Yep, a bit, and the defence a bit.
But what has really been hurting us for more than 2 years now is that we are NOT a team, and are not playing like one. For too long we have been trying or wishing for certain players to become or do what they simply are not / can't do, and by insisting on that we have either taken their qualities from them or sold them. Instead of having a team which compliments each other perfectly, we strangely want every player to defend and every attacker to be world class.
Ronaldo, Modric, Benzema, Di Maria couldn't be more different to each other, but they complemented each other perfectly. The caf has been giving Benzema a hard time, but HE was and is needed in the sea of RM's other excellent and yes better players and his team mates and Ancelotti appreciate him.
Now they have Kroos, who although a different player, shares some similar attributes (especially weaknesses) to Mata and Özil. Bayern fans here have been on record claiming how Kroos plays well when the team does well, and doesn't turn up when it isn't working. We have seen this already in games. He isn't physical either, neither is he quick. Still most of the Caf wanted him here (and not even as a 10, but in a 2 men midfield), but most of the caf is also on record blaming Mata and Özil for the same weaknesses. Still Kroos had been doing fine at Bayern and in the national team because he had other players around him (wingers with pace, all round mids, dm, hard working striker) who complemented him perfectly.
We wanted Kagawa and Mata to defend and tackle and what not. We wanted Chicharito to change his game. We didn't appreciate Welbeck's pace, presence, pressing, work rate and hard work, instead blaming him for not scoring when not even playing as a striker, but ironically we want Mata to be a bit like him (you know, we wish he could defend, had pace, etc.).
Now Welbeck and Özil/Cazorla will get the best out of each other at Arsenal, while we have sold Welbeck and if LvG continues to play our big names, we will also most probably get rid off Mata.
Instead of letting Mata be what he actually is (a quality attacker), linking up with 2 strikers (one who has pace and works hard (yes Welbeck), plus one of Rooney/RvP/Falcao (yes, we should be having one or mostly two of them, not three similar strikers), with Di Maria and 2 other midfielders behind them, plus a settled defence, then we would hardly be a team with big names who can't play together, but rather a team consisting of players with different attributes, who compliment each other perfectly.
Now that doesn't mean that Mata shouldn't try to improve defensively, or Welbeck attacking wise, but the potential is there, they are good/great young players willing to learn. However the focus should be on their primary attributes which should be appreciated. Let Mata do attacking and a cm + dm defending. You can't have 5 Matas, but you can't have 5 speed merchants or hard working guys either in the same team. However, you need one or two from both sets in order to get the balance right and in order to have some variety.
I was sure with LvG that we would finally play like a team again. But when I was finally getting over the loss of Welbeck (well what else should I do), then he delivers his next strange decision and drops Mata. Both players sold/dropped to accomodate the same 3 strikers who don't and no matter how many excuses the Caf makes who won't complement each other, because first of all they play the same position and second they are too similar with mostly similar weaknesses, oh and on a sidenote, they are a bit old and injury prone, too. I like Falcao and it's not his fault or decision to get rid off Welbeck, but if we had actually decided to sell Welbeck because we wanted to buy someone like Diego Costa + keep one of RvP/Rooney/Falcao, then the balance would have been perfect. But no, we had to have 3 similar strikers, and not only that, we are actually starting with all of them.
Yes it has only been one game and we were apparently (not true actually) in control, then how the hell did Leicester score 3 goals? Even if one was gifted, why did they always look like scoring everytime they advanced? And no, the attack wasn't fine, because if they could have kept the ball better Leicester might not have created those chances. It was also brilliant play by Di Maria to actually take Rooney's not so great pass and score a beauty, and good play by Falcao for the first goal (good work and great cross, from which RvP almost missed). It's not like it was great combination play which involved half a team or something similar. But what do we know about that? We are not a team after all, so it's either the attack's, the midfield's or the defence's fault, as if they were 3 different teams.
And if it was just one game, then it was also a game against a newly promoted team. Against a half decent team we should actually play with just one striker, and if LvG starts with three strikers, I don't even want to know what the top 1-7 teams in the league will do to us.
I am still hoping for LvG to turn it around. But he has already made some stupid mistakes, and if he continues to make them, then he won't be here for long. And after spending all that money, he'll only have himself to blame.
That's coming from someone who desperately wanted him because I know what he has done with Bayern (and yes I also know of his mistakes at Bayern) and how ppl at Bayern still give him some credit, not only for Bayern's success, but also a bit for Germany's national team.
But so far at United he has done a lot of things he didn't do at Bayern (spendig big, bringing in a last minute striker who doesn't offer much of what we didn't already have, getting rid off a promising youth product instead, not dropping big names, getting the attack even more unbalanced after having complained about an unbalanced squad, etc.).
That's what worries me, because if he is doing things that much differently to what he did at Bayern, then how and why should I be expecting or hoping for similar results to Bayern? (I don't mean game results, but what he leaves behind).
Really after spending so much and still needing to spend, we could have actually given that money to Guardiola or Mourinho instead (theoretically speaking, as they probably weren't available). Because with the players they like and can get, they actually guaranty wins and trophies on a much more regular basis than LvG!
