Player Focus: Van Gaal's Reluctance to Sacrifice Control Stifling Ander Herrera
At the least, we have proof that Louis van Gaal isn’t completely blind to Ander Herrera’s talent. The Manchester United manager - for once - picked out the Spaniard for special praise after the side’s brilliant 3-0 win at Everton.
"I have seen a lot of individual players today who are playing very good, but that is also because the result is very good. When I have to mention one name, I have to mention Ander Herrera.”
That is encouraging for Herrera because he is mostly only mentioned in relation to questions over why he isn’t playing more. The Spaniard is 12th in terms of minutes played out of all United’s outfield players, with just 301 in the Premier League.
The worry for Herrera, at the same time, is that Van Gaal’s very next sentence indicated that stat is not going to change. Having been asked whether the midfielder would now play more, the manager was as blunt as ever.
"That is dependable on the game-plan, on how we play and how the opponent is playing. That is why I have selected this line up today. That is dependable on the qualities of the opponent. When Herrera is playing like that, it is difficult to not select him, but I can do it.”
From most perspectives, this just seems puzzling. It’s all the more frustrating because the Everton game had the feeling of a breakthrough moment for Herrera, of a sense of evolution during his time at Old Trafford. It seemed like the match that marked his maturation into the key midfielder he should be.
Herrera’s ability to run between the lines - as well as his risk-taking - seem to just make Manchester United a more adventurous team. They just look so much more cohesive in attack with him, too. His effect is multi-faceted, bringing out a greater fluency in the team, and just offering that possession more angles to play with.
It is a perception that has only been enhanced when he is alongside Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastien Schweinsteiger because it seems the perfect combination of robustness and sophistication with which to then properly release Herrera’s drive.
That drive, however, has been evident in the long-term.
With Herrera in the team, United score much more (1.82 goals per game compared to 1.48), though the win ratio remains relatively the same (54.5% with the Spaniard starting to 56% without him).
They also, however, concede more (1.23 compared to 0.72) and lose more - seven defeats in 22 games compared to three in 25. As such, it is no surprise they draw more games too.
United are just less prosaic with Herrera. Their games are more open.
And this is the thing with the 26-year-old. He is not just a midfield player, but almost one who the entire Van Gaal debate swings around. So, rather than this being a juncture moment, Herrera just remains a juncture player in the long-term push-and-pull about the “philosophy”.
Because, if you try to look at it from Van Gaal’s perspective, it’s obviously a lot less puzzling. The manager has spent so much of his time at Old Trafford preaching about how he wants “control” above all else, but Herrera doesn’t offer that “control”. He cuts loose.
He’s willing to risk losing that control if it means doing the type of things that ultimately win games. That can be seen in some of the more specific stats.
Herrera offers 1.4 key passes per game, which is only behind Juan Mata’s 1.9 for United. He is also fouled the second amount of times in the United team, at 1.4 per game, only behind Anthony Martial’s 1.9 of all players currently at the club. That indicates his initiative, his intent to try and make things happen.
As the overall stats also indicate, that tends to benefit United much more than it disadvantages them. It also makes them a more exciting team to watch, because there’s an element of thrill, of risk.
The problem is these are still traits that Van Gaal himself doesn’t enjoy.
It is an issue that seems likely to go on and on and on.
Does Ander Herrera warrant a regular starting spot for Manchester United? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
