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Sir Alex Ferguson is gone, or is he? David Moyes made a strong beginning by an overhaul of the coaching staff. It was obviously an effort to escape the shadow of the legendary United manager, but his shadow still remains as it was, with Moyes visibly struggling to get out of it. And it is not just Moyes but the whole team which was used to operating under a certain protocol. Add to that, an aging squad which only got the EPL crown last year due to one marquee signing and already you begin to understand the depth of Manchester United’s woes. Let us try to analyse the reasons for United’s indifferent form this season.
Reality Check
The opinions on David Moyes have been very divided lately but one argument that runs rampant is the ‘but he inherited a champion squad’. For that lets rewind a year back and focus on the two major factors that came together to make that happen. Last year was arguably one of the bleakest for English football as they simply bowed out of the UEFA Champions league one by one. This was one season where all the teams were either in construction mode like Liverpool or in self-destruction mode like Man City. While all this was happening, United remained as stable as ever.
Van Persie was the x-factor for SAF throughout the 2012-13 season
Add to that the marquee signing of Robin Van Persie, a player hungry for titles, United had gotten the perfect advantage over their rivals. With Van Persie, United went on to play the most reckless football in the league adding feathers to their ‘Comeback Kings’ hat. The rhetoric of ‘champions even at their worst win matches’ became a regular theme for the Reds. Yet, there was that dreaded feeling lingering among the more sensible fans, about the feasibility of playing an injury prone Van Persie weak in weak out, the over-dependence on Michael Carrick and the building volcano named Wayne Rooney.
Transfers
The transition from Alex Ferguson to David Moyes coincided with the architect of United’s transfers handing over the reins to Ed Woodward. David Moyes, in his initial press conferences, had already identified midfield and left back as the positions of interest in the summer transfer window. What followed that summer was a debacle of epic proportions. Obviously, with a squad that had won the EPL title, there is always that sense of complacency that creeps in making for a more postured bargaining side. Players were lost for a mere 2-3 million due to that same bargaining and the end result was the overpriced signing of Everton man Fellaini, bought by the lure of the Moyes bandwagon. The same could not be said for Leighton Baines, however. With said transfers said and done, the season began with the same old squad with the same deficiencies, but without Alex Ferguson.
Lack of Identity
This is one part were David Moyes has to take the blame. David Moyes, judging from his Everton teams, is a conservative manager who takes defence far more seriously than is done in the modern game. The midfielders always tend to sit deep and shield the defence with the attacking impetus lying on the full backs. This sort of strategy is clearly based on crossing devoid of any complicated plays, almost the opposite of a team like Juventus. Almost all the big teams in Europe have a defining identity, like Barca’s tiki-taka, Dortmund’s counter-attacking game, et al. If someone tried to do the same with United, they would be hard pressed to say anything other than set-pieces and crosses. Ironically, even Ferguson did not have one clear strategy, but his successful teams could still be identified by a certain pattern- whether it was the squad of ‘99, full of reckless abandon or the squad of ’08, with the counterattacking 4-3-3.
Injuries
One thing that has certainly hampered United’s season the most, is the growing injury list. Regular injuries to their wingers, wrist injury of Fellaini, Carrick’s brief sabbatical, and most influentially Van Persie’s recurring injuries. The list just goes on and on. Recently, the Dutch FA complained about Moyes’ extreme training methods, but whatever the reasons, these injuries have certainly turned a bad season worse.
Verdict
Manchester United signed David Moyes in a 6-year contract indicating their desire to stick with him even in hard times. These are definitely hard times where he will need all the support that he can get. The squad is already showing worrying signs of discontent and the need for changing the cogs in the team has become a necessity now. If Moyes really wants to impose a wing-based approach then he needs to either bring out Zaha from his shell, or buy a good winger. Valencia is not a bad player, but his unidimensionality has become a liability now. The less said about Ashley Young, the better. Midfield is obviously crying out for a Wilshere type player, and the contract issues with Wayne Rooney need to be sorted out.
All in all, if the United fans wanted their team to play stylish football, Moyes is certainly not the man for it, but given time, he would obviously settle into the job. Even if Man United doesn’t achieve the top 4 slot, they still have a strong marketing image for the next few years. But as you know, football is a game full of surprises and that makes Moyes’ certainty to keep his job a tad bit uncertain.
