Louis van Gaal's team were 3-1 up but collapsed in the second half

Louis van Gaal has accrued players worth a total of £150million, been handed a gentle list of fixtures to begin the campaign, and was afforded breathing room from the pressure of continuing Sir Alex Ferguson’s legacy.

But, remarkably, the stunning defeat by Leicester means Manchester United have started this season worse than they did under David Moyes.

With Moyes in charge, United gained seven points from their opening five Premier League games – as well as picking up victories in the Community Shield, Champions League and Capital One Cup – while Van Gaal has collected only five points and was dumped out of the League Cup 4-0 by MK Dons.

Louis van Gaal (centre) reacts during Manchester United's humiliating defeat at Leicester

David Moyes endured a nightmare start as manager of United - but it was better than Van Gaal's

Such early comparisons may turn out to be wholly erroneous but they are nonetheless alarming. Van Gaal is a better fit for United than Moyes, and his record shows he should get it right, but it is worth examining the context of United’s current circumstances.

VAN GAAL'S FIRST FIVE FIXTURES 16 Aug - Swansea City (H) 1-2 24 Aug - Sunderland (A) 1-1 30 Aug - Burnley (A) 0-0 14 Sep - QPR (H) 4-0 21 Sep - Leicester City (A) 3-5 Advertisement

MOYES'S FIRST FIVE FIXTURES 17 Aug - Swansea City (A) 4-1 26 Aug - Chelsea (H) 0-0 1 Sep - Liverpool (A) 0-1 14 Sep - Crystal Palace (H) 2-0 22 Sep - Manchester City (A) 1-4 Advertisement

United fans will not enjoy the Premier League table as it stands today with the club in a lowly 12th position...

...and here is the Premier League table as it stood on September 22, 2013 - with United in eighth position

Transfers

During last summer’s transfer window Moyes believed Ed Woodward was going to land him a world-class central midfielder, with Cesc Fabregas the leading target. Thiago Alcantara looked on at one point and Ander Herrera too but instead United ended up scrambling to buy Marouane Fellaini for £27.5m on deadline day - £4m more than his buyout clause. There was an aborted last-minute deal for Fabio Coentrao. Juan Mata arrived in January for £37.1m but only played 12 games under Moyes.

Van Gaal splashed out £60m to bring Argentina forward Angel di Maria to the club from Real Madrid

Marouane Fellaini was Moyes's only big-money buy as United missed out on all their targets

By contrast Van Gaal walked into the job with Luke Shaw and Herrera secured for a combined £60m, then sanctioned deals of £16m for Marcos Rojo, £14m for Daley Blind, and a British-record fee of £60m for Angel Di Maria. Radamel Falcao arrived for a £6m loan price.

But for all the glitz, graft was missing. Arturo Vidal failed to materliaise and Kevin Strootman is injured. Mats Hummels, the commanding defender United are crying out for, stayed in Dortmund. Nemanja Vidic departed before Van Gaal arrived. Nonetheless, it is fair to say the Dutchman has been backed in the market more than his predecessor.

Tactics

A classic 4-4-2 formation was the sole preserve for Moyes in his first five league games; two strikers, two wingers, two central midfielders and a flat back four. It was the system Ferguson used to make United great. At Everton, Moyes had preferred a sole centre forward with his wide men tucking in but the players available in his new job dictated that wasn’t possible. In the 4-1 defeat by Manchester City, however, 4-4-2 became rigid as his team were pulled apart by the fluid movement of their rivals.

Van Gaal has toyed with two different formations already. He employed a 3-5-2 system to begin with, having found success with it at the World Cup with Holland. But it is naturally a counter-attacking set-up at odds with United’s ethos and the paucity of defenders made it a hindrance. No wins have come through using it so far.

Daley Blind (left) has been entrusted with the sizeable task of shoring up United's all-star midfield

Ashley Young perhaps best sums up Moyes's insistence on using wingers in a 4-4-2 formation at United

Against Queens Park Rangers, Blind was handed the holding midfield role in a new diamond formation – 4-3-1-2 or 4-1-2-1-2 depending on your preference – as Di Maria and Herrera drove forward from deep to support No 10 Mata and strikers Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney. The win was exhilarating but it papered over defensive frailties that were ruthlessly exposed by Leicester.

Blind is asked to cover too much ground across the pitch and without experienced central defenders behind, or full-backs staying deeper, the problem is exacerbated. It might require another switch in formation to address the problem. Van Gaal’s history shows he is adaptable and innovative.

Substitutions

Part of the problem with Moyes, from a supporters’ point of view, was his apparent dawdling over changes during matches. It would seem he deliberated excessively over how to alter losing positions and only make substitutions when it was too late. Only Tom Cleverley was sent on during the defeat at the Etihad while the goalless draw against a Chelsea team intent on defence could have benefited from attacking replacements earlier.

Van Gaal has not exactly shown the Midas touch from the bench yet either. Nani for Javier Hernandez and Fellaini for Herrera in the loss against Swansea failed to work. Against Leicester we can only assume Di Maria was exhausted, otherwise taking him off for Mata with the score at 3-3 when the Argentine was on song was bizarre. Van Gaal has used his maximum of three changes in each match trying to test his entire squad, and on three occasions has been forced to make a switch because of injury.

A stern looking Juan Mata (back right) listens to his boss on the bench at Leicester

Moyes was able to call on the likes of Danny Welbeck, who is now at Arsenal, from the bench last season

Fixtures

It is indisputable that Moyes was handed harder opening games than Van Gaal. Last season, United played three of the big boys in Liverpool, Chelsea, and City, with a trip to Swansea and a home tie against newly-promoted Crystal Palace the ‘easier’ games (both were won). Seven goals scored, six against.

Van Gaal’s set of fixtures has been markedly more appealing, including matches against all three promoted teams plus a home match against Swansea and visit to Sunderland. Nine goals were scored, with eight against, but given three matches in four from late October will come against City, Chelsea and Arsenal, Van Gaal would surely have hoped for more points on the board.

Gylfi Sigurdsson celebrates scoring during Swansea's shock opening-day victory at Old Trafford

Rooney faces up to United's 4-1 derby defeat at rivals Manchester City under Moyes last September

Public statements

The area where Van Gaal does trump Moyes is in front of the cameras. Whereas Moyes seemed uncomfortable with the enormous focus on being United manager, Van Gaal carries an aura and speaks with confidence.

Within a short period after the list was released Moyes was railing against the fixture computer and hinting at the hard run being somehow contrived. There were also regular blasts at referees. Ferguson was obviously never shy to venture down such routes but from Moyes it transmitted a sense of early excuse-making. (Words such as ‘try’ and ‘hope’ peppered his interviews, much to the irritation of supporters familiar with bold declarations of United’s intent.)

Captain Wayne Rooney rages at referee Mark Clattenburg during the 5-3 defeat at the King Power Stadium

Moyes never gave off an air of authority in the same way that Sir Alex Ferguson did at United

Compared with Van Gaal, who declined the chance to blame Mark Clattenburg for his officiating in awarding Leicester’s highly-dubious first penalty on Sunday. ‘I don't know if it is a penalty but we have to look at ourselves because we made such big errors as a team,’ he said.

There will be occasions when the officials get blamed but in the context Van Gaal had to accept United’s failings were the cause for their capitulation. From that mentality, he can address the faults.