Come on, Fletchinho

Every football team has their fan favorite player. A player that is part of the family, not just another furniture at the club. In United, I believe those who fit the criteria would be the class of 92. Luckily, the class of 92 has lived to its expectations and have become great servants for the club, making them legends. But what happens when a fan favorite stops performing at the level the club demands?

The first two league games for United fans were agonizing. They had to watch their beloved team be outplayed for 90 minutes by Swansea and Sunderland. The heart of the dreadful losses was the nervous and absent-minded center-midfielders. Fletcher-Herrera was the pairing that suffered the pain of being outclassed by Shelvey – Sirgudsson. Louis van Gaal then was forced – due to the injured Hererra –to start with a pairing that had no United fans excited,  Fletcher and Cleverly.

Fletcher, vice captain of Man United, has yet to perform, let alone shine from the two opportunities. Through almost a decade at the club, Fletcher has become a fan favorite. He has never been shy to show his passion for the club, especially on big games. Sir Alex’s big game player has succeeded to shine every time he is trusted to play in important games. The fight he puts in big games, is one of many reasons why he is many united fans’ favorite player. Players like him, are the kind that you would hate to leave. However, in these last two games, he has failed to deliver the minimum he is asked.

As a United and Darren Fletcher fan, it is heartbreaking to watch him under-perform. Like most relationships,it is hard to face the fact that it no longer works. Although the love is still there, it comes to a point where either party is getting nothing out of it.  Of course, United fans would love to see him do better, but at the moment it does not look likely. So what can United do? At the moment, nothing. With all the injuries they have, and the limited selection of decent center-midfielders, they will have to deal with Fletcher and pray that he gets back to his best.

A wake-up call for Van Gaal and United fans

Louis van Gaal has been in charge of Man United for two league games so far, only collecting a point out of the possible – and expected—six.  Under Moyes this would have been nothing shocking as United fans were on the verge of getting used to losses and draws under the Scott. However, this time around United fans have their hopes sky high coming into the league under new Dutch manager Louis van Gaal.  Even before their wonderful pre-season – winning all six of their friendlies – United fans were looking at their team with high hopes, knowing that they had a new manager, whom of which had just took an average Netherlands team into third place at the World Cup.

After coming back from the World Cup, Van Gaal took no holiday and headed straight to the US for United’s pre-season. After winning all six games in pre-season, including games against Real Madrid and Liverpool, United fans were thrilled with belief. Belief that the United, they once knew and loved were back. Back to winning ways. They believed that they actually had a chance of  winning the title back from city rivals Manchester City. Winning the league after coming 7th the previous season would seem a bit out of reach, but United fans could not contain themselves. It is what football can do to a fan.

However, watching United’s last two performances was heartbreaking for any United fan. The performance the team put was unbelievably ordinary. Nowhere near what you would expect from any United team. The midfielders looked as uncomfortable with the ball as Prabowo’s and Jokowi’s handshake. The defenders, who were new to Van Gaal's defensive system, had no idea what to do, or even how to pretend to know what to do. Watching the match, it would be understandable if one asked whether Moyes was still in charge. United fans being fed with hope during the World Cup and pre-season, now devastated with reality.

This is nothing more than a wake-up call for Van Gaal. Hopefully he now knows what he is dealing with. The English premier league is arguably the best league in the world, with teams at the bottom of the league being able to beat the top four. Being outplayed by Swansea and Sunderland has surely given him a little perspective on how tough the league really is. Having managed in the Bundesliga, the Eredivisie and the La Liga, Van Gaal has experienced coming into a new league and adapting with the differences. He now has to prove himself that he can compete in the best league in the world or else United fans won’t be hesitant to bring out their “Van Gaal Out” banners.
United fans too ought to wake up from their deluded dreams. They have to realize that although Louis van Gaal is a top manager, he is no magician. Judging from these previous performances, it would seem difficult for the Dutch to take a team full of mediocrity and turn them into champions. The fans now no longer have an inexperienced under-achiever as their manager. They now have to face the fact that the squad they have is not good enough to compete with the top four.