Louis van Gaal is one of the best coaches in the world but he must fix Manchester United's defence

• Louis van Gaal has answers after the game but needs solutions before
• Manchester United boss needs to teach his gung-ho galacticos to defend
• Van Gaal needs to pick his best back four and stick with it
• It is ludicrous that Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic all left
• Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have not trained on as their replacements
• Van Gaal needs to decide if he rates £31million signing Luke Shaw
• He also must decide which position is best for Marcos Rojo 
• Youngster Tyler Blackett has been a silver lining at the back, however

By Martin Keown Follow @@martinkeown5

Published: 16:36 EST, 22 September 2014 | Updated: 14:17 EST, 23 September 2014

There are few coaches in world football who can boast a better c.v. than Louis van Gaal but at the moment it looks like he is working from only one half of the coaching manual.

As good as Manchester United looked going forward against Leicester, they looked just as bad in defence. There is no balance to their play and they are too easy to exploit.

Van Gaal needs to fix these defensive frailties — and quickly.

Robin van Persie (left) and Radamel Falcao look dejected during Manchester United's defeat by Leicester

Louis van Gaal wonders where it all went wrong after United threw away a two-goal lead against the Foxes

The weakness in United’s defence was apparent throughout the match. Daley Blind was the only non-defender not bombing forward the whole time. I felt really sorry for him: it was like he was on a boat with holes springing up everywhere and he was trying to empty out the water on his own with a small bucket.

United just didn’t have enough players back and Ander Herrera in particular needs to learn to sit deeper. Of the front players, Wayne Rooney was the only one really tracking back, and that is unacceptable.

United’s multi-million forward line need to be the first line of defence. I admire the fact Van Gaal is trying to stand by United’s attacking traditions but look at how Manchester City and Chelsea set up — you have to occupy all parts of the pitch, not just charge forward in search of goals. That’s why James Milner played instead of Samir Nasri for Manchester City against Chelsea — he’s less skilful but harder working and was terrific.

Manchester United fan view: No leaders in defence

UNITED'S DEFENCE... A TOTAL SHAMBLES

Manchester United’s back four lack leaders and this image above from Match of the Day 2 is a fine example. Here, five United players are pointing to the two unmarked Leicester players in the penalty area, seemingly asking each other to take responsibility and pick them up. They have no sort of straight defensive line either

This shows United’s dismal attempt at organising their back line. The players marked 1 (Smalling), 2 (Blackett), 3 (Rojo) and 4 (Rafael) are United’s back four in the second half. But rather than standing in a straight line, looking to catch opponents offside, United’s players have formed a diamond. It sums up the lack of shape, communication and organisation. Louis van Gaal has a big job on his hands

Daley Blind (left) was left on his own in defence at times while Ander Herrera needs to learn to sit deep 

Wayne Rooney (centre) was furious with his Manchester United defence as they capitulated at Leicester

EVEN MOYES WASN'T THIS BAD...

Manchester United are worse off after Louis van Gaal’s first five league fixtures than they were at the same stage under David Moyes last season.

12th At this point last season, United were eighth and five points off the lead. They are currently 12th, eight points behind table-topping Chelsea.

4 Moyes's United never conceded more than four goals in a league game, and when they did ship four it was against eventual champions Manchester City.

It gets worse for Van Gaal when you compare his fixtures to Moyes’s. The Scot faced Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City in his first five games. 

Only QPR and West Brom (8) have used more defenders than United’s seven this season. And Van Gaal’s defenders have averaged the fewest minutes on the pitch.

It is going to take a long time to erase the memory of the Leicester defeat. Teams now know there is a weakness to exploit and that if you get at Manchester United, they will crack. They used to have an aura, they used to find a way to win or get lucky. Now, they are seen as being soft at the back. Just when it looked like United had turned a corner, all the failings have come back to haunt them. Leicester were superb and took advantage brilliantly but things have changed. In the past, one penalty being given against United was a miracle. On Sunday, there were two.

Whatever Van Gaal is telling his team it is clearly not sinking in. The Dutchman seems to have all the answers after each bad result, telling us why they lost and what went wrong. Perhaps he should try coming up with solutions before games and equip his players better so they stop losing.

He also needs to encourage the players to have a voice of their own, so they take responsibility on the pitch. Players need to cross that white line and think, ‘I’m on the pitch, not you, and I’m going to take charge’. At the moment it seems United’s players are just hearing Van Gaal’s voice as they play and not developing their own.

I’m sure he will turn things round because he is such a successful coach but sometimes from the players’ perspective, less is more from your manager.

One of Van Gaal’s biggest problems is the group of defenders he has to pick from. It is ludicrous that United allowed Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra — with a total of 1,134 appearances for the club — to all leave in the same summer. On top of that they have failed to bring in a dominant figure to replace these senior men, despite signing two left backs in Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo.

Louis van Gaal: We didn't kill off the game against Leicester

Jamie Vardy peels away to celebrate after exposing United's defence to put Leicester in front on Sunday

Leonardo Ulloa fired home Leicester's fifth goal from the penalty spot to rub salt into United's wounds

Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra were all allowed to leave Old Trafford over the summer

An influential defender is vital for any team. From the back you can see the game unfold in front of you. You can cajole, you can demand a performance from your team-mates and you can encourage them. Brian Clough, Jose Mourinho and George Graham are just a few of the managers who built their teams from the back. Instead, United have a naivety in defence.

Rafael is particularly guilty. Too often he’s involved in goals United concede and too often he is unreliable. He has played 158 times for United so he’s experienced but he needs to learn fast. Ferdinand and Vidic used to coach him through games. Now he needs to be a senior member of the back four. He’s not developing enough.

When I was at Arsenal with all those great players in front of me weaving pretty patterns and scoring great goals, I felt that if I didn’t keep a clean sheet then I was on borrowed time. United’s defence need that attitude. They need to defend their goal like I did, thinking their futures depend on it.

Nigel Pearson: We showed our quality against Manchester United

Chris Smalling (right) was expected to be a long-term replacement for Ferdinand and Vidic in defence 

Luke Shaw (left) has struggled to make an impact while Marcos Rojo's best position is not yet known

The long-term replacements for Ferdinand and Vidic were supposed to be Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. But they were still second choice to the veteran defenders last season and they have not trained on. They perform like bit-part players, which is what they have been for a few years. They need to get a proper run in the team and be trusted because they can still be very good players. Indeed Van Gaal needs to choose his first-choice defence, and give the players time to develop together. Does he rate Luke Shaw? Is Rojo a left back or a centre back for him? These questions need answering.

There is a silver lining in the form of Tyler Blackett. Yes, he was sent off and is learning the harsh realities of the Premier League. But he is strong with and without the ball, has a bit of nastiness about him — which I like — and has good pace and technical ability. He just needs to be stronger in the air and show his determination over 90 minutes, not just in flashes. Facing Jamie Vardy, who was a bit like Craig Bellamy — annoying to play against but outstanding — was tough.

United are buying big players as they battle to avoid years in the wilderness like Liverpool experienced. But you can’t buy a determination not to be beaten and there isn’t enough of that at United right now.

Tyler Blackett (right) has proved himself a valuable asset for United, despite being sent off on Sunday

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