The David
Moyes experiment simply isn’t working. In fact at this moment in time United
look more like Frankenstein’s monster than anything resembling former champions.
The transformation to a body made
up of dysfunctional parts now looks complete though Sunday’s abysmal showing
against Liverpool finally cemented the view in many fans minds that enough is simply
enough.
Like the tragic figure of Victor
Frankenstein, who ultimately perishes on his mission to set things right it
looks increasingly difficult to imagine Moyes not suffering a similar fate.
Few United supporters would hold
the former Everton manager to account for his bungled succession to Sir Alex
Ferguson’s throne.
Nor should he be expected to
shoulder the blame for a catastrophic first transfer window that promised the
likes of Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Cesc Fabregas but delivered Marouane
Fellaini.
His move to employ his trusted lieutenants
from Everton was also more than understandable. Who better than the men he knew
and relied upon at Goodison Park to deliver new messages, schedules and methods
alongside a legend like Ryan Giggs promoted from within.
Time has always been a key factor
– Moyes himself admitted there would be ‘bumps and bruises’ along the way as
his players adjusted to his demands.
And few Reds have begrudged him
that. Indeed the backing he has received during sterile performances even in
victory has been vehement.
However that support is wearing
thin and after almost 9 months in charge the question that many are rightly
asking is, ‘where is the blueprint for a positive and cohesive style of play –
not necessarily a recovery – but style of play associated with the fabric of
Manchester United?
Unfortunately that evidence doesn’t
exist. Too much of his philosophy and work being conducted on the training
pitches at Carrington appears to stem from the attitude of not wanting to lose.
As a result the Reds appear to be
lurching from one disaster to another through poor decision making or none at
all.
While the Scot is hardly ever
found not patrolling the technical area his continuous barking of instructions is
doing little to galvanise the group. In fact from experience I can say that
this can create confusion, bewilderment and even resentment.
The norm for most (though there
are exceptions) is to try and follow instructions - yet on the field of play who
is best placed to know how and what to do with the ball?
The best players tend to make the
best decisions around the use of the football – that’s a fact and while Moyes
inherited a far from vintage United team, it was one that cantered to the
league title last term.
There’s plenty of room for
encouragement and of course exuding authority by delivering forceful dressing
room edicts but issuing incessant orders to those that can’t reconcile with
them can destroy the spirit of a team.
The Sky Sports coverage of the
Crystal Palace last month will also have done little to quell rumours that the Scot
simply isn’t keen to take advice on board from Giggs.
Moyes was shown quite clearly dismissing
the Welshman’s input while the team struggled to find an opening goal against
stubborn opponents.
Since then Giggs has looked
increasingly withdrawn at a time when the manager can ill afford to discard a
veteran, who unlike him has known nothing but success.
The expensive panic signings of Fellaini and Juan Mata sum
up his tenure. The Belgium midfielder looks as near now to being a United
player as he got to Steven Gerrard and co last Sunday.
Alongside Michael Carrick, the Reds look shorn of the power
and creation that is a pre-requisite for any successful central midfield axis.
While Juan Mata has fantastic technical skills, doubts exist
over how and where he’ll feature in United’s first XI. Certainly the decision
to deploy him out wide in a conventional 4-4-2 appears ill advised at best, a
fact rammed home again by Liverpool.
Time after time he found himself bullied by the opposition
full-backs. Both were too strong and blessed with too much athleticism for him
to impact. As early as the 5th minute Jon Flanagan overpowered the Spaniard
to play in Luis Suarez who could arguably have won the first of 5 penalties
from a clumsy Fellaini challenge.
With United crying out for an injection of pace on the wing
the substitution of Adnan Januzaj was even more baffling.
The teenage talisman was starting to come good, making
Flanagan, a player already on a booking, look pedestrian as he drifted by him
on the rare occasions he received the ball one v one. Yet he was the first to
be sacrificed.
Mata is a clever visionary who is most effective operating
between the lines so why place him in a position that nullifies his talents and
why substitute the only player who looked likely to get behind the Liverpool
defence?
Equally there appears no clear tactical direction on how the
Reds should approach games. The former Chelsea man would be right at home in a 4-2-3-1
but what if there’s a desire to maintain a 4-4-2 formation that captured the Treble
and is now being so imperiously employed by Bayern Munich and Manchester City?
That sparks further enquiries over what if any long term
strategy has been devised to evolve from also-rans to Europe’s finest.
To suggest that patience is granted for appearances sake is as
inadvisable as drawing comparisons with the start of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign.
In fact that offers even less solace.
When Fergie took over during the November of 1986 the Reds were
languishing in 21st position (second from bottom) in the old first
division.
They finished 11th and with the same nucleus of
players ended the 1987-88 campaign, his first full season, as runners-up to
Liverpool.
While 1988-89 was underwhelming there were highlights,
namely the 2-0 defeat of Nottingham Forest and fledgling inspired 3-1 savaging
of the champions on New Year’s Day.
That Fergie was forced to field ten of the same players at Middlesbrough
24 hours later is oft forgotten as is the Brian McClair goal that wasn’t during
an ignominious 1-0 exit to Forest in The FA Cup.
Who can forget the fans turning during the 2-1 home defeat
to Crystal Palace after Mark Hughes had been dropped or the chants of ‘Fergie
out’ being aired during the 5-1 derby day humiliation against City.
Yet for all the lows and there were plenty - there were also
sporadic moments of sparkle. A 4-1 romp in the sunshine against (champions)
Arsenal, a 5-1 mauling of Millwall and a euphoric FA Cup run that contained several
nail biters including a 3-2 win at Newcastle and 3-3 thrillers in both the semi and the
final.
The point being that even during those darkened days the
team attacked with a certain panache that appears to have fallen completely by
the wayside.
It’s difficult to remember the last time United threatened to
force an opposition keeper into any prolonged action.
In fact to some degree all that has saved them from far
greater humiliation this term is the clinical ability of the forwards, who
for all intense purposes have worked wonders with the scraps they’ve been thrown.
Take last season’s top scorer van Persie. Prior to the 3-0
win at West Brom the Dutch maestro had fired 11 Premier League goals from just
16 appearances at an average of a goal every 119 minutes – which compared to
his record of a goal every 120 minutes last term.
However the same statistics produced by OPTA highlight an
inordinate 100 per cent downturn as far as far as goal assists and chances created
for and by van Persie.
That assessment has been frustratingly obvious to those
watching all of United’s forwards who at times toil to chase down aimless punts
forward and are then expected to work minor miracles to retain possession.
Time and time again too few have been prepared to offer
attacking support, where once there was bold ambition, there is now just a void
which Moyes ever increasingly looks like falling into.
