Things aren't going too well at the moment over in Manchester.
Moyes isn't performing as everyone expected or at least hoped he would. The football has been negative at times, the results aren't great (to put it mildly) and the squad is massively underperforming. Where did it all go wrong?
Summer transfers: For a long time it looked like United would bring in no one. Fabregas didn't clamor for a move to Barcelona for years, just to return to England, especially Man Utd. He has always stated that Wenger is a second father to him and he owes everything to the man so if he did return there is only one club in red he would play for and its not the one in Manchester. Beyond that chase, what the heck happened? Okay lost out to Bayern on Thiago, fair enough, European Champions. But was that it? Vidic, Ferdinand and Evra were all in their 30s then and Moyes had seen them in preseason, didn't he think that he needed a defender? At least a center back seeing as how he barely plays Jones or Smalling there. I can't remember a single link to a winger either even though it was clear from then that Young and Valencia were nowhere near good enough. Sure that squad finished as champions but if you don't buck your ideas up and improve year to year you get left behind. Despite finishing the season as invincibles that side never won another league title in England. You won the title, great now you have to go out and make sure you maintain that position, and Moyes didn't do nearly enough in that regard. Especially considering the transfer business that Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal carried out.
Backroom staff: Too much upheaval too soon. When Wenger came to the club, he kept on Pat Rice as his assistant. Why? Because Rice knew the club inside out and had been involved with the youth set up, Brady was also at the club, two guys who knew what it meant to play for Arsenal. Wenger said that Rice was instrumental in getting him to realize just what a North London Derby mean. Look at Moyes' staff, besides Neville and Giggs, how many of them know what it means to be at Man Utd and knows how the club operates. You don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. There needs to be some form of continuity or link between the old regime and the new regime to make the process a smooth one. Changing the backroom staff after both Ferguson and Gill left was just too much.
Injuries: Every club gets them, deal with it.
Squad: I addressed this a bit in summer transfers, sure its the same squad that won the title last season but if you stand still then you get left behind. Any squad can be improved on and its the manager's job to find out how.
Tactics and results: Clearly not good enough. Whatever he is trying, hasn't worked so far. Individual quality has dropped all over the pitch and the only players who seem to be sure of their role are the wingers, which is get to the byline and cross. Everyone else just looks confused. Is it RVP and Rooney up top as a two? Is Rooney playing as the number 10? When Welbeck is on the field as well, does RVP go out to the wing? Bar Rooney whose job is it to create goals? Carrick can't do it, Cleverley can't do it, Kagawa never gets on the pitch and Mata seems to be playing out on the right.
Might seem like I'm bashing Moyes but I never said he should be sacked. I didn't say he should keep his job either. It really isn't for me to say, as an Arsenal fan the current going-ons at United doesn't affect my club so I'll just wait and see what the Glazers decide to do.
