There was a time not so long ago when, regardless of whether you were a supporter or not, you knew that watching Manchester United would guarantee entertainment.
While victories by three, four and even five-goal margins were roundly routine, Sir Alex Ferguson's men were perhaps at their very best when the odds were firmly stacked against them.
As Daniel Taylor - a journalist for The Guardian and The Observer, who is a seasoned reporter on all things United - remarked recently on Twitter: "When [United] were losing, chasing a game, [it] used to be most exciting sight in football."
United of 2015, though, are a pale shadow of the Ferguson vintage. In the same tweet, Taylor described Louis van Gaal's team as being "joyless".
It is in opinion that is rapidly becoming widespread, despite in excess of £200m being shelled out in the transfer market since Ferguson departed in 2013. After all, Juan Mata and Angel di Maria - both club-record signings upon their arrivals - cost almost £100m between them.
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It means that while the addition of experienced defenders remains a necessity, there is a growing concern over United's ability to not only score goals, but simply create opportunities. They may sit third in the table and football is ultimately a results business, but the style of play has not exactly been pleasing on the eye.
But how and why has it come to this? After all, this was a club that almost two years ago was celebrating a 20th English league title.
1. The summer of 2013 and 2014
"My understanding is that [executive vice chairman] Ed Woodward has had a response and he's spoken with Barcelona and again we've made a second offer [for Cesc Fabregas]. I think a point does come when you give up but I think when you are interested in good players you want to give it every opportunity to materialise. And I'll do that. I hope things continue to move forward."
And with that, David Moyes, the man entrusted by Ferguson to carry on from where he had left off, had made United the laughing stock of the transfer market. A club that had been so used to keeping their transfer plans in-house, were now exposed.
It was common knowledge at the time that Fabregas and his agent had been using United's interest to gain playing time assurances from Barcelona.
In fairness to Moyes, who was also known to be a keen admirer of Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos, he was not helped by the newly-installed Woodward. He boasted that United had the funds to break the world transfer record if needed, which automatically upped the asking price tenfold when the Premier League champions came knocking.
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Twelve months later, Woodward was able to claw back some respectability by brokering deals for the likes of Di Maria and Radamel Falcao.
Yet, for all of United's transfer activity last summer, it was still a source of confusion as to why Van Gaal did not bolster his defensive ranks further, as well as adding a creative midfield player.
Both Fabregas and Kroos - two of the world's best in their field - were available, but if reports are to be believed, Van Gaal vetoed a move for both.
It means that United's current central midfield options boil down to Daley Blind - a intelligent footballer who rarely wastes possession but plays too many sideways and backwards passes, and Michael Carrick, who at 33 is not getting any younger and appears to be picking up injuries on a more regular basis. Ander Herrera - a summer signing from Athletic Bilbao - does not appear to fit into Van Gaal's "philosophy", despite some bright showings during his rare outings.
All the while, Fabregas has laid on 19 assists in the blue of Chelsea, while Kroos has been a near ever-present in the Real Madrid engine room.
2. Tinkering
Throughout his managerial career, Van Gaal has earned himself a reputation of being spiky towards the media. In Maarten Meijer's recent biography of the Dutchman, the author stresses that the United boss finds it tough to trust journalists, with only a select few making it into Van Gaal's 'inner circle'.
Yet, during yesterday's press conference, Van Gaal was uncharacteristically open with reporters when he admitted that seven months into the job, he still has little idea as to what is his best strategy.
"No, I don't think so. I have played now already five or six systems and I am looking still for the balance," he confessed.
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In truth, there has been too many square pegs in round holes as Van Gaal appears to be determined to build a team around his tried and tested methods, rather than adapting to the quality of the players at his disposal.
Di Maria is a case in point. Behind Cristiano Ronaldo, he was arguably Real Madrid's most impressive player last season and was man of the match in the Champions League final against city rivals Atletico Madrid in Lisbon. The 27-year-old reached such heights running from deep, but there have been numerous occasions when Van Gaal has played him as a striker or isolated out wide.
3. Pace
Throughout the majority of the Ferguson era, United's counter-attacking ability was much envied. From Andrei Kanchelskis's goal at Carrow Road in 1993 to Wayne Rooney's strike at the Emirates Stadium in 2010, United would often be pace-reliant, particularly away from home.
