Time, they say, is a commodity David Moyes has earned. Time for the Scot to revitalise a fading side after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement last summer. Time for Moyes to remodel United in his own image. Time to restore the club to a primacy lost over the past six months. Precious time. Time, also, it seems to undo much of the work achieved by Ferguson in a season too often characterised by utter incompetence.
It started in the summer, with executive vice president Ed Woodward flaunting his lack of transfer market nous all over Europe – to much hilarity among United’s peers on the continent. More than £27 million spent on Marouanne Fellaini became the summer’s punchline. One funny only to those resident beyond M16.
Then Moyes fired, replaced or drove away many of Ferguson’s coaching staff, instigating a waterfall of change that was totally unnecessary and ultimately counterproductive. United’s tactics, too, have regressed sharply, leaving the Reds stagnant, incoherent and frankly, at times, seemingly from another age altogether.
But if that ranks as incompetence, or at best misjudgment of a club’s requirements, then it pales into comparison with Moyes’ handling of Robin van Persie this season.
The Dutchman, an expensive, brilliant jewel whose capture last summer brought one final Premier League title to Sir Alex, is notoriously fragile. In nine seasons with Arsenal van Persie spent far too long in the treatment room – finding consistent fitness in his final campaign with the north Londoners.
Sensible, then, for the striker to take an active role in both his training and participation at United. He is a player who understands the limits of his body. And it is in this context that rumours of the Dutchman’s unhappiness with Moyes’ training regime have flourished. van Persie was, after all, deliberately “over-trained” in the summer – a practice denounced in some quarters as being from “Jurasic Park.”
Then to the past week, when Moyes admitted leaving the striker on the pitch against Newcastle United for the full 90 minutes because of a concern about the public reaction to a substitution. van Persie had missed almost a month of the campaign with a groin injury leaving Moyes’ admission, as the kids say, something of a WTF moment. One that has proven devastating to United’s hopes this season.
There was little surprise with the announcement on Friday that van Persie is set to miss a month of football with a thigh injury – it could be nine games before the Dutchman returns, possibly against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 18 January.
First, United travel to Aston Villa on Sunday in a game that fulfills the criteria of every clichéd ‘must win’ fixture going. United will kick off 13 points behind Arsenal and 10 adrift of Manchester City, surely the new favourites for the Premier League title after smashing six past the leaders on Saturday.
Villa is the first of four December league games in which United cannot afford to drop points. The title is surely already gone, but a back-of-the envelope calculation leaves United potentially chasing 70 points to qualify for the Champions League next season.
“We have got a long way to go and we have to try to make sure we only take one game at a time,” said Moyes on Friday.
“We can only take it one game at a time and see what happens later in the season. We’re too far away from it but we’ll do everything possible to get closer [to the top]. We want to play well. We’ve not done as well in the league as we should have done but we’re working hard to try to put it right.
“There were a lot of games we were expected to win before but this club is expected to win all its games. That’s the fact and why, if we lose one or two, things get said. We’ve got a lot of games coming up where we can pick up points, but what we need to do is not talk about it and make it happen on the field.”
On the pitch United will be without not only van Persie, but Michael Carrick who is still two weeks away from full fitness. In his stead Tom Cleverley, Phil Jones, Ryan Giggs and Fellaini have struggled to impose consistent quality in the middle of the park. It is a long-term failing that the Belgian has so conspicuously done little to amend.
“Michael Carrick is getting better and has started some light work back on the grass,” said Moyes.
“I would still expect it’ll be around another two weeks, give or take a few days either side of that. He’s not joined in any football yet. I think with the injury he’s got, it’s something he’ll not be able to play game after game after game. It’s just something we have to take care of. Obviously Michael is a big influence as far as what we’ve got in central midfield.”
Phil Jones may also continue in central midfield with Fellaini injured. The Lancastrian’s energy is always impressive, but his tactical indiscipline almost cost United during the recent victory over Shaktar Donestsk.
Meanwhile, the hosts are without suspended midfielder Fabian Delph, while Ron Vlaar is suffering with a calf injury. Libor Kozak and Antonio Luna could return to Paul Lambert’s squad.
Villa has suffered a mixed campaign to date – beating City, but losing six times in an underwhelming season. In truth it is a side struggling for an identity, where a rash of young players have largely failed to progress as hoped. There are few pointers towards a home win.
Still, it has been season for broken records. Everton hadn’t won at Old Trafford in more than 20 years, Newcastle in over 40. Villa’s last home league victory against United came more than 18 years ago, after which Alan Hansen famously proclaimed that the Reds could “win nothing with kids.”
Anything close to a repeat is unthinkable. Yet, in a season of predictable failures, few might be surprised.
