Louis van Gaal had warned that these things will take time. David
Moyes, watching in a Doha TV studio, ought to have allowed himself some
schadenfreude towards the executive vice-chairman who sacked him in
April. Indeed, the former Old Trafford boss urged time for his successor.
Perhaps Moyes' biggest mistake was to beat Swansea 4-1 a year ago. It gave an incorrect impression that all in United's garden could continue to be rosy.
The club sat on laurels and only added one player. The same cannot be allowed to happen under Van Gaal, or else United's slide below the top four might become terminal.
"We have built up a lot of confidence," said Van Gaal afterwards. "But it will be smashed down by this result."
Having given such a bleak verdict, he refused the chance to state how many players he will need to solve matters. "I don't discuss this with you," he told journalists at his news conference, but he had already signalled his need for more and better.
"I know on what positions we need better players," he said. "But you have to buy only when the player can fulfil the way of playing that I ask. We will have to wait and see.
"You cannot say because of one game that we lost, and all the others we won, that it is the defence. It's the team. We never played as a team, I think, and that's our error, and also we don't reach the required level and maybe because of that we haven't played like a team."
Bodies are needed, and badly. With injuries wracking a squad that is recovering from a lengthy money-making tour of the United States, Van Gaal was forced to select a team low on quality, speed and experience.
Jesse Lingard and Tyler Blackett, for example, were thrown into a match far beyond their capabilities at this time in their careers.
Van Gaal prefers youngsters, in that they will listen more carefully to his dictatorial instructions, yet Old Trafford is not currently being graced by a generation in the same galaxy as the "Class of '92" with which Alex Ferguson conquered Europe.
From the bench, Ryan Giggs, that group's godhead and now assistant manager, was a frequent visitor to the sidelines as Swansea's greater organisation took the game away from United.
"We limited Manchester United in free play to very few chances," said Swansea manager Garry Monk, before delivering a more damning verdict. "We can get better than that."
Old Trafford sighed in resignation when referee Mike Dean blew the final whistle. Van Gaal does not, after all, have a magic wand. Instead, hard cash will need to be spent, far and beyond the 100 million-plus pounds already lavished on Woodward's watch.
Juan Mata, the player whose 37 million-pound capture from Chelsea was grandstanded by Woodward in January, was an anonymous shadow of his Stamford Bridge self, just as he has been throughout his painful United career. Ander Herrera, who cost 29 million, while at least looking to create, showed that he may take time to adjust to English football.
Luke Shaw sat in the stands with a hamstring injury, while Marouane Fellaini was brought on as a last throw of the dice by Van Gaal and looked just as luckless as he did under Moyes. Four expensive signings, and none yet productive.
"I have seen a lot of players very nervous and making the wrong choices," said the United manager. "These players have to be used to this expectation because this is Manchester United. You have to cope with the pressure."
Perhaps Moyes' biggest mistake was to beat Swansea 4-1 a year ago. It gave an incorrect impression that all in United's garden could continue to be rosy.
The club sat on laurels and only added one player. The same cannot be allowed to happen under Van Gaal, or else United's slide below the top four might become terminal.
"We have built up a lot of confidence," said Van Gaal afterwards. "But it will be smashed down by this result."
Having given such a bleak verdict, he refused the chance to state how many players he will need to solve matters. "I don't discuss this with you," he told journalists at his news conference, but he had already signalled his need for more and better.
"I know on what positions we need better players," he said. "But you have to buy only when the player can fulfil the way of playing that I ask. We will have to wait and see.
"You cannot say because of one game that we lost, and all the others we won, that it is the defence. It's the team. We never played as a team, I think, and that's our error, and also we don't reach the required level and maybe because of that we haven't played like a team."
Bodies are needed, and badly. With injuries wracking a squad that is recovering from a lengthy money-making tour of the United States, Van Gaal was forced to select a team low on quality, speed and experience.
Jesse Lingard and Tyler Blackett, for example, were thrown into a match far beyond their capabilities at this time in their careers.
Van Gaal prefers youngsters, in that they will listen more carefully to his dictatorial instructions, yet Old Trafford is not currently being graced by a generation in the same galaxy as the "Class of '92" with which Alex Ferguson conquered Europe.
From the bench, Ryan Giggs, that group's godhead and now assistant manager, was a frequent visitor to the sidelines as Swansea's greater organisation took the game away from United.
"We limited Manchester United in free play to very few chances," said Swansea manager Garry Monk, before delivering a more damning verdict. "We can get better than that."
Old Trafford sighed in resignation when referee Mike Dean blew the final whistle. Van Gaal does not, after all, have a magic wand. Instead, hard cash will need to be spent, far and beyond the 100 million-plus pounds already lavished on Woodward's watch.
Juan Mata, the player whose 37 million-pound capture from Chelsea was grandstanded by Woodward in January, was an anonymous shadow of his Stamford Bridge self, just as he has been throughout his painful United career. Ander Herrera, who cost 29 million, while at least looking to create, showed that he may take time to adjust to English football.
Luke Shaw sat in the stands with a hamstring injury, while Marouane Fellaini was brought on as a last throw of the dice by Van Gaal and looked just as luckless as he did under Moyes. Four expensive signings, and none yet productive.
"I have seen a lot of players very nervous and making the wrong choices," said the United manager. "These players have to be used to this expectation because this is Manchester United. You have to cope with the pressure."
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