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After suffering the 2-1 defeat at the hands of West Bromwich Albion last week, Manchester United have now officially made the worst start to a season since 1989-90. Defeats at the hands of rivals Manchester City, Liverpool and West Brom have left them with mere seven points from the first six games.
But amidst all the gloom there are rays of hope. Some of the members of the current squad have shown promising play and form.
An overview of a few of United’s first team squad who have showed promising signs is given below:
United’s defense has been giving the new manager quite a few headaches. Moyes has tried out quite a few partnerships but is yet to find a successful partnership.
Phil Jones, the youngster who moved to United from Blackburn Rovers, has been deployed at numerous positions all over the field for the past couple of seasons. In the absence of Rafael, he has made the right back position his own and will be looking at putting in more good performances.
Despite his troubles with injuries in the past season, Jones has started this season in the passionate and committed manner that he is known for. Last season, he made just 24 appearances but his season he is expected to better that number. He has also been complementing the wingers on the right side.
Moyes needs to help him improve his fitness and so that he can play him consistently as he will be a key player to United’s title defense. In the European games too he will play a key role as was seen last season in the game against Real Madrid.
Manchester United’s midfield sentry Michael Carrick’s sense of vision and decision-making have seen quite an improvement over the previous two seasons. Playing the role of holding midfielder, he is a key factor in United’s line up. A consistent performance at the start of the current season has helped him cement his position. His defensive work in tandem with the defense lineup is also crucial.
The game of soccer has always had players with great potential who have squandered their talent into oblivion. There are many factors which contribute to this. But sometimes there are exceptions to the law. When Adnan Januzaj, the hot property from Belgium arrived at United at the age of 16, he impressed one and all with his set of skills. He has also progressed gradually, from the under 21 level, being nominated as the Reserve player of the year and finally breaking into the first team.
What must be kept in mind is also that he has been known to possess a steady head and a positive attitude, both a necessity for a player to grow up from the ranks. Body strength is something that the Belgian needs to his add to his arsenal to make him a complete package. At this young age his sense of vision, passing, and tactical awareness are also rare. His ability on the ball and his desire to pass everything makes him a valuable asset to the team. All that needs to be done is developing him carefully so that he is not lost or disillusioned.
With the other wingers, Luis Nani, Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia out of form, Januzaj’s role in the team becomes all the more crucial and Moyes must regularly feature him from now on.
Not much needs to spoken about United’s blue-eyed No. 10. With three straight free kicks in as many games, Rooney’s current form is not something the boss has to worry about. With the transfer saga coming to an end, Rooney looks to be rejuvenated and in red hot form.
His commitment on the field and work ethic are also noticeable and now even the Old Trafford crowd seems to be behind him. Given his current run of form and the injury to RvP, Rooney’s place in the team becomes all the more important. Amidst the dismal performances of United, he is the one who is providing the goals.
Along with Wayne Rooney, another man who is a must in United’s line-up is their hit man – Robin van Persie. With six goals already in the bag in the current season, the striker is in as good form as last year. After his much hyped transfer from rivals Arsenal, RvP has become quite an asset for Manchester United. His goals were highly crucial and according to many proved to be the deciding factor in United’s triumph last season.
If his fitness issues are dealt with, then RvP would again be quite an asset. His vast experience will also prove helpful in the UCL matches as will be his goals.
Javier Chicharito Hernandez, or ‘Little pea’ as he is affectionately called, has always remained more of a super-sub at United, reminding the fans about a certain Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Despite his not-inspiring performance against West Bromwich Albion, he still remains an integral part of the team.
His winner against Liverpool in the Carling Cup tie reinforced his quick movement and instincts have always proven to be handful in front of goal. It is also statistically proven that the Mexican international has better shot conversion, goals-per-minutes and accuracy of shooting than his fellow forwards. Even on the international stage he has scored 35 goals out of 55 games for Mexico.
Hernandez is also a proven big match player, often scoring crucial winners at important phases of the game. Previously there were criticisms about his style of play and loose first touches on the ball leading to break down of movements. But now he has worked upon it and become quite a threat.
David Moyes should be aware of his attributes and the quality that he brings into the team making him another player who should be featured regularly.
