Friday 14 February 2014

Is this the fall of mighty Manchester United ?

It’s safe to say David Moyes hasn’t had things going his way in his short time in charge at Manchester united. United have lost 5 out of their first 9 fixtures in 2014 and started the new year with 3 consecutive defeats, you might have to go years back to search when did this last happen which simply shows how strong and consistent Manchester united have been for last few decades. But the real question is- Is this the fall of Manchester united or can Moyes turn his season around and win over the fans at Old Trafford.






Is Moyes the best man for this job? Well that is quite debatable, on a personal level I don’t think he has a CV that warrants being given the biggest job in English football. As much as we trust and respect Sir Alex Ferguson’s judgment, even he had his fair share of misjudgments. The criticism Moyes has been receiving can be justified as he has done little to prove his detractors wrong but then he was also trying to replace the irreplaceable Sir Alex Ferguson. If you ask me Sir Alex has been a master of rebuilding but failed to do so in his final seasons. Only two players he signed after 2006- Robin Van Persie and David De gea were starting eleven choices by the time he retired. Moyes actually has inherited an ageing injury-prone and an over sized squad. United have the quantity but they need quality. Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand used to be an integral part of one of the best back four in Europe. However all of them are slowing and struggling and are about to touch autumn of their career. Another important factor is overload of underachievers. Under Ferguson each player contributed to their side however at present moyes is stuck with a load of under achievers, Hernandez had the longest goal drought of his Manchester united career, kagawa hasn't scored yet, Anderson has been abject, cleverly, young, nani, fellaini, Ferdinand, zaha and buttner have all under performed. There was a time when teams would be happy to leave Old Trafford having conceded no more than two or three goals but at present it has became less and less daunting to visit Old Trafford.


For the first time in many years United fans are actually concerned about finishing in top 4. I don’t think it is impossible, regardless of what happens Manchester United chose a man for long term and David Moyes is that man. Even the board has to take a fair share of blame for the club’s current situation, why let Gill go when Woodward has no experience in buying players. Personally I feel Gill should have stayed through the period of transition, or he should have been convinced to stay.
This season Moyes has put attacking emphasis on deliveries from the wings with the hope that his forwards and a charging midfield can attack these. But with over 420 failed crosses domestically (a new Premier League record) and only 9 goals in total this season from midfield players, these measures simply haven’t proved a success. The main problem is the obvious absence of an influential defender. Teams have regularly found United out this season in their systematic style of play. They need a midfield man who can dictate play going forward, hold the ball when games are becoming too open and who can help ease the goal scoring burden on the strikers and every Manchester united summer target could have fit that role.


So, in reality all Manchester united actually need is a good transfer window and patience. Moyes needs time to rebuild the squad he inherited and once he is done with it, that’’ be the actual time to judge him. Being a liverpool fan myself I can understand the transition phase is always tough for fans and manager. I have seen my club go from relegation zone to top 4. So to all the United fans around I would like to say Manchester United will be back, but they will have to hold their nerve for now.

6 comments:

  1. Very Apt. One very important aspect of this failure which everybody ignored dat players have lost der attitude. We can blame aging players, we can blame Moyes' substitutions, also blame the depth of Man Utd squad all we like, but U don't get a piledriver wen u r a premier league champion. They lost der home games, a major issue this season. The players don't believe themselves as a Champions. That, right there is an equalizer before even the match starts. I hate this as I always had found Man Utd as one of the toughest opponent and the toughest place to visit. They must get out of their misery, it's inexcusable for a English Champion team to be hobbling in 7th, 8th and 9th spot.

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  2. Totally agreed bro :) " The players don't believe themselves as a Champions " i think the manager should take care of that actually. Ya its inexcusable for Champions to be in 7th spot

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  3. #Supreme #thoughts :like:
    Agreeing it

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  4. Well written. Good points.
    My Opinion: I think the rise & fall of a football team or even empires as we have read in our history books, WORKS IN CYCLES.... Transitions are tough, really tough.. but as far my thought process is concerned UTD will not be champions for say 4-5 years from now...
    The vicious cyle will drown them & i feel really bad for an amazing manager David Moyes is.... It would really damage his C.V
    The cycle goes this way:
    No Top Four ----> Revenue loss---> Instability in squad (players start to leave)-----> No superstar will join the club if there is no UCL football offered/promised------> Manager starts to demand respect instead of commanding it (David Moyes not a man who will command)----> another average season...
    According to me one thing leads to another

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  5. I totally agree. Liverpool were out for 4-5 years too during that transition phase. but if United invest properly they can cut short this transition phase. The main question will be if the owners will give large amount to moyes this summer or give him another season and hand large amount to the next manager ?

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