of circumstances that may present themselves during a 90 minute period. This process is supervised onfield by three key players and the chosen few who are entrusted with the managers' master plan are Mr X, Mr Y and Mr Z.

Mr X is the unpredictable X factor who can win a game in the flash of a neon boot and is always an attacking midfielder in LVG's scheme. He will have pace, skill, football intelligence and above all an understanding of trends and weaknesses of the opponent. Mr X is a destroyer of defence. Mr Y is the team general, always questioning why opponents are doing whatever they are doing, making adjustments, giving instructions and ensuring no surprises. Mr Y could be any player in LVG's scheme and as the orchestrator of tempo and change, will be LVG's closest ally and gifted with tactical nous not normally afforded to your average top player. Mr Z is the teams enforcer. He will cover the field from right back to left wing with a Zorro style approach cutting a path of physicality and presence all over the pitch. Playing in central midfield and occasionally finding himself on the wrong side of decisions, Mr Z will not possess the flamboyance or knowledge of Messrs X and Y but his input invariably has the single most impacting effect on a game both from a defensive and attacking standpoint.

The names of this trio are unimportant, but Louie Van Gaal will install these characters as top priority. They are not all at Old Trafford yet, but rest assured, they will be there by the end of the January transfer window, not to mention a few others. Fans of Manchester United need not despair after finishing seventh last time out. The future is bright, and the future is a considerably bloodier shade or orange.

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