Manchester United should not let fourth place hide them from their failures

Manchester United are in with a horrible chance of finishing fourth. For the first time in many months, they are in control of their destiny, in as much as winning their next two games will guarantee them fourth place, at least. It’s been mentioned briefly before, but were they to guarantee themselves Champions League football next season, then there is a possibility that it would do them more harm than good. The players, manager and Ed Woodward might mistakenly take it as some kind of vindication for the practices of the last two years. Really, just as Leicester City have got lucky with the rest of the league being an abomination, not a great deal should be read into this season as a guide for how to do things in 2016/17.

Woodward, obviously, needs to be sacked. This is a man who balked at paying the release clause for Pedro, apparently swaggering around with his lowballing efforts, assured of his own assiduousness. That looked less impressive when Chelsea simply offered the required amount of money, too. He’s carried on as if he’s a negotiating genius before, offering by far the largest offer for Gareth Bale when he was at Spurs, but still ending the transfer window with Marouane Fellaini and his elbows. He has looked and felt confident over Sergio Ramos, Cesc Fabregas, and others, only to see everything blow up in his calamitous face.

And yet, still he loves the attention of journalists and wants the adoration of the fans, his desire for praise and love outweighing the prerequisites of discretion and competence in his dealings. Look at the farce at which David Moyes was sacked, the story first appearing in the press, Moyes only being notified of his fate the day after. It’s not just incompetence then, but a lack of respect shown to those who deal with him. Having led both Louis van Gaal and Moyes in a dance over various matters, it would be no surprise if he has Jose Mourinoh - well confident of his position as the next manager of United - fuming when he decides to keep Van Gaal on for another.

Do not forget, Woodward was describing Van Gaal as a ‘genius’ to anybody who would listen this winter. He is concerned that were he to sack Van Gaal this summer that attention would be drawn to his initial support of Moyes as Alex Ferguson’s appointment, and the wasted hundreds of billions that have been spent to put together a truly underwhelming squad. Fourth place, to a board that doesn’t know any better, might give Woodward sufficient capital to escape with Van Gaal in place for one more year.

And that would be a desperate situation, because then Ryan Giggs would almost certainly be given the job. Giggs has shown no aptitude, either on the pitch or off it, for management. He has simply been at and around a successful club while being the right kind of player for the circumstances created by Ferguson. Giggs has shown that with his guileless positioning in the press that he is not cut out for the Machiavellian requirements of the job at Old Trafford. But he has, at least, the self-awareness not to have jumped ship to Swansea - yet - to prove without doubt that he’s not up to the job. For United and Giggs, the worst thing they could do is show how unsuitable he is for the job at United before he takes it. Champions League qualification would only make this more likely.

As well as the next manager, the current one should not be encouraged. This week has has said he is ‘very arrogant’ and also ‘one of the best managers in the world.’ There’s a chance he was, once, looking at his CV, but looking at what he’s achieved recently, it is easy to discount it. Afforded vast riches he has a side that has Daley Blind in central defence, Jesse Lingard as a number 10, and Wayne Rooney in the squad. If those are not signs that he is no longer in control of a suitably ruthless mind, then who knows what is. But with the removal of Shinji Kagawa, Javier Hernandez, Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie, Luis Nani, James Wilson and Danny Welbeck with only a couple of attacking replacements, there is every indication that his ruthlessness is now merely an exercise in self-harm. He does not seem, in any serious way, a terrible man, or unnecessarily unpleasant. But his current lack of awareness about his capabilities mean that fourth place will assure him that his methods are working - and look, a FA Cup too! - instead of appearing at first as a way to leave with his reputation still largely intact for the wider world of football.

The players, too, should realise that finishing fourth is not sufficient. Because of Prof. Failure at the Emirates, fourth place has been established as the arbitrary minimum requirement of fans, extended from the financial rewards that comes with it. Players are aware of this too, and have come to regard fourth place as a selfie-justifying source of celebration. It is not. Fourth place still means that they are the fourth best teams in the league, only a couple of wins away from mid-table. It might bring contractual bonuses and trips to glamorous clubs into January, but it is not a great success. The United players, playing as if zombies for most of the season, rarely able to perform at their peak, cannot blame Van Gaal alone for their struggles.

It is no surprise that they don’t care for Van Gaal’s methods, but they are the only ones to blame for the rank incompetence on display for much of the season. But as discussed, they aren’t alone in expediently ignoring reality. The manager needs to believe he is still great, and Woodward needs to pretend he is, too. Fifth, and the chastening effect that comes with it, would not allow them to cheat reality. Fourth would, and would only prolong the disastrous post-Ferguson, post-2005 debacle.