Moyes must be ruthless
They have struggled with some dismal performances, the worst of which got them knocked out of both domestic cup competitions by teams more concerned about Premier League survival than anything else.
I have heard a lot of people saying they feel sorry for David Moyes and I too sympathise with him. He has well and truly served his apprenticeship as a manager with a spell at Preston in the Championship, followed by a decade in charge of an Everton side which constantly over-achieved. Moyes laid the foundations at the club which have allowed Roberto Martinez take over and bring things to another level with a different brand of football.
But the main reason I have sympathy for him is that I firmly believe Alex Ferguson knew exactly what was around the corner when he made his decision to retire. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but when he pleaded with the Glazers to buck the trend and pay a reported £24m for a 29-year-old, in Robin Van Persie, we should have known something was up. This was very unlike Manchester United in the way they do business, as buying a player at that age means there is no resale value if or when they decide to move him on.
Alex later revealed it was his leaving present, as he knew with the firepower of such a proven striker United would have a good chance of wrestling the title back from their ‘noisy neighbours’.
Alex Ferguson has always planned for the future and recognised when to sell players when they had peaked or were standing in the way of younger players. You only have to look at when he let Ince, Kanchelskis and Hughes leave. People forget that all this was much to the dismay of the United fans at the time but Ferguson had both the inside information and total confidence in what was coming behind them, in the shape of Beckham, Scholes and Butt. His player recruitment was always a balance between finding the best young players around and trying to nurture them into world class talent — Ronaldo and Rooney — and acquiring solid proven operators, like Edwin Van Der Saar and Michael Carrick.
By contrast, the move for van Persie had the look of a short-term fix about it and, of course, to that extent, it could hardly have worked out better last season.
I like Moyes and rate him highly. Of course he is unproven as a manager of a top club but so was Alex when he took over from Ron Atkinson at Old Trafford. His strengths at Everton were his ability to organise them into a system that proved very hard to beat and the fact that his sides were always very fit and mirrored his tough characteristics in the way they played.
But this obviously isn’t enough on its own to manage a club of the magnitude of Manchester United and only time will tell if he has the tactical astuteness to get them back on track.
Because, make absolutely no mistake about it, this side has got major issues. The biggest one presently is confidence, as the players are visibly struggling to find form both individually and collectively. On Wednesday night we saw a Sunderland side who are in trouble at the bottom of the table go to Old Trafford and have 53% of the possession – something like that just hasn’t happened for the last 20 years.
United are used to dominating possession and tiring teams out but now we are seeing sides go to Old Trafford with no fear and confident they can get something from the game. I have been to Old Trafford under numerous managers and without them actually saying it, you knew they would settle for a two- or three-goal defeat, ensuring the goal difference and players’ confidence wouldn’t take an absolute hammering .
The signing of Juan Mata will give everyone a much-needed lift. He is a very clever player who creates plenty of chances whenever he plays but when everybody is fit I’m unsure where he will actually play. Having said that, I’m sure Moyes will be glad of the headache of where to fit him in alongside Rooney, Van Persie and Januzaj.
Januzaj has been the sole shining light in recent months at Old Trafford as he has made himself virtually unplayable with some majestic performances. I think he is going to mature into a very special player.
But Mata’s addition is only a small part of what is needed at Old Trafford. David Moyes will have to be both calculating and ruthless in the way he goes about moulding his squad in the next week or so and, more importantly, in the summer. He has seen enough of his players now to know who he wants in the trenches with him as they endure some tough times. He has already let Anderson leave for Fiorentina and I’m certain that there will be a lot more out the door as he stamps his authority on the squad.
I do believe he has the nucleus of a good side already at the club and should build around the likes of De Gea, Jones, Smalling, Evans, Welbeck, Januzaj and Rooney. Around these he needs some solid players like Carrick and Fletcher. If he thinks Vidic can get anywhere near his brilliant best of a couple of years ago before injuries struck, then he should stay. Similarly with van Persie, if his attitude is right and there isn’t any disharmony between him and the manager such as has been reported. But, really, he has to stay as he guarantees you goals.
Moyes could also recoup some serious cash with the sales of Young, Hernandez, Nani, Cleverley and Zaha, to reinvest in the squad with his own type of player.
The main objective for him this season is to try an ensure they finish in the top four as if they fail to do this then it’s going to be even harder to attract the big names to Old Trafford. Given the massive financial implications of failing to qualify for the next Champions League, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see another marquee signing to follow Mata before the window closes next Friday.
It’s going to be tough and, I would imagine very close, but I still think they will finish fourth to ensure Champions League football for next season – and give David Moyes the space and time he needs to do the serious rebuilding which is required.
