Manchester United 1-2 Swansea City: Louis Van Gaal starts where Moyes left off

It was not supposed to be like this. This was to be the start of a new era, the moment when the Red Empire struck back.

Instead, Louis Van Gaal’s much heralded Old Trafford bow produced the sort of performance that would have been deemed poor even in the troubled tenure of David Moyes.

Few managers have been anticipated in the way the 63-year-old Dutchman has. The censensus was that a miracle worker was on his way.

His audition for this day included a World Cup in which he showed he was innovative and organised and an impressive run of victories by United over some of the best club sides in the world on their pre-season tour.

But when it came to the opening act, all the rehearsals proved treacherously deceptive. This United team is no better that the last one. Worse maybe.

Moyes’ time at Old Trafford was defined by home defeats to average teams and Swansea, in fact, knocked his United team out of the FA Cup here last season.

So the fact that the new man started his reign with a similar sort of embarrassing reverse against the Welsh club brought home just how far United are from the levels they regularly hit for more than two decades under Sir Alex Ferguson.

The new Van Gaal formation with three at the back, wing-backs, two main strikers and a traditional No.10 lasted just 45 minutes.

By the time the players re-emerged from the dressing room after conceding a 28th minute goal to Ki Sung-Yeung, they were back in a familiar 4-3-3.

It worked for a while. At least it got United back into a game they looked to be having no influence on.

Wayne Rooney’s 53rd minute goal with a close range overhead kick should have been the catalyst for his team to kick on and rescue the game, but nothing happened.

Swansea got behind them on a breakaway and Gylfi Sigurdsson hit the winner after 72 minutes.

Just like last season, the famed United never-say-die spirit was nowhere to be seen. The game petered out without the visitors’ goal ever being threatened in almost 20 minutes. Van Gaal himself was nowhere to be seen either. He sat on the bench alongside Ryan Giggs, making fastidious notes, and never once appeared in his technical area.

In contrast, Swansea boss Garry Monk spent the entire game on his feet, instructing and encouraging his players from almost on the touchline.

There was no visible response from Van Gaal when either of the goals his team conceded went in as the travelling Welsh fans sang: “You’re getting sacked in the morning.”

Giggs did provide a brief touchline presence late on, hands in tracksuit pockets, the days of him being able to influence anything directly long gone.

By then, the Swansea choir had switched their chant to “Is there a fire drill” as the red seats emptied around the Theatre of Dreams.

Of course, consideration has to be given to the fact that Van Gaal had almost half his squad unavailable through injury. In fact, there were more United players sitting suited and booted in the directors’ box than there were on the pitch.

The Dutchman has never been afraid to use kids if he has to and he gave debuts to 20-year-old Tyler Blackett in defence and Jesse Lingard, 21, in midfield simply because he felt they could fill the roles he required.

Anyone unfamiliar with the pair might have been even more confused by United’s bizarre publicity stunt to have the names of 11 of their sponsors’ “special mascots” on the back of their shirts instead of their own.

The players clearly struggled with three at the back in the first half.

Juan Mata’s role behind the front two of Rooney and Javier Hernandez meant United were usually outnumbered in central midfield. But unfamiliarity with systems was no excuse in the second half. They were just plain bad.