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Manchester United sneaked another win on Sunday night, edging arch rivals Liverpool 2-1 in a hotly contested match at Anfield. Despite playing against ten men for a large part of the game, Sir Alex Ferguson’s team never looked in control of the situation and needed a fortuitously awarded penalty to finally seal the win.
However, all this is not a new phenomenon for Ferguson or his players. They are used to winning ugly, winning at all costs and especially at winning when it matters. Last gasp thrillers featuring United have become so popular that commentators have called the second half of stoppage time ‘United time’.
But the one thing different about this 2012 avatar of the Red Devils is the sense of uncertainty hanging around them. In past title-winning years, United were always there or thereabouts right through the season, with a confident swagger about them, making them a dangerous opponent on any day.
To put in simple terms, except for rare occasions like the two Champions League finals against Barcelona, Manchester United never set foot on a football field without feeling they were very much the favourites over 90 minutes. They always had a plan, be it to counter-attack at pace or dictate play through their midfield, and were always focussed on implementing their strategies as opposed to guarding against their opponents strengths.
But having followed their progress so far this season, it seems very much as though the manager, the players and the fans don’t really know what their best eleven to put out on the field is. Making such a statement against arguably the best manager the game has seen is probably brave to the point of being stupid, but the teams Ferguson has put out in his games suggests this.
The addition of Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa over the summer has definitely strengthened the squad but has also thrown up various conundrums regarding team selection. For one, and probably most importantly, how will the van Persie-Wayne Rooney equation work?
For Ferguson, not having been able to pair his best two players for a sizeable amount of time in either pre-season (as a result of the timing of the Dutchman’s signing), training (owing to Rooney’s injury) or matches, has thrown a real spanner in the wheels. The wily Scot has come out in the press and praised the ability of van Persie, Rooney and Danny Welbeck to play in different positions as required, but has as yet left out any suggestions regarding how exactly he plans to fit these three into his formation.
Probably the best way to analyze United’s problem is by doing a simple exercise in jotting down who the club’s best players are without regarding the player’s position or any formations. Van Persie or Rooney would be one and two in that list in whichever order and based on overall impact on the side and consistency, Nemanja Vidic would be third, followed closely by Antonio Valencia, whose form has been sensational over the last year.
Things get tricky from there on. Despite his age, and in spite of having been retired for the first half of last season, Paul Scholes would still come next in my book. Which in turn poses more problems as Scholes will definitely not play every game in a three-tie week and United will for sure be involved in those, especially after January.
Who after that? Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Nani, Ashley Young and Kagawa are all at near the same level and rounding out the eleven would probably be Rio Ferdinand. This leaves us with no goalkeepers, two defenders, three wingers, four central midfielders and two strikers in the top eleven.
If Chicharito, Patrice Evra, Welbeck and Ryan Giggs bring up the next four, we still have no right back or keeper in the side and probably have a straight 4-4-2 formation with a Carrick-Scholes or Carrick-Fletcher central midfield.
Ferguson is already rotating David De Gea and Anders Lindegaard to take care of the keeper problem, and with Chris Smalling and Phil Jones out injured, Rafael da Silva is the only option at right back. The Brazilian has also helped his case and eased Fergie’s worries by putting in a few outstanding attacking performances, even though his defending has left a lot to worry, leaving huge gaps behind him and stretching an ageing central defender in Ferdinand.
But in front of the back four, everything is give and take, including the formation. Going the continental 3-3 style in front of the back four demands Scholes, Carrick and Fletcher in the mid three, with Tom Cleverley or Anderson able to step in when Scholes needs a break. However, if Fletcher is unable to shake off his injury concerns, this setup is largely unlikely to succeed.
The front three will definitely provide for Valencia simply because of the all-action performances he gives. Van Persie and Rooney would probably fill the other two spots with Rooney playing on the left side and RVP down the middle.
That leaves out Kagawa, Nani, Welbeck, Chicharito and Young from the starting lineup.
If Ferguson goes for a 4-4-1-1 formation, Valencia and Young/Nani would play on the wings and Carrick would partner with Scholes, Fletcher, Cleverley or Anderson in turn. Rooney probably plays at his best in the position just behind the centre forward and Van Persie would play up front. Kagawa can always come in for Rooney, who could also play up front with the Japanese behind him.
The other option could be a 4-2-3-1 formation with Carrick and Fletcher/Scholes holding fort and Valencia on the right of the mid three. Kagawa could play down the middle with Rooney on the left and RVP again upfront. Considering that all of Young, Nani, Welbeck and Chicharito are able to fit seamlessly into any of these four spots, this could probably be the most productive of the possible formations in the Premier League.
On the other hand, his preferred formation for most Champions League away ties could once again be the tried and tested 4-3-3, where the side would be capable of playing most of the game in a 4-5-1 style, breaking forward quickly on the counter.
Once Rooney comes back fully fit, we will see what course of action Ferguson employs. However he goes about it, a United fan can rest peacefully with the knowledge that the Scot will always get results. But until he finally gets a formation that clicks, ugly 2-1 wins will probably hold fort.
