Share

Stoke edge Van Gaal closer to exit door

Stoke-on-Trent - Louis van Gaal's position as Manchester United manager is in serious jeopardy after his side's wretched form continued with a 2-0 defeat at Stoke City on Saturday.

Pre-match media reports suggested Van Gaal was one defeat away from the sack and the 64-year-old Dutchman saw his team's run of games without a win extended to seven at a windswept Britannia Stadium.

A weak back header from Memphis Depay enabled Glen Johnson to tee up Bojan Krkic for Stoke's opener in the 19th minute and Marko Arnautovic brilliantly slammed home the hosts' second goal seven minutes later.

Asked if he felt he still had the support of the United board and owners the Glazer family, Van Gaal told Sky Sports: "It's another situation. We have lost the fourth game (in succession), so you have to wait and see."

He added: "It's more difficult because I'm also part of the four matches that we have lost.

"So people are looking at me. I have to deal with that, but much more important is that the players have to deal with that because they have to perform."

It is United's worst run of results since an eight-game winless streak between December 1989 and January 1990, which could cost Van Gaal his job 18 months after his appointment as the successor to David Moyes.

Van Gaal, who dropped captain Wayne Rooney to the bench, had described the fixture as "must-win", having stormed out of his pre-match media conference due to the speculation about his future.

In the last month United have slipped out of the Premier League's top four and been eliminated from the Champions League in the group phase following a 3-2 defeat at German side Wolfsburg.

They were knocked out of the League Cup by second-tier Middlesbrough in October.

United face Chelsea at Old Trafford on Monday and the defeat at Stoke is likely to fuel speculation that the 20-time English champions will turn to Jose Mourinho, who was sacked by Chelsea last week.

While Stoke, managed by former United striker Mark Hughes, teased and tormented the visitors on the pitch, the home fans goaded Van Gaal with chants of "Jose Mourinho!" as the game wound down.

Van Gaal was rooted to his dug-out seat throughout the 90 minutes and looked a shell-shocked figure as he walked away at the final whistle, pausing briefly to wave to the travelling supporters.

Stoke took the game to United from the off, with Xherdan Shaqiri and Arnautovic causing particular problems.

Depay's blunder enabled Stoke to go ahead, Johnson seizing on the Dutch winger's disastrous header and squaring for Bojan, who threaded a shot through the legs of United defender Phil Jones on the line.

Stoke's second goal was a spectacular long-range strike from the right boot of Arnautovic.

When Bojan's free-kick cannoned against the United wall, it broke for the enigmatic Austrian, who produced a 20-yard thunderbolt for his sixth goal of the season.

Arnautovic then had a wonderful chance to put the game out of United's reach when he broke the offside trap in latching onto Bojan's astute pass, but with only David de Gea to beat, he dragged his shot wide.

It was no surprise that Van Gaal acted at half-time by bringing on Rooney for the ineffective Depay.

Rooney must have thought he had thrown his side a lifeline when he cut the ball back for the unmarked Marouane Fellaini, but from eight yards out the Belgian was thwarted by a one-handed save from Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland.

Although Stoke failed to hit the heights of their first-half display, they continued to look the more threatening going forwards, with De Gea making crucial saves to prevent both Arnautovic and Bojan getting on the scoresheet again.

"We took our chances with two good finishes and we were terrific," Hughes told the BBC.

"You always worry when you miss chances to make it 3-0, but we were reasonably comfortable."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1471 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE