So there it is: Manchester United’s “toughest start for 20 years” done and very much dusted, four wins, one draw and two crushing defeats later. David Moyes may have overplayed the severity of United’s opening seven fixtures this season, but it has been a chastening experience for the 50-year-old Scot, his squad and supporters alike. From here until Christmas the journey should be somewhat less jarring. That is the theory at least.
Defeat to Manchester City last Sunday has cast a long shadow over Moyes’ opening few months in charge at Old Trafford. Five out of 10; must – can only do – better. Taken together with United’s loss at Anfield, and the home draw with Chelsea, Moyes’ outfit has dropped eight valuable Premier League points already this season.
Still, Saturday’s fixture at home to West Bromwich Albion is followed by matches against Sunderland, Southampton, Stoke City, Norwich City and Fulham, before the Reds meet Arsenal in mid-November. Throw Tottenham Hotspur into the mix during December and it looks ready for Moyes to take his stand as United manager this side of Christmas.
Or to put it another way: the season’s start struck fear into the new manager. Now is time for Moyes’ United to truly emerge.
Football isn’t as simple as all that of course. Hubris has a tendency to decisively bite back. Yet, Moyes will discover a little more of his squad in the coming weeks, with the Scot now ready to deploy players beyond the limited range used to date. It is a policy that backfired spectacularly at the Etihad last weekend when Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidić, in particular, looked short of peak fitness.
“We used the word ‘rotation’ but I want to see good form. If you play, it makes the job much easier if you play well,” said Moyes.
“Obviously, the performance against Manchester City didn’t merit people thinking they were necessarily playing the next game.”
“Ashley Young played in the game before against Crystal Palace and probably won us the match,” said Moyes, who hauled off the former Aston Villa winger short of the hour against City.
“He got the penalty kick and had the chance to score another goal when he went through. You could probably pick half-a-dozen players who didn’t play particularly well against City but Ashley is fine and will be okay. We’ll give him every chance to prove what he can do.
“Wilfried Zaha has not appeared as we’ve just not felt we’ve had the opportunity. I want Wilf to get used to what happens here. I think it’s important Wilf gets to see the level of training and the level of the players and the quality they have got.”
Meanwhile, central defenders Evans and Smalling should feature at some point in the fixtures against West Brom and Shaktar Donetsk in the coming week. Moyes has almost exclusively turned to the trusted Ferdinand and Vidić in the opening two months of the campaign, but with age and injury blunting the veterans’ form the Scot may now protect his star men a little more closely.
“Everyone told me how well Jonny played last season but he had a bit of a stop-start pre-season and didn’t get enough momentum to be ready to play at the start of the campaign,” added Moyes.
“I thought Smalling played really well, as did Jones in midfield, and the younger ones were good on the day. But I think Rio and Nemanja are two top centre-halves. ‘Vida’ is probably the best centre-half I have ever worked with, I would say. He is that good, he really is. Rio has really impressed me by how fit he is and the condition he has been in. He has not missed a day’s training since we came back.”
Moyes will Robin van Persie is available for the weekend fixture, with the Dutchman now back in full training following a groin problem. Tom Cleverley is back in the squad after missing United’s midweek Capital One Cup victory over Liverpool, meaning Moyes boasts a full squad from to select as United look to put together a run of victories this side of the new year.
But it is to the youngsters that many supporters hope the new manager turns. Zaha may have joined for £15 million this summer, but it is the youngster Janujaz that has garnered more positive headlines. The winger’s close control, balance and attacking instincts have brought the Belgian to the fringes of Moyes’ first team this season.
“We really think an awful lot of Adnan,” said Moyes, who is yet to tie the 18-year-old down to a new contract.
“We think he is a Manchester United player and I’m sure he will be. We think it’s the best place for producing and giving young players opportunities. We think we do it better than anybody.
“I think I do it, maybe not as well as my predecessor, but, at Everton, I always put young players in the team when I felt the time was right. It’s what we want and it’s part of my remit, to promote young players and Adnan has been promoted already.”
Meanwhile, the Baggies arrive in Manchester sweating on strikers Victor Anichebe and Nicolas Anelka. Both should be available despite minor injuries. Chris Brunt is set to miss a third successive game, but Claudio Yacob is fit after recovering from a dead leg.
Anichebe and Anelka are surely be vital if the Baggies are to turn around a poor record against United. The visitors haven’t beaten United in the Premier League, losing 11 of 14 fixtures. Indeed, it is 18 games since the Baggies’ last league victory over the Reds – at the Hawthorns in March 1984. Few expect the Midlanders to turn that record around on Saturday.
