Louis van Gaal was told, all the way through his first season at United, that he needed a defensive screen in midfield.
The Dutchman went out and bought Morgan Schneiderlin. When Bastian Schweinsteiger came on the market at a cheap price, he brought the German in.
The plan was, surely, to pair Schneiderlin and Carrick, with Schweinsteiger as a more than competent back-up. The English midfielder has been blighted by injury this season, however, so ‘Schweinderlin’ have been paired up.
Both are tidy players but cannot pick a forward pass like Carrick. Schweinsteiger does not have the same dynamism of old but has improved in recent weeks – winning his team three points in their last two games.
Schneiderlin started well and looked more than settled when he scored in the 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park. Everything looked rosy after that game.
His form dipped last month and he was criticised, by John Giles on RTE, for a lack of courage and attacking drive in the 0-0 draw with PSV Eindhoven. Amid cries of ‘Attack, attack, attack’ Schneiderlin wilted and was subsequently dropped for the 1-1 draw with Leicester.
The former Southampton midfielder believes fans are entitled to voice their opinions about United.
“Every team we come up against is putting 10 people behind the ball and defending for their lives,” he told the club’s official website.
“Sometimes, it’s difficult to create and find space but, of course, we should create more chances and do more.”
Schneiderlin added, “I know there is criticism but we let people do their talking. Our job is to deliver by winning games. I’ve seen teams win the Premier League with good, solid defences and not conceding goals.
“Football is like that sometimes. But, of course, we need to work on our formation to try to score goals and win games.
