Manchester United finish third in their group after Wolfsburg loss

Manchester United lost 3-2 to Wolfsburg on Tuesday and finished third in Group B of the Champions League. A month earlier, such a failure had seemed almost impossible for The Red Devils. They had, however, been struggling to score goals: only nine in their last 11 games, and none at all in five of those matches. United had also lost on penalties to Middlesbrough and been knocked out of the Capital One Cup. The Red Devils’ fans clearly did not like the team’s playing style.

United did not concede many goals, but the club has traditionally been known for outstanding attacking football. The Red Devils looked toothless against West Ham in a 0-0 draw. And although they scored twice against Wolfsburg, the second goal was rather fortunate. Many fans blamed Fellaini above all for the defeat, joking that his haircut was bigger than his head.

Another reason for Manchester United’s inconsistency was a flawed transfer policy. Former Liverpool and Manchester United striker Michael Owen said: ‘Rafael, Nemanja Vidic, Johny Evans, Patrice Evra, Nani, Kagawa, Robin van Persie, Javier Hernandez, Januzaj and Danny Welbeck should have never left the squad.’

Despite his goals, Anthony Martial was not ready to carry the full responsibility for United’s attack. Wayne Rooney had performed at an average level since the start of the season, and there were no other options up front apart from Wilson, who was not yet ready to play at that level.

Red Devils legend Paul Scholes was even harsher and attacked United manager van Gaal. ‘Manchester United look like an average team with an average performance. They spent £250 m. and are unable to pass this shockingly weak group,’ said Scholes. It was the second time the former midfielder had criticised van Gaal; a month earlier he had criticised Martial, and he may have had a point.

Another former Manchester United player, Rio Ferdinand, was very disappointed by the recent poor results and the third-place finish in Champions League Group B. He called it disappointing and recalled being in the squad when United had played in the Europa League, describing that as a real blow. People look at the players, he said, and say they are not good enough and question their ability, and this was a team that had failed to get through the group stage.

Louis van Gaal is a great football manager, but perhaps Manchester United were not the right club for him. His preferred playing style did not win over the vast majority of The Red Devils’ fans. To be fair, he took over the club in a very difficult situation after David Moyes’ disastrous spell in charge. The Dutchman stabilised the team’s defence and proved himself a great expert. The question was whether he was flexible enough to change the team’s style and win back the fans’ sympathy.

The rest of the 2015-16 season

Group B was won by Wolfsburg with 12 points, ahead of PSV Eindhoven on ten, while United's eight points sent them into the Europa League. Wolfsburg went on to beat Real Madrid 2-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final in April 2016, before a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabeu took the Spanish club through 3-2 on aggregate.

In the Europa League, United lost 2-1 away to Midtjylland in the round of 32 but won the return 5-1 at Old Trafford, with Marcus Rashford scoring twice. In the last 16 they met Liverpool, lost 2-0 at Anfield and drew 1-1 at home, going out 3-1 on aggregate. In the Premier League United finished fifth on 66 points, level with Manchester City but behind them on goal difference, and so missed out on the Champions League.

Van Gaal's departure

The season did end with a trophy. On 21 May 2016 United beat Crystal Palace 2-1 after extra time in the FA Cup final. Jason Puncheon put Palace ahead in the 78th minute, Juan Mata equalised three minutes later and Jesse Lingard scored the winner in the 110th minute. It was not enough to save the manager. United dismissed van Gaal on 23 May 2016, two days after the final, and on 27 May appointed Jose Mourinho on a three-year contract.