Aston Villa v Manchester United, Premier League, Villa Park, 1.30pm, 14 December 2013
Teams
Villa (4-3-3): Guzan; Bacuna, Clark, Herd, Luna; El Ahmadi, Westwood, Tonev; Agbonlahor, Benteke, Kozák. Subs from: Baker, Weimann, Albrighton, Steer, Sylla, Tonev, Lowton, Bowery, Helenius, Burke, Johnson
United (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Rafael, Evans, Vidić, Evra; Jones, Cleverley; Valencia, Kagawa, Welbeck; Rooney. Subs from: Lindegaard, Fabio, Buttner, Smalling, Ferdinand, Anderson, Young, Nani, Giggs, Zaha, Januzaj, Hernández
Head-to-head
Villa 49 Draw 38 United 93
Officials (all Serbian)
Referee: Lee Mason
Assistants: A Garratt, R West
Fourth Official: M Clattenburg
Prediction
0-1
Moyes quotes on long term future of Carrick are worrying. I just cannot see how we will finish top 4
Whilst not yet fully on board the Moyes-out bandwagon, that admission that he kept van Persie on – to avoid criticism despite believing it was the wrong thing to do is absolutely staggering. He’s put the fitness of our best player at risk because he’s scared to back himself and take a little flak. A borderline sackable offence in my view, especially given what’s happened to van Persie subsequently.
“Phil Jones may also continue in central midfield with Fellaini injured. The Lancastrian’s energy is always impressive, but his tactical indiscipline almost cost United during the recent victory over Shaktar Donestsk.”
Correct me if I’m wrong but I thought that MrJones scored the winning goal – the only goal – in that game. AND, if you’re going to talk about “tactical indiscipline” in that match then he was hardly the worst offender when Rio was appalling, Giggs was hardly much better, and ButtNuts just isn’t good enough.
The injuries to RVP and MC16 – and, of course, the dire results @ OT against WestBrom, Everton, and Newcastle plus the points frittered away against Southampton and Cardiff – have created the scenario in which TheLads must win just-about all the remaining matches to retain the EPL crown and lose only a handful of points to secure fourth place and re-gain entry to next year’s CL money-palooza. It might be MissionImpossible to do so but it sure makes the rest of this season very, very different from the previous seven in which they’ve won five and been within a hair’s breadth of a seven-peat.
Another thing, the manager has painted himself into a corner with his obsequious kow-towing to TheWayneBoy. In the current injury crisis, he’s going to be facing the same dilemma that drove SAF to distraction – does he continue to brown-nose Wazza or does he play him at the base of an attacking diamond so that he can also lend a hand to a seriously-underpowered midfield while bringing in Chicarito who can (and does) score goals ?
DaveyTheSadTwat stating the obvious as usual!
What does Jones scoring have to do with the fact that he allows midfield runners to waltz past him at will? He shouldn’t play in midfield. He wouldn’t anywhere on the planet except in England.
To slightly misquote Hansen, “you can never win anything with Moyes”.
The man is a complete liability and totally out of his depth. United is going the way of the other Glazer ‘franchise’ at double quick time.
” does he continue to brown-nose Wazza or does he play him at the base of an attacking diamond so that he can also lend a hand to a seriously-underpowered midfield”
Very interesting response by AgentMoyes who must have read my earlier post on this site.
Playing DannyTheLad as #9 and giving TheWayneBoy a “free role” as not-quite-#10 and not-quite-#8; playing at the base of the diamond, TheWayneBoy was excellent.
The other guy who had a remarkably good match was YoungTom – not just scoring the third goal but being a kind of all-action midfielder.
And, speaking of all-action-midfielders, how great was it to see DarrenFletcherinho getting a cameo ? My favourite player – and one who has been sorely missed.
Must you put inane nicknames that it appears only you use? Are you ten years of age? It makes you sound idiotic but by you posts, you’re clearly not idiotic. You’re just trying too hard perhaps.
DannytheLad, TheWayneBoy, MC16, Giggserfuckingino.
So for JesusTheChrist’s sake, give it a rest.
I think you give way too much of a shit about this, just deal with it.
Well I’ll do my best but, you know, it might be tough.
But with God’s help, and support from people like you Mop Head, I’ll get through this and ‘deal’ with it.
You great big tit.
We played some good tactics today. overloading the right side with Wazza supporting the midfield. Worked well with DannytheLad’s speed.
First time we have played with purpose and looked dangerous on attack in a while.
TheHumbleGent @ 8:27: “Must you put inane nicknames that it appears only you use?” YES.
“Are you ten years of age?” I was – 57 years ago – now I’m in my second childhood.
Fair enough, keep on keepin’ on if it keeps you young.
The rookie @ 01:17: “Worked well with DannytheLad’s speed.”
My first protege ?
You’d better watch out or Mongoletsi will call you a sad cunt or a silly twat or some other disparaging remark that ignores the fun of it all.
It is, after all, entertainment for those of us who don’t seem to think that it’s much more important than life or death.
The more I read your posts Denton Davey the more I like you.
Sorry for asking you to quit the nicknames.
Good health.