Two defeats in season-defining games is just short of disaster for a team with Manchester United’s ambitions. In the aftermath the temptation is to seek blame in officials, as was the case on Saturday against Chelsea, or solace in the imminent return of the club’s leading player Wayne Rooney. Neither is the answer.
In truth United’s season has not turned on either Rooney’s injury nor the erroneous, if baffling, decision by Simon Beck not to flag Didier Drogba on Saturday. Ten defeats in all competitions speak of a squad in transition seeking a new direction.
The real question is not whether officials make the right calls in United’s forthcoming games or how quickly Rooney’s ankle heals but whether Sir Alex Ferguson can build another great side in the coming months. In a season of Premier League mediocrity, the question is relevant whether United wins the Premier or Champions Leagues come May or not.
After all if progress is the name of the game then United did not meet the side’s humbling defeat at the hands of Barcelona last year with a statement of intent.
At the season’s outset, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez moved on to pastures new, inevitable relative decline was already set, despite the eternal optimism of fandom. That United’s senior players – Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Edwin van der Sar – were another year older, another season towards retirement, only amplified the fact.
It is also remiss to focus too heavily on United’s horrendous injury list this season, although clearly a factor in some of the side’s results. United faced an uphill task maintaining the standards of the past whether remaining injury free or not.
But results speak loudest and Ferguson knows that a focus on injuries and referees leads only to a misleading explanation for United’s inconsistencies this season. In truth the Scot must also do some serious thinking in the summer months about the squad’s personnel and structure.
The United squad sits on the boundary between mediocrity and success. Ferguson almost always steers the club towards the latter. Indeed, it is the Scot’s ability to continually transform his squad from generation to generation that is perhaps his most fitting epitaph.
But none of the United’s legendary quartet has conclusively been replaced from within. While Nani’s progress post-Christmas is encouraging the Portuguese winger is a long way short of the standards set by Giggs over the past 20 years.
Meanwhile, Anderson’s pretensions to Scholes’ throne and Ben Foster’s desire to replace van der Sar are on hold – probably permanently – although at least hope remains that right-back Rafael da Silva’s progress will not stop at injury’s altar.
There is no certainty whatsoever that the understudies will ever reach the promised land.
United will also need to plan better for injury next season than this. Owen’s inevitable breakdown and Ferdinand’s long-history of back trouble, together with his advancing years, mean that Jonny Evans and Federico Macheda will become central to United’s cause. Whether they meet the standards of their forbears or not will play a huge part in United’s future success.
Ferguson must also make long-term decisions on the players for whom the jury is out. Dimitar Berbatov in particular will sweat on the summer market. Darron Gibson has also done little to convince the doubters that he is Scholes’ natural successor and Owen Hargreaves, out of contract in the summer, will need to prove his long-term fitness.
Mistakes were made in the transfer market last summer, particularly with Ferguson’s gamble on Michael Owen. While the former England international was the Scot’s second choice – behind Real Madrid bound Karim Benzema – the free transfer acquisition placed too much reliance on Wayne Rooney in a system built around the former Evertonian.
It does not suit Owen, Macheda, Berbatov nor Danny Welbeck to play through the middle without support.
Over the summer, should Ferguson spend any of United’s £75 million overdraft facility, tactical thinking will play almost as important part as any acquisition’s quality.
If Ferguson persists with the lone-striker system next season Berbatov and Owen have no place in the first eleven and will forever be consigned to the role of first reserves.
But if Ferguson buys he will do so in the face of yet more unprecedented spending across Europe. Manchester City, Chelsea and even Real Madrid – after all the ‘project’ has failed – will spend yet more millions that United cannot possibly compete with, Red Knights or not.
Whatever the final outcome this season United’s supporters are rightly proud of the team’s achievement. After all, with five matches remaining in the Premier League, Chelsea must face both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur away from home. Meanwhile, United has a winnable Champions League quarter-final match tomorrow night.
With the Carling Cup already in the bag the season could yet be very successful.
In the face of aging players, sales and injury Ferguson’s overwhelming desire to win has seeped into the DNA of his squad. Indeed, this squad may well have over-performed this season despite 10 defeats.
The worst crime would be for the club to sit on its laurels and fail to recognise the deep chasms that lie beneath the wallpaper. Ferguson knows this but how many hands are tied behind his back?
