Tim Krul faced a penalty on Saturday. He tried to outwit the taker.
He ended up looking mildly silly as Sergio Aguero rolled the spot kick past the static Newcastle United goalkeeper.
It was a reminder that Krul is no specialist at saving penalties.
He was, really, for only about 15 minutes last July when Louis van Gaal summoned the Netherlands’s reserve goalkeeper deep into extra time in the stalemate with Costa Rica and saw him save two spot kicks in the subsequent shootout.
Krul’s late introduction unnerved the Costa Ricans. It was a brilliant psychological ploy. It was at a time when he could do no wrong.
Van Gaal's World Cup was notable for outstanding decision-making. His Manchester United career has not been.
The Netherlands finished third in Brazil and United stand fourth in the Premier League, but they represent opposites.
It was one of the less-gifted Dutch sides of the past 30 years. This United team has been overhauled in the most expensive spending spree in the history of English football.
Comparatively little was expected of one. Rather more should be expected of the other.
Much as Van Gaal produces dossiers to argue that his United are not, as Sam Allardyce suggested, a long-ball team or uses statistics to argue, as he did on Friday, that they are the Premier League’s outstanding outfit in recent months, and while they are just about on course to return to the Uefa Champions League, there is a whiff of underachievement about both their season and their manager’s.
Van Gaal arrived in England as the man with the Midas touch.
His trademark arrogance is justified when his judgement calls prove correct. Yet too few have.
His competitive results have been bookended by defeats to Swansea City.
The first, in August, showed a manager of Van Gaal’s experience was still misled by United’s fine pre-season results. He should have strengthened United’s depleted defence sooner.
Admirable a character as Darren Fletcher is, Van Gaal named him vice captain before realising the Scot would always be an outsider for a place in the starting 11.
Fletcher has left Old Trafford. Seven players have joined during Van Gaal’s reign.
Thus far, none qualifies as a successful signing.
Ander Herrera might be one if only he had been chosen enough; he has five goals from nine starts, but it is a source of surprise that the Spaniard has begun only two league games since October.
Meanwhile, Radamel Falcao seemed to be selected on reputation rather than the reality of his performances during a wretched run of form.
The clinically brilliant Van Gaal of the World Cup identified the Netherlands’ shortcomings, compensated for them by reconfiguring his side in a 3-5-2 formation and used his trump card, Arjen Robben, superbly as a roving, remarkable in-field winger.
The faltering Van Gaal of Old Trafford has a solitary answer to United’s ponderous play, which entails a direct brand of play aimed at Marouane Fellaini. He has yet to find their finest formation and has wasted his most expensive player, Angel Di Maria, by using him as a striker.
United, like the Netherlands, have played 3-5-2 at times. Yet Van Gaal’s tactical acumen has been glimpsed rarely.
The mid-match switches to a regulation 4-4-2 worked against Burnley and Preston North End in the past two weeks, but that seems the one system he is reluctant to use from the start.
Whereas estimable but essentially unexceptional players – such as Ron Vlaar, Dirk Kuyt, Daryl Janmaat, Stefan de Vrij and Bruno Martins Indi – distinguished themselves in the Netherlands’ World Cup campaign, more vaunted talents have played below their considerable potential for United – Di Maria, Falcao, Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Juan Mata and Adnan Januzaj.
Besides David de Gea, whose autumnal excellence inflated United’s points tally so the standings still flatter them, their achievers this season have been Fellaini and Ashley Young.
Van Gaal merits – and is happy to afford himself – credit for their prowess, but his appointment wasn’t as part of a plan to rejuvenate either.
He was supposedly the superstar manager who was equipped with the budget to purchase galacticos.
Despite Saturday’s setback in Swansea, Van Gaal can boast of a recent record that shows only two defeats in 20 games.
Yet whereas Liverpool undeniably have improved in the past three months, it is not clear if United have.
Whereas one Dutch manager, Southampton’s Ronald Koeman, has transformed a team this season, it is debatable if another, Van Gaal, is having much of a positive impact.
Van Gaal had a wondrous World Cup.
So far, he has been unimpressive at United.
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE