Louis van Gaal has called it the biggest game of his Manchester United reign, and the difference between winning and losing is simply immeasurable.
When United take their 3-1 lead over Club Brugge to the Jan Breydelstadion on Wednesday night in their Champions League play-off, they do so with hundreds of millions of pounds and two seasons riding on the result. And that’s not to mention the change it will make to the pulling power of a club who have suffered significant blows in the transfer market this summer.
Another campaign without Champions League football would be a near-disaster for United and, as reported by Goal, the manager pointed out on Tuesday that it would undo all of the work of last season too if they were to squander their position of superiority in Belgium.
“It was our aim to participate in the Champions League. We are still not there yet, it’s very important,” the Dutchman told a press conference.
“We have to play the game, at the end you have to have scored one goal more than the opponent. They have beaten Greek opponents [Panathinaikos] 3-0, they are capable of doing that with the support of their fans.”
Following a summer which has so far seen United miss out on many of their bigger name targets and lose the undivided attention of their two-time Player of the Year David de Gea, the last thing they need is to surrender their significant lead against Club Brugge.
Any claim that United are slipping from their position of European power could only be bolstered by elimination from the one competition that really counts on that front. No big names will be rushing to Old Trafford over the final six days of the transfer window for a taste of Europa League football, while De Gea’s seemingly inevitable exit would surely only be hastened. A club which has spent over £300 million across the last 20 months will be left with a booby prize to show for it.
Had they only led 2-1 in the tie, their position would only have been more precarious. Yet it is thanks to unlikely hero Marouane Fellaini that they take a two-goal advantage into the away leg, and the big Belgium could yet see his United spell revitalised as a result of the club’s indifferent transfer campaign.
The 27-year-old was pilloried after his first season with the club under David Moyes, with the expectation attached to his £27.5 million price tag proving difficult to shake off during a testing first 12 months.
Yet last season his form improved markedly and with United short on numbers and options in attack following the exits of Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao this summer, Fellaini is set to play a vital role in the forward line this term.
“He can play as a No.9 and a No.10, and he can also play as a No.6 and No.8,” Van Gaal said of the Belgium international on Tuesday.
“This year he will play more as a No.9 and No.10 rather than six and eight because there we have other players.”
It is not a new sensation for Fellaini to be thrust into a more elevated position, with his time at Everton punctuated by spells as one of the Toffees’ key attacking components.
“In the past I have played No.9 and No.10,” he stressed on Tuesday. “I have to help the team. I can play there. It’s not important where I play, the most important thing is to win the game. Of course it’s different, but I enjoy all the positions I can play in.”
But the level at which he will be expected to operate this season provides something of an unknown.
From a United fan’s point of view it feels very much like a Plan B to have Fellaini move into the forward line. While the Belgian’s height has already proven handy with that crucial injury-time goal eight days ago, on the face of it his presence in the forward line promotes the kind of percentage football that Old Trafford regulars have railed against for many years.
“Attack, attack, attack” is a common cry at home games these days, and Fellaini’s angular nature is not what the Stretford End has in mind when they implore their men to turn on the style. What they want is for Wayne Rooney to take the ball and dictate. They want Memphis Depay to thrill. They want Juan Mata to provide some magic.
They would have surely loved to see Pedro Rodriguez blaze a trail down the wing too, but that failed pursuit has been the latest black mark on their summer. After Sergio Ramos used them to get a new deal at Real Madrid, De Gea made it known his head is in the Spanish capital and they missed out on Nicolas Otamendi, United need a boost.
A return to the Champions League would provide exactly the kind of statement they need to be making right now. Modern football is a fickle environment, and a second successive campaign away from the top table would chip away a little more at the lustre of days gone by. That cannot be allowed to happen.
Success in Belgium, and United are on the way back to the top of the game with time to spare in the transfer window to make the most of their increased appeal. Failure is not even worth thinking about.
Posted by Janice Johnson
