United are starting to win the games theyre supposed to United were handed a relatively soft start to the season. But they still dropped points against Swansea, Sunderland, Burnley, Leicester and West Brom. In the last three games, theyve beaten Crystal Palace and Hull. Theyre two games United were expected to win. But that wasnt happening at the start of the season. The 3-0 win over Hull was a reminder of the days when 3pm kick-offs on a Saturday afternoon usually meant comfortable wins. Van Gaal isnt afraid of making changes Lots of managers would have tried to keep changes to a minimum after winning at Arsenal. But not Van Gaal. He ditched his three-man defence for the game against Hull, dropped Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair to the bench, and reverted to a back four. And then, to make sure United saw out the game without any problems, he switched Chris Smalling to right back and moved Michael Carrick into defence for the final few minutes. The Dutchman expects a lot of his players, including versatility. Robin van Persie has still got it Robin van Persie has had a difficult season. After a long summer at the World Cup, he hasnt looked the same player who arrived at Old Trafford from Arsenal in 2012. His form has even led to some calls for him to be dropped, and he might not have started against Hull if Radamel Falcao had been fully fit. But in one flash of his left foot, Van Persie showed that hes still got it. We might not have seen enough of it this season, but class is permanent. Ander Herrera has given Louis van Gaal something to think about Ander Herrera hasnt been seen since being hooked at half-time against West Brom more than a month ago. Since then, hes been recovering from a cracked rib and was made to play for the reserves against Blackburn on Tuesday night. But on as a first-half substitute against Hull, he delivered a timely reminder of what he can do. Bouncing passes around with Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata, he looked like the type of player you might spend £28m on. With Angel Di Maria already ruled out of the game against Stoke on Tuesday, Herrera is likely to start. Another impressive performance and hell have made a strong case to start every week. Itll be a while before we see the best of Radamel Falcao Radamel Falcao has missed a lot of football. Hes yet to complete 90 minutes for United and his cameo against Hull was his first appearance in more than a month. He should have scored against Hull, hitting Michael Dawson on the line after being teed up by Juan Mata. It was symptomatic of a player whos lacking match fitness and a little bit of confidence. Its something that wont return until he stays injury-free and gets a run of games.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 06:17:10 +0000
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