Still, United must show more quality in addition to the grit demonstrated against Liverpool on Wednesday night. It wasn’t pretty, but following the humbling loss at City, Moyes will surely be pleased with United’s determination. It was, in the parlance, “a response.”
Manchester United v West Bromwich Albion, Premier League, Old Trafford, 3pm, 28 September 2013
Teams
United (4-4-1-1): De Gea; Rafael, Evans, Vidic, Evra; Nani, Carrick, Fellaini, Kagawa; Rooney; van Persie. Subs from: Lindegaard, Fabio, Buttner, Smalling, Ferdinand, Anderson, Cleverley, Giggs, Zaha, Valencia, Hernández
West Brom (4-4-1-1): Myhill; Olsson, Ridgewell, McAuley, Jones; Morrison, Sinclair, Amalfitano, Mulumbu; Sessegnon; Anelka. Subs from: Camp, Popov, Lugano, Yacob, Rosenberg, Anichebe, Berahino
Head-to-Head
United 52 Draw 30 West Brom 40
Officials
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistants: P Kirkup, S Long
Fourth Official: A Taylor
Prediction
2 – 0
No Rantcast this week?
Just running a little late Thorsten
I would prefer that kagawa play in central the rest the team is perfect valencia,januzaj and chicharito coming united will win 3-0 because of vidic and evans solid partner defence.
gua yakin hari ini mancheter united menang 5-1
go united go united
Moyes weakness is that he does not know how to motivate his players. SAF was a good motivator, even when we played badly we still managed to get a result. Moyes also seems confused as to what players to use in certain positions. Kagawa needs to play in the same positon as he played for Dortmund and that’s the same position that he plays for Japan. Kagawa is a waste playing as a winger. Moyes should know this. He needs to play in the center behind the striker. When was the last time you saw Man.United sitting in 12th position? We now should be looking for a new manager because Moyes is already proving that he is not the one for this job.
I reckon that Moyes inherited the proverbial “poisoned chalice” – not a bad squad but two key players who are now past-it (Giggs/Rio), others (like Young, Valencia, Cleverley, Welbeck, Anderson, and Buttner) who just aren’t good enough, and a few who have been thwarted by a mixture of tinkering and playing out of position (such as Jones and Smalling) and two who just haven’t been given game-time (Evans, Kagawa and Chicharito). The last-five mentioned should “come good” but the first-eight won’t.
Being something of an optimist, I reckon that inheriting this “poisoned chalice” of eight problem-players meant that Moyes has had to tread carefully. He couldn’t come on “all Jo$e” and demean club legends (like Giggs/Rio) and he had to make his own determination about Young, Valencia, Cleverley, Welbeck, Anderson, and Buttner.
This first cycle has not been pretty but if my reading is correct then the manager had to take time to assess what he’s got, what’s missing, and who is surplus-to-requirements.
Obviously, nothing was going to be done in one fell-swoop since the post-Fergy door has just opened. What Moyes needed was time to come to grips with a squad that is carrying a lot of players who should have no future in the first-team going forward.
The big question is whether – or not ! – he will have the balls to pull-the-chute on Rio, Giggs, Young, Valencia Cleverley, Welbeck, Anderson, and Buttner. Or, at the least, very-strictly ration their playing time. Continuing to rely on these guys is a recipe for disaster. A couple – Cleverley and Welbeck – might be kept to provide “depth” while Valencia has some merit as a defensive winger (or emergency back-up for Rafael).
To me, therefore, this season is beginning to have the smell of transition and re-booting. Lots of fans seem to have the absurd notion that UTD are entitled to continue on dominating the EPL. It’s not beyond the realm of the possible that this season can be salvaged but it won’t be easy. Moyes has a big job – a huge challenge – and he’d do well to keep in mind that fortune often favours the brave.
Spot on Denton. Moyes is getting a lot of flack for trying to make sense of the mishmash he’s been bequeathed. As armchair managers we can question his selections & tactics – playing two wingers with a weak centre is not a good tactic imo. However, there’s a lot of deadwood and entitlement in there – Moyes is going to have to be brutal. Let’s see if he has it in him. Regardless, this is going to take some time.
What now, Moyes????????
Moyes obviously forgot to name check WBA when moaning about the FA fixtures computer having it in for United with such a tough start to the season.
Yes, but its world known that Kagawa’s strength is playing in the center behind the striker. Moyes keeps saying he wants to build his own team and he said it will take him 2 years. But in the meantime, if he can’t get it right with the players he already has and we don’t finish in the top 4, we stand to lose a hell a lot of money with no Champions league football. No excuses Moyes, get it right or be prepared to face the axe. This is not pre-season, this is the real deal.