Manchester United’s Reaction To Capitulation At Leicester City Will Determine The Squad’s Mettle

Let’s get this out of the way, Louis van Gaal’s new-look squad failed its first test in the pressure cooker that is the Barclays Premier League.

Yes, referee Mark Clattenburg had a ‘shocker’ and allowed Leicester City back into the match when he dismissed Jamie Vardey’s barge of Rafael da Silva, then awarded a penalty to the forward only seconds later.

And the match official perhaps missed a foul on Tyler Blackett in the buildup of play that led to the penalty before Leicester’s fifth and final goal.

But Manchester United capitulated during their 5-3 loss to Leicester City. Full stop.

The moment David Nugent’s penalty cut United’s lead to 3-2 and the King Power Stadium erupted, Louis van Gaal’s side should have pulled together and weathered the storm.

Anyone who has seen Nigel Pearson’s club play knew that Leicester City were never going to stop working for another goal and would be unrelenting in their efforts to take points from the twenty-time champions of England. It’s how they’ve been trained to play and has become a part of the club’s makeup.

But no one from United stepped up to pull the squad together and organize the players on the pitch.

In past seasons that responsibility feel to Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, who were also surrounded by a squad of players who had played a number of matches together in some of the most intimidating surroundings.

This United squad is brand new to these situations.

Yes, the club have brought in world class talents; who showed their abilities earlier in the match (Falcao assisted the opening goal, Di Maria scored one of the goals of the early season and Ander Herrera created a moment of magic with a flick of his feet).

But these players have now only played two matches together. United’s new additions have not had the luxury of a preseason to get to know each other; due to injuries and the timing of their transfers to the club. It is just a harsh reality that they need to learn about each other, and what to expect from other teams in the English top flight, on the fly. And the Barclays Premier League doesn’t offer up many easy matches.

The cynics are once again lining up to criticize Manchester United’s summer spending spree by saying the club spent too much money in attack, while ignoring the needs United faced in defence. And there is truth in that.

But Van Gaal and United could only buy the players who were available at the time. The club are in need of a commanding centre-back who can orchestrate the mix of young talent and new signings at the back of United’s formation.

Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels was not for sale and AS Roma defender Mehdi Benatia was destined for Bayern Munich (despite what Sky Sports News’ Jim White tweeted). There were other defensive targets, but they were just not on the market. The result is a United side that is heavy in attacking quality and slim in defence.

Regardless of how ‘poor’ United’s back-three or back-four are, they should not be conceding five goals to Leicester City. United fans can be sure that Louis van Gaal and his staff will make that clear this week.

Van Gaal’s post-match comments were direct and to the point: “You never expect that when you’re 3-1 ahead. You have to kill the game and keep possession.”

“We couldn’t do that.”

On the decision which led to Leicester’s first penalty, the Dutch boss directed his comments towards his right-back: “As a player [Rafael], you don’t have to do that and then you allow the referee to whistle.”

“We have to look at ourselves.”

Will the club concede another four or five goals in a match this season? It is possible.

Manchester United’s reaction next week against another well-organized, unrelenting Premier League club, West Ham United, will show the mettle of Louis van Gaal’s men.