He doesn't trust any of our defenders to actually do their job properly. And he's right; they're all varying levels of mediocre. He thinks three at the back is the best formation to hide their defensive frailties. I don't think there's anything wrong with that tactical decision in isolation.
But to have three central defenders on the pitch robs us of a proper attacking threat out wide as Shaw and Valencia( or any other rb we play there) aren't wing backs. They're better at making overlapping runs and creating overloads for the winger to exploit. They're not an attacking threat in their own right like other players are. Valencia should be, but he isn't.
Van Gaal is obsessed with control of the ball so three in the middle which theoretically hides their defensive flaws, and also provides a ball player in the centre is a very appealing thing for him. I think that's the reason he started Blind there today and why he's started Carrick there in the past.
But once you go with 3/5 at the back you're then in trouble as the more attacking players begin to find themselves in positions they're unaccustomed to. Rooney isn't a ball playing creative midfielder and neither is Di Maria a floating second striker. He's looking for control from the back, control from the midfield and pace up front. That's an admirable thing to strive for, I think, but he doesn't have the players to implement that system IMO. Rooney, for all his qualities, is too slow on the ball and isn't that great a passer from deeper positions. So I think you're right about United having the players to implement a faster system. But the balance still isn't right. He's looking for a system that allows him to utilise the qualities of all his best players whilst also keeping control of the game. But when our best players are our forwards, the system fails. There's control, but not enough thrust. I think it can be argues that out of our front 6 only RVP was playing in the position he was most accustomed to.
I hope that makes sense and isn't a load of old bollocks.
