da betobet： After a rather poor start to the season in which many expected Manchester United to roll over the newly promoted sides, the Red Devils have finally steadied the ship under Louis van Gaal and now sit fourth in the Premier League table.
da lvbet： However there are still several issues the Dutchman must fix if he wants to continue this run before the league resumes next weekend.
So, with that in mind, here are FIVE PROBLEMS Manchester United must fix during the International Break.
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Defence is the best form of Defence
Manchester United spent over a massive £150million during the summer transfer window, and unfortunately that large sum hasn’t resolved the defensive issues indicated after the departures of three key defenders.
Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic, and Rio Ferdinand… all three veterans at marshalling the back-line, left the club in May but although Evra has been replaced with Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo, the United hierarchy have not purchased a world class centre-back and it has been telling.
Manager Louis van Gaal has however been unlucky with the high number of injuries, so the international break couldn’t have come at a better time in order to ease the likes of Johnny Evans and Phil Jones back into the defensive fray.
Killing off their opponents
It has to be said that Manchester United over the past two seasons do not have the composure to kill off games when they’re winning.
Take the last three games for example, in which Leicester were trailing 2-0 only 30 minutes into the fixture, but managed to level the game and ultimately go on to win it 5-3.
And while the last two games finished in 2-1 victories for the Red Devils, they were extremely close to conceding an equalizer, as Wayne Rooney got sent off against West Ham at 2-1 and David de Gea needed to make three incredible saves to gain three points against Everton.
With the vast amount of technical players at their disposal, surely United can attack early and then kill off the game by keeping possession?
Getting the best out of Radamel Falcao
Only a year ago Radamel Falcao was considered the best striker on the planet, as the Colombian scored an astonishing 70 goals in just 91 appearances for Atletico Madrid. He was purchased to Monaco for £48million and many great things were expected of him and the Ligue-1 side.
But a serious knee injury early this year halted his goalscoring exploits, as well as ending Falcao’s opportunity to star in a World Cup.
Making his return from injury, Manchester United snapped up Falcao on deadline day and will now look to the 28-year-old as a consistent source for goals this season.
He scored his first last weekend, but thus far he looks nowhere near the unplayable striker Chelsea faced two years ago in the UEFA Super Cup, in which he bagged a hattrick.
If Van Gaal can get the best out of Radamel Falcao over the coming weeks, then Premier League defences – even Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea – should be sweating in their boots.
Bringing Michael Carrick back into the lineup
Manchester United’s weak spot last season was in midfield, as Michael Carrick was probably the only midfielder with the quality expected of a Red Devil.
However the Englishman sustained an injury in pre-season and has yet to feature in this campaign, but according to reports, could be making his comeback in the upcoming weeks.
At the moment Louis van Gaal is deploying a 4-3-1-2 midfield diamond system, with Daley Blind anchoring Ander Herrera and Angel di Maria in midfield while Juan Mata plays ‘in the hole’ behind the strikers.
If Carrick was to return, he could replace Mata and give Di Maria the opportunity to be used behind the front two of one of either Radamel Falcao, Wayne Rooney, or Robin van Persie?
Or, as it has been suggested, Carrick could be used as a make-shift centre-back with such a long list of injuries… although this experiment did not pay dividends when used in the past by Sir Alex Ferguson.
Who should start up-front?
Manchester United have some of the best attacking players in the league, and what comes with this luxury is a selection dilemma for manager Louis van Gaal.
The Red Devils squad contains three world class centre-forwards in summer signing Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie, and captain Wayne Rooney… all vying for the same position.
Usually Rooney could slot in behind the other two, but with Juan Mata and Angel di Maria also in with a shout to play ‘in the hole’, no player is safe in the starting eleven.
It may very well all come down to form, but ultimately any team coming up against Manchester United will need extra defensive preparation against an unpredictable attack.