Abhranil Roy
With the media divided on whether van Gaal is staying or going in the summer, Manchester United, as a club, need to rethink their priorities. It has been proved that money does not guarantee prosperity, as ever since Fergie left in 2013, David Moyes and Louis van Gaal have spent a combined 300 million pounds between them, but United are no closer to challenging for the league title or making an impression in Europe. Under such circumstances, rumours have surfaced about whether the Dutch manager will be sacked or not, with De Telegraaf reporting that he will leave only after seeing out his contract while the likes of Guillem Ballague certain that Jose Mourinho will take up the job in the summer. Manchester United’s directors appear to want Mourinho for his instant rewards and ability to spend large sums of money wisely. Mauricio Pochettino, another candidate for the job, would offer an attractive brand of football and the successful promotion of youth while Ryan Giggs, United’s current assistant manager would give a link to the glory years and someone who appeals to the supporters. Besides these names, there is one manager whose name isn’t in the list, but who I, personally believe will be an excellent choice. That man is Laurent Blanc, the former Manchester United centre-back, and the current PSG Manager.
Why Blanc?
Laurent Blanc is often extremely underrated as a coach, it is often assumed that his success at PSG is down to the fact that they have staggering amounts of money to spend. However, what people forget is that in his first assignment at Bordeaux, he not only won the league and cup in his second season at the club but took the Les Girondins to the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier competition. It was Bordeaux’s first league title in 10 years, and they haven’t finished in the top four since his departure.
Even at Stade Paris, he has led his team to 3 successive league titles, and completed the domestic treble last season, and they can emulate the same this year as well. In the Champions League, PSG have reached the quarter-finals for the last two seasons and are in the same position this season as well, while the former Barca man has masterminded wins over Chelsea and the Blaugrana. His team has the perfect mix of youth and experience, with the likes of Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva leading the squad with their skill and vision, while talented youngsters like Verrati, Rabiot, Matuidi make up for the legs and craft. Despite the riches available at PSG, the Frenchman has promoted youngsters Adrien Rabiot, Kingsley Coman, Hervin Ongenda, PresnelKimpembe and Jean-Kevin Augustin to the first team, while also recruiting youngsters Marquinhos and Lucas Digne. Under him, it is extremely likely that the proud tradition that the Red Devils have of integrating academy players with the first team will continue ,while his ability to handle the media pressure and the player’s ego( as we saw with the Sergio Aurier story last year) will ensure that the footballers can keep doing what they do best.
Playing Style:
Unlike van Gaal, Blanc makes and implements his tactics in a fixed manner during the game, and not haphazardly. However, like the former Oranje manager, he likes his team to keep possession, but they can also counterattack and press high if the situation so demands. To his credit, he has brought the best out of Angel di Maria once again, after the Argentine spent a flat, demoralising season at Old Trafford in 2014/15. Under him, one can expect the likes of Depay, Martial, Schneiderlin and Rashford to thrive, given the way he focuses on buildups and the pacy wingmen.
Fan view:
It would be a dream come true if Blanc came to manage the team, at least for me. However, given the United board’s fixation with big names and also the fact that Blanc recently extended his contract with the Parisians till 2018, I doubt if it could be a reality.
