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It’s only the start of December and Manchester United have already been written off for the league championship. And rightly so – they sit ninth in the table, twelve points adrift of the league leaders who even have a game in hand, having already lost five games out of the fifteen games played and seem to be the most vulnerable in a long time.
The changes that happened during the summer at Old Trafford were for sure expected to affect their performances on the field in the short term. But still no one expected it to deteriorate to this extent, as David Moyes himself admits by saying, “I think the United supporters have been great to me and great to the club. They understand there is a big transition going on here and, like me, I don’t think they expected us to have lost five games at this stage of the season. We didn’t expect that.”
So what exactly have gone so wrong at Manchester United which definitely needs resurrection? Let’s have a look here:
1) David Moyes needs to showcase his self-confidence.
When David Moyes takes his seat in the Old Trafford dug out, the shadow of Sir Alex Ferguson stand looms large on him. Everything that he does is being compared to Sir Alex’s reign. As a result, the former Everton manager has forced himself to follow a conservative approach.
He realized the expectations at Old Trafford and thought he might well be better off to follow risk-free measures to start with, which are quite evident in his team selections/substitutions and game plan, that will keep him in good stead with the supporters. This approach of his, as is quite evident, has well and truly backfired.
David Moyes is a much better manager than his current Manchester United team portrays in their game. He needs to take everyone associated with the club from scruff of their necks and needs to stamp his authority at the club. Even if it means getting rid of certain players who do not want to work according to his ideas.
He currently seems to be lacking the confidence in his own abilities to do the same and that is exactly what is reflecting in his team’s play – a lack of self-confidence.
Therefore, he needs to get out of this self dug hole and needs to start operating in his own image so that fans, players and everyone associated with the club realize that Sir Alex is history and the new Manchester United manager has arrived.
2) The fans need to be patient
Being United fans, you’ve always been at an arm’s length of creating history, so much so that you’ve almost taken it for granted. But this phase in your life is unlike any that you have ever witnessed. The winds of change are blowing hard over your safe and sound castle at the footballing summit.
There’s no harm in admitting the obvious and accepting the fact like an honest fan that Manchester United are no longer the force that they used to be with Sir Alex Ferguson – they aren’t able to attract top players, they are playing nowhere near as well as they should, and have lost that air of invincibility about them. And that’s okay. United have been here before.
They are facing even tougher opponents who have grown stronger over the summer, and they themselves seem to be the most vulnerable in a long time. And that too is okay. United have been here before as well.
But every such time in the past, they’ve come out of it with their sheer perseverance, and most of all, your patient support. And if there ever was a time when they really needed your support again, it is now. Patience – that’s not an answer that every club reaches for. But that’s how the United juggernaut rolls. And it rolls pretty well.
Therefore, have patience and support them through this period of uncertainty. Your club has given you a lot of reasons to smile when you were simply down and out. It’s time for payback!
3) Players need a consistent run of games
The biggest problem that David Moyes has faced during his initial tenure at Manchester United is finding out his best eleven. Fifteen games into the league season, apart from Champions league and other cup games, and Moyes is still figuring out who are his best players in each position.
The most affected has been the center back positions where Moyes has used as much as seven different pairings till now. And this is one area where he needs to act as soon as possible. A team’s success is based on a solid foundation of defense and unless you have a consistent pair of central defenders, you cannot think of winning league championships.
Nemanja Vidic and Jonny Evans seems to be his best available option as of now and he needs to offer both of them a consistent run of games even if any of them have one odd bad game.
Similar problems are visible at central midfield and left wing area where players aren’t getting enough chances to showcase their real potential. Players like Nani, Kagawa and Cleverley have shown glimpses of form but haven’t been allowed a consistent run of games for not having an absolute perfect game.
Therefore, Moyes now needs to find his best eleven before the January transfer window and then look at all the options available to strengthen or offload his team wherever required.
4) The attitude of players
Sir Alex Ferguson in his final day speech at Old Trafford said to the players, “You know how good you are, you know the jersey you are wearing and you know what it means. Don’t ever let yourselves down.”
And it seems players have already forgotten that. The most shocking aspect in United’s play this season has been how easily they have accepted defeat. Even when they have enough time left in a game to claw their way back, there haven’t been any real drive, urgency or determination to correct the score.
Manchester United have always been renowned for their response to defeat. They used to get hurt when they were beaten and hence they made sure they set the ball rolling in the next match itself.
That is exactly what has been lacking in United team of this year. Manager has to take a lot of blame for not instilling that motivation in the team. But players themselves have to stand up and accept that as well.
Therefore, that ruthlessness and killer attitude have to be re-instilled into the players’ mind if they are to climb back up the table. And they don’t have to go back too long to realize and see what they can do.
5) United desperately need a creative midfield player
22 goals from 15 games is hardly the goal scoring return you expect from the champions of England. However, that has been the disappointing case with Manchester United this season who have clearly lacked that creative spark in the midfield. With Michael Carrick injured and Paul Scholes now retired, United have struggled to open up defenses where they seem to have run out of ideas as was quite evident in the recent home defeats against Everton and Newcastle United.
Cleverley, Anderson and Fellaini are certainly not helping Moyes solve this problem. And therefore, the Scot needs to make sure that the mistakes committed in the summer transfer window are not repeated in January when the window re-opens. He desperately needs someone who can link the midfield and attack and drive the team forward.
Players like Marco Reus, Arturo Vidal, Ander Herrera, Lars Bender, Ross Barkley et al are perfect to complement the United midfield and are currently been linked to United as well. However, if any of them end up in Manchester or not remains to be seen.
