Manchester United vs Swansea City - LVG targets title in 2016

Posted Friday, January 01, 2016 by PA

Louis van Gaal believes 2015 should largely be regarded as "a very good year" for Manchester United despite their current woes.

United are out of the Champions League and in the middle of their worst run for 26 seasons, but the United manager thinks it would be wrong to judge the year based on their displays in December.

After a dour 0-0 draw against PSV and a stalemate against Leicester, United began the month with a goalless encounter against West Ham.

Defeats against Bournemouth, Norwich, Stoke and Wolfsburg followed - as well as another goalless draw against Chelsea - and all of a sudden United were nine points behind leaders Arsenal in sixth position.

United may be ending the year on a low point, but after guiding the club to fourth last season and adding more "balance" to the squad in the summer, Van Gaal believes the team has moved forward over the last 12 months.

"When you don't assess December it was a very good year, 2015," said the United manager, who has spent more than B£250million since taking over 18 months ago.

"But you cannot do that because a year has 12 months.

"I think we have fulfilled the wish and our aim in the first season and after that we have managed to give balance to the team and that resulted in November we were first.

"Then we are out of the Champions League and that gives us a big blow."

Despite United's poor form, Van Gaal still has his eyes on the title, saying: "We need to win because at the end of the season I want to be top, not middle."

The pressure on Van Gaal will increase if United fail to beat Swansea at Old Trafford on Saturday.

"You have to show it for 90 minutes against the resistance of the opponent and also under the pressure of the environment and the pressure you put yourself under," said the Dutchman, who has lost all three games against Swansea since becoming United manager.

"And you have to cope with that.

"I was three times lost against Swansea, and then you have to evaluate why you lost. It is always like that, then you continue with the same vicious circle of working.

"There is no magic, it is looking at what has happened and what can improve, as a team but also as an individual player."

Jesse Lingard remains a doubt for the game on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Swansea will operate as normal in the January transfer window despite continued uncertainty over appointing a new manager.

That is the assessment of caretaker boss Alan Curtis, who remains in charge for a fifth time at Old Trafford.

Curtis is now the bookmakers' favourite to become the new Swansea manager, at least until the end of the season, after overseeing an improvement in form since Garry Monk's departure on December 9.

Swansea have gone three games unbeaten, beating West Brom and drawing against West Ham and Crystal Palace, since losing Curtis' first game at Manchester City to an injury-time goal.

And Curtis says that he has spoken to chairman Huw Jenkins about January targets with the transfer window set to open.

"I've enquired about it and there are funds available," Curtis said.

"The targets are the same as we were talking about a couple of months ago. You don't go into the January window in the last week or so with a new list of players.

"This has been done months ago, as soon as the last window shut you're almost looking to January for possible signings.

"You just work off the list on those names who have been there for a while, and hopefully you can find the right one to bring in."

Jenkins' search for a manager has taken him to South America with the former Argentina and Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa the favourite to succeed Monk at one stage.

Gus Poyet, Roberto Di Matteo and former Chelsea assistant Jose Morais have also been heavily linked with the post, but Curtis has proved a stabilising influence at the Liberty Stadium and will be involved in discussions over January targets.

"Huw and our scouts are in charge of that operation," Curtis said.

"I will know shortly which are those targets and which ones we are likely to bring in, if any."

Argentina defender Federico Fernandez is battling a bruised heel to make the trip.

Fernandez missed Monday's goalless draw at Palace as Curtis rotated heavily by making eight changes from the side which had beaten West Brom two days earlier.

Angel Rangel, Leon Britton, Ki Sung-yueng, Wayne Routledge, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Andre Ayew are all set to return.