Louis van Gaal keeps the faith

Manchester United 2 West Brom 0: Critics of Louis van Gaal and his Old Trafford style lament that his team might win but ‘it’s not the Manchester United of old’.

Up to a point they have a point, even if the view through red-tinted spectacles is slightly misted by memories of only the good times under Alex Ferguson and, further back, Matt Busby.

It’s true that van Gaal has a more pragmatic style but again, at the moment, it also appears he has less flair to play with in a squad that has been re-built from the back forwards.