It was a characteristic that had started to fade towards the end of Ferguson's tenure and it's a slide that Moyes and Van Gaal have done little to halt.
Of course, it should not be ignored that Van Gaal has added Di Maria to his ranks. The Argentine showed just how effective his speed can be in setting up Falcao's goal against Leicester City last month and he also threatened to burst beyond Ben Mee last time out, leaving the stricken Burnley defender seemingly little option but to bring the former Madrid man down for a penalty.
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Those moments, which have been far too fleeting as far as many United fans are concerned, aside, genuine pace in the attacking areas is scarce.
Young frontman James Wilson can cover ground quickly, yet he is by no means the finished article. The only other member of the squad with sprinter-like pace is Antonio Valencia, but it's more of a surprise when a cross from the Ecuadorian actually finds its intended target compared to when it doesn't.
Down in London, Arsene Wenger has an abundance of pace to select from - one option of which (Danny Welbeck) was sold by Van Gaal in the summer. Meanwhile, Van Gaal's close associate, Jose Mourinho, just added to his options with the signing of Juan Cuadrado. Come the summer, the United boss may well be looking to follow suit.
4. Wayne Rooney
It's hard to identify a more talented player than Rooney that has been sacrificed so often for the good of the team. He's a victim of his own versatility and willingness to do the dirty side of game.
This is a player that has appeared in three Champions League finals, but in only one of them did Ferguson use him in his preferred striker's role. In the two others, Rooney was shunted out wide, while today Van Gaal is playing his captain in the centre of midfield.
The key difference, though, is that Ferguson would only alter Rooney's position in the games that really mattered - big Champions League nights, away matches at Anfield, Stamford Bridge et al. The Scot had trust in Rooney, knowing that he would track the opposition's full-back for 90 minutes. Aside from those circumstances and barring an injury crisis, Rooney would otherwise operate in the final third of the pitch.
At present, Rooney is being played out of position in every fixture and it is nullifying his impact on proceedings greatly. According to whoscored.com, he has featured as a central midfielder on 12 occasions this term, from which he has scored three goals. Playing in that position in 2015 (six games), Rooney is yet to have a single shot on or off target.
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What's more, The Republik of Mancunia has claimed that Rooney has the lowest passing success rate (84.3%) of any other United midfielder so far this season. On average, nine Rooney passes go astray per match, often in key areas of the pitch.
The reason for such statistics is simple: Rooney has always been at his best when reacting instinctively to situations in and around the penalty area. In midfield, there can be too much time and space for the England skipper to weigh up his options, which then leads to mistakes.
He is, as former United full-back Gary Neville wrote in The Telegraph, a "street fighter".
"I would love to see Wayne Rooney back in a centre-forward's role, rampaging around and messing centre-backs about, rather than in a more passive midfield role. I never bought into the idea that Wayne needed to calm down to improve his football. The street fighter in him is what made him what he is," said Neville's ex-teammate.
5. Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao
In the wake of the recent 1-1 draw at West Ham United, Jamie Carragher, in his role as a Sky Sports pundit, highlighted the lack of positive runs made by United's front pairing at Upton Park.
Neither Robin van Persie nor Falcao were willing (or able) to stretch the home side's rearguard. To further enhance his point, Carragher offered up footage of Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho (West Ham's strikers that afternoon). Their movement from central positions to out wide and then back again caused the likes of Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo countless problems. It also provided space for the midfield players, such as Stewart Downing and Kevin Nolan, to try to exploit.
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Whether it be age, lack of pace or desire (or perhaps a concoction of all three) United's Dutch and Colombian internationals are not making enough unselfish runs off the ball, thus making them easier to mark for opposition defenders. Furthermore, the likes of Di Maria and Mata are being starved of the pockets of space that they need to thrive.
Van Gaal does have alternatives - Rooney will make the necessary runs, as will youngster Wilson, who possesses the pace to turn defenders around so that they are facing their own goal.
Man United 2014-15 Premier League stats, according to whoscored.com
Shots per game: 12.6 (10th in PL)
Shots on target per game: 4.7 (6th in PL)
Dribbles per game: 9.7 (9th in PL)
Shots inside penalty box per game: 6.5 (8th in PL)
Long passes per game: 80 (1st in PL)
Liam Apicella