The problem is, as you say, the midfield. The issues that were apparent to all in the defeat to Barcelona have never been addressed. Say what you like about the summer transfer market not being “good value”, but neither is not addressing the issues that have been apparent for over a year. We need legs, grit, and creativity in midfield. We have needed it for some time and, for this season at least, it seems that the next transfer window will come too late.
Let’s hope the old guard and the young pretenders can pull their collective socks up and snatch some glory from the jaws of defeat.
Good read Ed.
Have to agree with Jim, the midfield is where we’re struggling although the forward line and goalie are troubling me.
I’ve not seen our midfield bypassed so easily in Europe as it was in the first leg against Bayern for some time; perhaps with Barca in last years UCL final an exception.
I don’t even think we need to spend megabucks in the transfer market, there is a lot of quality out there and I’m actually hoping SAF doesn’t stick to the household names.
Yep a good article.
Personally i feel that Nani and Rafael at least are showing that have the ability to replace Giggs and Neville, whether they have the mental skills + consistency is another debate entirely.
Scholes is one of those one off players with a range of pass and midfield scoring ability that we are unlikely to see again for a long while.
A formation of 4-5-1 and a central midfield of Hargreaves, Fletcher and a rota of Gibson/Anderson/Carrick/Park might do the job. There aren’t many midfielders around who could replace Scholes directly.
In terms of external signings, I think if United really do have cash to spend, they could do alot worse than a raid on Valencia for Villa and Silva. Goalkeeper wise VDS seems to go on forever, but Igor Akinfeev or Hugo Loris could be two quality replacements. All this of course would require considerable capital.
If not Fergie’s masterful man-management skills will have to be at their absolute best.
yea there isn’t a real replacement for scholes or giggs really. those are once in a lifetime type players. i think nani can do the job for sure down the left if he keeps his head on the way it’s been the past month or two. the central midfield thing is a real problem if we’re not going to buy someone to slot in next to fletcher. a couple of reflections on this season, some of which you pointed out:
if rooney is injured there is no way we should ever run out a single striker. berba and macheda together for 10 minutes or whatever it was almost looked like it could’ve threatened had they been out there the whole time together.
we don’t really have the squad for a 4-5-1, even though rooney made it look like we did. unless you’re going to run berba as the “attack mid”/”second striker” sort of player. giggs is wholly uninvolved in that slot, park is always buzzing around but not reliable enough on the ball to be that far forward. fletcher seems to play better when carrick is in there instead of scholes but carrick has proven himself pretty useless in my book and i think that may be part of the reason fletch looked so good for that stretch.
defensively i’m not nearly as worried about it. evans is only going to get better and i think both da silva’s will too…also another thing…why did patrice play nearly every single game? put fabio in and give the poor guy a rest once in a while.
sorry to make it united (commenter) rant
Ed, Glazers have no intention to leave the club,City will spend heavily (especially if they get 4th spot), Real Madrid as well, Chelski though, i have my doubts (since Special One’s departure they haven’t spend much and i don’t believe they will in the near future). So what is our edge? SAF’s self generated desire to excel , and smart moves during transfer period. We need new players in midfield and a striker (the problem is that Fergie has since RVN to buy someone who has not prove himself in Premier League)
Yep Fergie is and always has been United’s greatest differentiator.
In terms of the Glazers many experts argue that they will leave the club eventually – its the only way they make a profit on a leveraged buyout. When is a point of argument. In any case there will be no significant spending this summer because there’s no money in the bank account unless its from the club’s £75 million overdraft facility (more debt).
The accounts published at end the of May will show cash, by the autumn after the transfer window has closed the accounts will show its all been moved out to pay down debt.
they are not ten defeats but eleven and they all taste bitter
0-1 leeds united fa cup
2-1 manshity carling cup
0-1 besiktas CL
2-1 bayern munchen CL
1-0 burnley EPL
0-1 aston villa EPL
1-2 chelsea EPL
3-0 fulham EPL
2-0 liverpool EPL
1-0 chelsea EPL
3-1 everton EPL
Good spot!
Last years defensive injury crisis was masked by the almost miraculous record of consecutive clean sheets. The older, more injury – prone players were not replaced and we’ve suffered in the Premier league as a result.
As for Europe, the game has changed with Barca setting the standard. What once looked like a winning midfield now looks dull and lacking the ability to penetrate the best defenses.
As for the keeper I would give Kuschek a run – Foster didn’t take his chance but Kuschek did; with a makeshift defence in front of him. If not then Fergie should spend the money on Lloris or Akinfeev – we should not take the piss out of Foster or Kuschek any longer!