When I wrote “20 and counting!” – when we won the Premier League last season – little did I know that in the coming winter transfer window, I would be re-reading “So, how good is Juan Mata?”. I did not really expect United to sign a creative player, and that too from Chelsea. Or should I say, I never expected The Special One to sell Chelsea’s best player for the last two seasons, to United. Okay, back up right there. Chelsea are not the only ones with a One with a capital O. We have The Chosen One on our side. No I will not be making any “Juan Mata, One Assist” puns here. Myth has it that The Special One burst into tears when The Chosen One was hand-picked by Sir Alex to take over the reins at Manchester United.
Looking at how United are currently playing though, I’m pretty sure The Chosen One is the one crying tears of helplessness after practically every game. Whether it is due to inopportune injuries, plain buffoonery on the part of the players or outdated tactics being employed, Moyes has unfortunately become somewhat of a record-breaking manager or a rather benevolent professor in the Hogwarts Premier League, depending on how you look at it.
Losses to teams like Sunderland and Stoke do not even fetch reactions from fans anymore, that is the level of mundane we have gotten accustomed to seeing, but not expecting, at United. A missing midfield is the biggest legacy of Sir Alex that Moyes regrettably has to deal with. Apart from De Gea, Rafael, Evans, Jones, van Persie, Rooney and Carrick – honorary mentions to Januzaj and Fletcher – the players are either past their prime or just not performing at the Manchester United level. Players like Cleverley, Young and Valencia put in plain old boring shifts week in and week out. They are squad players, nothing more. How Ferguson managed to get the best out of this squad is befuddling, and worth admiring at the same time, in the strangest of ways.
Everyone compares United signing Mata to how Arsenal signing Ozil lifted the morale of the entire team. I don’t agree with that, it isn’t even half the story. Arsenal also got Flamini for free. He has slotted in so seamlessly and provides the steel in midfield, which Arsenal has lacked over the past few years. However, more than Ozil and Flamini, it is the simple fact that Arsenal have a style of playing football which has evolved with the game. Yes, possession remains at the core of Wenger’s teams, but look at the players: Cazorla, Rosicky, Wilshere, Ramsey, Arteta, Chamberlain, and Walcott – you are guaranteed slick, skilful play when you see these players on a pitch.
United, meanwhile, have never seen this level of play since Queiroz left. Ferguson was definitely a great commander of men, but he was no expert tactician nor was he steeped in footballing philosophies. Combine this with his neglect of United’s midfield woes, and we bought Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen post Ronaldo and Tevez. (Please ignore Obertan and Bebe, okay?) Clear sign of a team regressing in terms of the continuous evolution of football.
While it is obvious that Moyes has a lot of fundamental changes to deal with at United, it simply does not explain his decision to stick Mata out on the right wing. One would have to be crazy to do that. As if that wasn’t enough, he brought on Welbeck and left Fletcher sitting on the bench, when our best central midfielder had to be moved to centre-back. However, none of this alarms me as much as his statement after the loss at Britannia.
“I don’t know what we have to do to win,” Moyes sighed. “I thought we played well.”
Bro, Moyesy, while I will gladly stand by you and give you the time to prove yourself, I think you’re in dire need of the hair-dryer treatment. It is too early to write you off by saying that you are not the right man for the job. However, it is totally not cool to go ahead and mouth such rubbish in the post-match interviews. Yes, you are an actual David in the boots of the proverbial Goliath. Might as well start acting like one now, eh, instead of proudly displaying your short-comings to the world?
Back in August, when the extremely insightful Jamie Carragher raised the question whether United would change Moyes, or Moyes would change United – Gary Neville had a rather definitive answer to it, saying that “United will change him”. So far, it only appears to be a rather disgruntling face-off, with Moyes and United both trying to erase the other’s identity. However, as Gary Neville was also smart enough to say in that same show, “Players drive systems”.
It is now solely down to Moyes. Will he adjust to the United philosophy of playing with wingers? We all know that is not how David Moyes managed at Everton. Or will he seize this opportunity to bring about a much-needed change at United, bring in new players, and establish a new style of play more in-line with the evolution of football? I hope to God it is the latter. The underlying philosophy at United will never die, which is the fact that we never give up. Sooner or later, we will be back on our perch.
Parashar is a part of the @Football_P family. You can follow him at @Ptee17
