Essentially, a good manager always has a mobile mechanism at the back of his head that tends to equate his club’s current season with the previous records without missing out on a single detail almost similar to the concept of Artificial Intelligence responsible for optimizing the results better.

As the way things exist at Old Trafford right now, it wouldn’t be beyond Louis Van Gaal’s intellect to have already made a closer look at his books in carving out his SWOT analysis for the 15/16 season which faces his stats from the last season as more of a TOWS analysis. To spot stark differences between Manchester United’s 14/15 and 15/16 seasons under LVG’s reign as manager, certain statistics ought to provide a clearer perspective for a more accurate comparison and a better insight into forming the right opinion when it comes to questioning the Red Devils’ credentials so far in the top-most flight of English football.

So, are Manchester United really better than what they were last season? Uh-oh! Correction: Are United really better than how they were last season?

When Louis Van Gaal was appointed to helm the state of affairs at Old Trafford on 19 May, 2014 signing a three-year deal, he vowed to make history at the club. The Dutch coach officially started in July after the World Cup and was seen to be an anti-Moyes disciplinarian who too had big ambitions with Manchester United. The club, however, had been struggling in the wake of David Moyes’ contributions that landed United in their first season since 1989-90 without eligibility to compete in any European competition. They also competed in the two domestic cups, the FA Cup and the League Cup along with opening their Premier League campaign for the season 14/15 on 16 August 2014.

For the entire fan community, it was a big deal not seeing the Red Devils in any European competition for the first time in 25 years. It was symbolic of being ripped off all royalty United had amassed over the years as a formidable European giant. But there were greater things and stake and bigger issues to address than to whine over spilled Moyes from the past. So, here’s what happened in the last season for Manchester United bossed by LVG and associate manager Ryan Giggs in their first seasons respectively. A brief summary from United 2014-15 campaign:

English Premier League – Finished 4th
FA Cup – Round 6
League Cup – Round 2

All these results saw Manchester United qualifying for the Champions League play-off round naming Wayne Rooney as the top-scorer of the season with 14 goals to his tally. Also, the departure of senior players Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra saw Rooney becoming the captain of the squad.

LVG made bold moves hitting the transfer window one step ahead at the time acquiring the likes of Herrera, Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo, Di Maria, Daley Blind and Timothy Fosu-Mensah. On September 1, 2014 Radamel Falcao was loaned in from AS Monaco.

All this still didn’t guarantee of a sweeter climax than a 4th finish at the table. As a matter of fact, the Glazers have funded Ed Woodward and LVG well-enough to run their club in a fashion that at least keeps their pride as one of the biggest clubs in the world intact not by selling merchandise but showing better results than the past seasons.

Now, coming back to the full-brainer, Is United better under LVG’s second season than his first? Well, he definitely claims it to be the case. Statistically, 2015-16 season has already seen better results from the Red Devils:

English Premier League – 5th
FA Cup – Round 6
League Cup – Round 4
UEFA Champions League – Group Stage (3rd)
UEFA Europa League – Round of 16

It all lies in the balance of getting a Champions League spot in the 2016-17 season for United. Even without that, this has been a far better season.

The Dutch coach says his team have improved this season even with their lengthy injury list and is hopeful he can end the campaign with success in one of the cup competitions. Although cup runs will ultimately decide legacy, he has not ruled out a challenge for the title and is of the view that a top-four finish would be “fantastic”.

Clearly, Van Gaal’s more realistic hopes of a trophy lie with the FA Cup and the Europa League, which means that the next fortnight will be a critical period for his season. Facing West Ham in an FA Cup quarter-final next Sunday, in between a two-legged European tie against Liverpool, a no-wins scenario would leave United little to look forward to over the final two months of the season, but Van Gaal sees signs of optimism nonetheless.

Despite the extensive injury-hits, the Red Devils have been forced to turn to youth this campaign with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Fosu-Mensah and Guillermo Varela all impressing in the first team. So, that has been a great leap in terms of the club showing improved results as compared to the previous season. As more and more young guns come of age, the future only looks bright for Van Gaal’s army.

To quote the boss’s lines from interviews, here’s a portion of how Van Gaal supports his claim of being a much-better unit this season than the last. He surely knows how to provide the correct testaments at the correct time. Just saying!

“When we had only three or four players injured earlier in the season, we were first in the Premier League. But nobody remembers that.”

“I think this team is better than last year’s, but we don’t get the benefit of that because we have had so many injuries”

“This year, we have a smaller group than last year, but we have an injury list of 14 or 15 players. Every week we have a big problem. So to reach our aim to be in the Champions League, it would be fantastic, and it would mean my staff will have done fantastically well.”

“Manchester United have never won the Europa League, so it would be fantastic for our fans if we could do that. Winning a trophy always means more than finishing fourth in the Premier League, but qualifying for the Champions League is our aim.”

“Finishing in the top four is still our aim, but we are also aiming to win a trophy,” he said.

A top-four league finish would ensure a Champions League place, but so would winning the Europa League. Van Gaal sees a two-legged victory over Liverpool, and success in Europe, as an enticing prospect and one which would certainly give the fans satisfaction of having a better season attributed with growth and young talent rising up to the occasion.