3. Belief
David Moyes’ biggest blunder at Manchester United had nothing to do with his tactical ineptitude or his indecision in the transfer market; it was his lack of faith in his own players.
Take what Moyes told the press before Manchester United’s match against Shaktar Donetsk as exhibit A:
“To win the Champions League, you need five or six world-class players. Look at Bayern Munich, they have it. Look at Barcelona, who had it in the past and Real Madrid, who have maybe got it now. That’s the level you have to be at to win it. We’ve not got that yet but what we have got is experience.”
David Moyes had essentially written off his own team – a team that had won the EPL by 11 points the previous season – one match into the Champions League. That’s the sort of confidence Moyes had in his players throughout his tenure, and they reflected that same lack of belief on the pitch.
Louis van Gaal’s biggest task at hand has been rebuilding Manchester United’s swagger and returning the fear factor that defined the club under Ferguson’s rule. Based on the confidence and panache that United displayed on their preseason tour, LVG’s work already seems to be paying off. United’s 3-1 win over Liverpool in the final was perhaps the finest example: despite going in at halftime down 1-0, United reacted like a vintage United team should and scored 3 unanswered goals in the second half.
Van Gaal’s Manchester United will go into every match expecting 3 points, just as Ferguson’s United did.
