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Despite having the most resources of any team in their group, Manchester United are out of the Champions League and must settle for Europa League play. However, this should not come as a surprise to anyone who has been closely watching the team in the Premier League this year. It still comes down to the relations of the player and coach, along with the performance on the field.
Louis van Gaal‘s transfer dealings, team management and player selection will be in the cross-hairs. He, along with chairman Ed Woodward, has spent $379 million on 12 players in three windows. Memphis Depay has not lived up to his expectations, Bastian Schweinsteiger had lost a step before he moved to Manchester United and Van Gaal discarded Angel Di Maria and Javier Hernandez. In general ,the players who have left United have fared better than those who arrived in the last few windows.
Van Gaal has made some confusing roster choices. With their Champions League future on the line Tuesday, he gave Guillermo Varela his senior team debut. The choices through the midfield could not deal with Wolfsburg‘s pace. United have dealt with their fair share of injuries, but that cannot explain their inability to put together consistent performances.
Remember, this team has failed to score a goal in seven matches across all competitions. Van Gaal tried to use the team’s run in the Capital One Cup to show they are better off than last year, but they lost in the round of 16. United have the lowest goal total of any team in the top seven in the Premier League. Nothing they have done has been convincing.
On the surface, Manchester United should be headed to the knockouts in the Champions League. Their record this year, poor player selection and bad choices in the board room say that the Europa League makes sense. Still, it is not good enough for a team with virtually unlimited resources.
Douglas Smith is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DFresh39, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
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