It’s often said that things “turn to worse before they eventually turn good”. At the Stadium of Light this weekend, the men in United colors not only let the fans and the club down, they probably let their manager down, big time. Woefully abject in possession and completely clueless without it, the team resembled far from anything the club prides itself on. But the gloom shouldn’t come in the way of progress, and hopefully lessons will be learnt, and learnt quickly. There’s a league title at stake, and also a lot of pride.
After seven games into the season, United find themselves in third position in the league, five behind runaway leaders Chelsea and rather annoyingly, a point behind their ‘noisy neighbours’. United have traditionally been slow starters, but every league season brings with it new challenges and new questions that need immediate attention. So where exactly are the things going wrong? Let’s begin at the back:
Defensive stability or the lack of it:
Championship winning sides always have a solid base at the back, and United are no exception. As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt; but in football, it brings stability and success. United back four hasn’t had a settled look for quite sometime now due to reccurring injuries and suspensions. Ferdinand’s much awaited comeback has coincided with United bagging successive clean sheets, and that should please the fans and the manager alike. However the two full back positions still remain a bit of a worry. Patrice Evra has been AWOL since the French World Cup debacle, and in his absence United don’t have anybody of similar quality to call upon. John O’Shea, despite the manager’s unconditional faith, shouldn’t be a regular starter; he should at best be used as a squad player, as he offers precious little going forward, while the chant ironically goes “When Johnny goes marching down the wing!!” Fabio, in his third season with United, has a grand total of five league appearances and a permanent membership in the United medical room. The Belgian Richie de Laet has been knocking on the door, but obviously not loud enough.
At the other flank, United have a problem of plenty; there still isn’t any player ready to grab the right back berth by the proverbial scruff of the neck. The majority of the United fans have their heart set on seeing young Rafael given the green light, but Sir Alex seems to mix adventure with caution. O’Shea, Neville and Rafael all seem to have their days , but it might just be the right time to throw the young Brazilian in the deep end and see if he can come out with flying colours. Sir Alex did claim last season that Wes Brown was the best natural English defender around. So the inevitable question is – just where is Brown, our ‘Oranje’?
Edwin Van der Sar is on the verge of entering the fourth decade of his life and Tomas Kuszczak isn’t viewed as the long term solution, nor for that matter Ben Amos. United may be hard pressed if the veteran Dutchman has a long injury lay off. The Old Trafford club can ill afford goal keeping mishaps like the ones becoming a mandate at North London.
Midfield misery:
It’s not much of a secret that the majority of United fans clamored for a goal scoring center- mid, but that kind of a signing never materialized. In Scholes, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson and Gibson United do have options, but so far we have witnessed the opposition doubling up on Scholes and stifling any semblance of creativity. Also the age old question – what, or rather who, after the Ginger Prince hangs his boots? Where art thou, Michael Carrick?
Anderson’s enigma gets even more engrossing; in his third season as a senior member of the United squad, it’s still anybody’s guess what/where his best position is in the Devils’ midfield. Is he a cover for Fletcher or the spark in Scholes absence, or will he ply his trade on the left side of United’s midfield? Hopefully Sir Alex would have the answer and Ando would respond.
Pleasingly, there seems to be some light at the other end of the tunnel, Owen Hargreaves could give a major boost to United’s title credentials, if he makes his long overdue comeback and provides the much needed cover for Fletcher. Competition for places and some rest during back to back games could do the Scot a world of good.
Another bugbear facing United right in the face is the complete absence of a left winger. Sir Ryan Giggs 36 year’s old shoulders cannot be and shouldn’t be expected to carry the burden. Against Sunderland, United played more than half the match without a left winger. Bebe and Obertan presumably aren’t ready, not ready to start anyway. Park shows up only in the second half of the season, and mostly in big games. Problems are imminent and solutions are distant, as things stand.
Striking a balance:
The Wayne Rooney saga has been well documented. It’s about time the real Wayne Rooney shows up and gives the fans a much needed fillip. He has his problems and the club has always been behind him, but professionally he needs to wake up from his slumber. In Rooney’s absence, the Berba-Chico partnership looks a mouth watering prospect and must be given time to flourish. With Berba having hung up his boots for the Bulgarian cause, and Hernandez young and raring to go, the duo should be the way ahead, especially in the absence of Rooney. Macheda and Owen at present cannot be anything but impact subs.
Well there are problems aplenty, as after all Man United always do things the hard way. At present, things might look far from rosy, with the media having already firmly established Chelsea as the overwhelming favorites. The fans however shouldn’t lose hope, not only because a title isn’t ever won or lost in September, but also because belief is the backbone of this great club. At present, the emphasis shouldn’t be on a club in West London but on ironing out the frailties that hamper United’s progress. Come the New Year, and United fans might just be singing – “Ancelotti, are you listening? You better keep our trophy glistening ’cause we’ll be back in May to take it away walking in a Fergie wonderland.
The path to redemption is a tough one, but surely the lure of championship #19 should be incentive enough. The devil might be hurting now, but rest assured the aura hasn’t diminished. Not yet anyway.