Manchester United will travel to the English capital on Saturday to play against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final. The Red Devils may have earned their rightful ranking all the way to the final in Wembley, but that doesn’t in any way highlight the kind of season they have had.
In fact, their season has been far from progressive as United inexplicably failed to qualify for the Champions League for the second time in three years.
Regardless, winning the FA Cup is still better than finishing the season without a piece of silverware- Arsenal fans can gracefully attest to that. Manchester United certainly looks the better side going into the final against the Eagles, and as such are odds on to clinch the FA Cup; but that doesn’t suggest that they should approach the match with too much belief.
The FA Cup is the only competition in the world that has seen part-timers beat professionals at their own game. Although United and Palace are both in the Football League, the latter are massive underdogs going into the prized contest.
But the beauty of the oldest cup competition in the world is that anyone who wants it more can have it, quite like how Wigan Athletic toppled Manchester City to lift the 2013 FA Cup.
Here are three reasons why winning the FA Cup shouldn’t be enough for Louis van Gaal to retain his job as Manchester United manager.
Zero progress
Louis van Gaal is undeniably a good negotiator and may use the FA Cup title- should he win it- as a bargaining chip to avoid the sack. He may achieve a milestone by delivering a trophy that eluded even Sir Alex Ferguson for the longest time, but that shouldn’t be enough to save his job.
Under the Dutchman’s stewardship, Manchester United have taken a step forward and two steps backwards.
Reaching the FA Cup final and one season in the Champions League is certainly not worth £250M.
Possible managerial replacements still available
What will perhaps be the toughest Premier League season beckons with Antonio Conte and Pep Guardiola already signing for Chelsea and Manchester City.
Jurgen Klopp holds great promise having reached the Europa League final despite having an imbalanced squad, while Claudio Ranieri and Mauricio Pochettino have good enough sides to challenge for top four.
Manchester United would do best to find a replacement for Louis van Gaal while options are still available. Jose Mourinho is a promising prospect while a befitting offer could lure Diego Simeone from Atletico Madrid.
He has already lost support of the fans
Van Gaal has utterly and completely lost the support of majority of Manchester United supporters as was evident during the last game of the season against Bournemouth.
Aside from the low turnout, the Old Trafford crowd booed the gaffer while he was giving a vote of thanks for their season long support.
It will be a thankless task keeping him on the job with no supports and respect from the fans whatsoever.
Written by Brian Humphrey
Follow Brian on Twitter @brihum
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