After getting beat by Crystal Palace in the League Cup at Old Trafford, it is the latest sign that Manchester United are lacking in quality. Since the 6-1 drubbing dished out a month ago by the noisy neighbours, performances have declined dramatically and the goal glut that kicked off the season has come to an abrupt end. I accept that teams have blips during every campaign but this seems a little more deep rooted.
They dropped more points at the weekend against Newcastle and were thankful for arch-rivals Liverpool getting a draw against City the next day. At the same time the club is struggling in Europe (whether Fergie will admit it or not), needing a point from their final game to progress from an easy group. Needing an injury-time goal to draw with Basel and requiring two penalties to beat apparent whipping boys Otelul Galati is a huge drop from playing in the Champions League final six months ago.
Although United were unbeaten in seven games until last night and sit second in the league, no fan will claim to be happy with recent performances. The side is having plenty of possession but chances are being wasted and the team looks vulnerable at the back despite their vast array of talent across the back four and between the sticks. While it is not panic stations, the fact that Roberto Mancini’s has an enviable pool of top class talent and a wallet bursting at the seams with cash to strengthen where necessary, it is vital that Fergie does the same.
This season he has decided to go with youth, bringing in young guns Phil Jones and David de Gea plus introducing Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley into the starting line-up, but it is difficult to ask them to carry the expectations of fans and to bring home the title. On the fringes of the first-team are more potential stars such as Ravel Morrison and Paul Pogba but again, they are for future title pushes and not this time round.
Up front is no problem, with Wayne Rooney joined by Javier Hernandez, Welbeck, Dimitar Berbatov and forgotten man Michael Owen, all international players with great sense for a goal but it is midfield where there are glaring gaps.
While there are plenty of wide players to choose from it is the centre of the park that is becoming the Achilles heel. Going forward there is no real problems because everybody Fergie has available has attack in their mindset. Anderson, Cleverley, Park, Giggs, Gibson and Fletcher all have different ways of doing the same thing and it leaves United short when they are defending. Michael Carrick is perhaps the most naturally defensive central midfield at the club but this is more due to his crab-like style of football rather than an ability to tackle. In recent weeks it has been increasingly easy to get at United’s defence through this weak core and because it is a fledgling backline there are still issues to be ironed out.
Unlike many top clubs, United don’t have an out and out defensive midfielder patrolling the gap between defence and attack and this season it is coming at a price. In the Manchester derby horror show, the way David Silva was able to find space showed exactly what the best can do in this situation and it has followed in other games. Swansea were able to create chances by finding gaps in that area as were Basel.
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But the problem remains because the biggest dilemma is who to put there. Phil Jones is the quickest and most obvious fix. He has played there before for club and country but it means taking him out of the back four and wasting his talent in that position. On the transfer market, Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano would be a good acquisition is this role but his lack of game time and Liverpool history would make a deal unlikely. Elsewhere, Arsenal’s Alex Song has proven himself as a top player in that position, with composure on the ball and strong in the tackle, he has impressed as the Gunners have improved and Cheik Tiote is another player that could do the job as well as providing an extra man in attack if needed.
Another problem position is left-back. Patrice Evra has been below-par so far this season, being given the run around by pacy wingers, even in the 8-2 win over Arsenal Theo Walcott looked to have the beating of the Frenchman. And last night’s full-back Fabio was given the run around by Wilfried Zaha, being turned inside out every time. To replace them, Zeki Fryers will soon become first choice after playing in this year’s League Cup, but in the short-term, Emilio Izaguirre was a transfer target before his injury and he may come in next summer. Alternatively, Leighton Baines from Everton would be a fantastic addition to the side. His dead-ball skills, and attacking potential is matched by his defensive capability and with the right money, David Moyes could be forced to let him leave.
There is no need for fans to panic because the squad is still fearsome and will be near the top of the table come May, but the club is in transition from the old guard of Neville, Scholes and Giggs to Welbeck, Cleverley and Jones. And while that is something to whet the appetite, with Manchester City looking strong and ever improving it is imperative that they don’t slip too far behind and to catch them they need to hit the transfer market.
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