What goes up, comes down ; and that is exactly what has happend with Manchester United. After winning the League comfortably last year, the Reds are languishing in 8th and are not showing any signs of improvement.
David Moyes's s arrival has not been as smooth as expected and even Champions League qualification seems a distant dream which is slowly slipping away from the horizon. Not even the staunchest Man City fan would have thought that by January Man Utd will be 13 points of the Premier League summit and struggling to go above 7th in the League. A summer of being linked with the likes of Sneidjer, Fabregas and Baines, the Red Devils only clinched the signing of Fellaini from Everton for a substantial fee of $27 million. Fellaini has failed to fit into the United midfield and many fans were left wondering why Moyes would splash out on the 6 foot Belgian when they already had the ever improving and impressive Carrick protecting their defence. The ageing Manchester United backline was not strengthened and the creative midfielder the fans had been craving for, still remained unfulfilled.
United's downfall started with the anhilation at the Etihad followed by a shock defeat at the hands of West Brom at Old Trafford. Arguably their best result was the victory over Arsenal at home, one of the few occasions where Moyes's men have put up a respectable performance in front of their own fans. United's form at Old Trafford has been atrocious; under SAF teams would come away from OT feeling happy with a 1-0 loss but today teams like Swansea and Newcastle settle for nothing less than a win. The fear factor has disappeared and it is the Theatre of Dreams for only the away team these days.
United fans find solace in the fact that even Ferguson had a bad start in his early years , but it seems they are trying to console themselves and not convince the opposition fans. They have tried hard to support Moyes and have given him time to settle in. Many United fans have accepted their fate this year, and are already looking forward to the new season. An analogy can be drawn between a class topper who is suddenly struggling to perform well in the new year and Manchester United, no matter however hard they try they just cannot get the required results. Calls for Moyes's resignation have not yet started but if the tide doesn't change for United, let us hope he has sharp ears to hear the knives being sharpened behind his back.
It is not as if Manchester United have lost any big player over the summer, their squad has not changed from last year, so what does that tell us about the impact a Manager can have on a team, even at a legendary club like Manchester United. That winning habit has deserted the Manchester club and so has the winning mentality. They are no longer the comeback kings and struggle to overcome a 1 goal deficit, even with time on their hands. Moyes seems clueless when United fall behind in the game, he seems clueless and his assistant Phil Neville seems more capable of making decisions form the dugout . Moreover, his post match interviews don't project him in a better light , only helping him lose the United fans's trust.
The only silver lining for United and Moyes has been the arrival of Adnan Januzaj at the big stage, the youngster had been a revelation and has won many a game on his own. But is this what it has come to, The 20 times Premier League champions need an 18 year old to change their fortunes? United fans need to remain patient for it could be a long and winding road but could culminate in them becoming greater than before.
David Moyes's s arrival has not been as smooth as expected and even Champions League qualification seems a distant dream which is slowly slipping away from the horizon. Not even the staunchest Man City fan would have thought that by January Man Utd will be 13 points of the Premier League summit and struggling to go above 7th in the League. A summer of being linked with the likes of Sneidjer, Fabregas and Baines, the Red Devils only clinched the signing of Fellaini from Everton for a substantial fee of $27 million. Fellaini has failed to fit into the United midfield and many fans were left wondering why Moyes would splash out on the 6 foot Belgian when they already had the ever improving and impressive Carrick protecting their defence. The ageing Manchester United backline was not strengthened and the creative midfielder the fans had been craving for, still remained unfulfilled.
United's downfall started with the anhilation at the Etihad followed by a shock defeat at the hands of West Brom at Old Trafford. Arguably their best result was the victory over Arsenal at home, one of the few occasions where Moyes's men have put up a respectable performance in front of their own fans. United's form at Old Trafford has been atrocious; under SAF teams would come away from OT feeling happy with a 1-0 loss but today teams like Swansea and Newcastle settle for nothing less than a win. The fear factor has disappeared and it is the Theatre of Dreams for only the away team these days.
United fans find solace in the fact that even Ferguson had a bad start in his early years , but it seems they are trying to console themselves and not convince the opposition fans. They have tried hard to support Moyes and have given him time to settle in. Many United fans have accepted their fate this year, and are already looking forward to the new season. An analogy can be drawn between a class topper who is suddenly struggling to perform well in the new year and Manchester United, no matter however hard they try they just cannot get the required results. Calls for Moyes's resignation have not yet started but if the tide doesn't change for United, let us hope he has sharp ears to hear the knives being sharpened behind his back.
It is not as if Manchester United have lost any big player over the summer, their squad has not changed from last year, so what does that tell us about the impact a Manager can have on a team, even at a legendary club like Manchester United. That winning habit has deserted the Manchester club and so has the winning mentality. They are no longer the comeback kings and struggle to overcome a 1 goal deficit, even with time on their hands. Moyes seems clueless when United fall behind in the game, he seems clueless and his assistant Phil Neville seems more capable of making decisions form the dugout . Moreover, his post match interviews don't project him in a better light , only helping him lose the United fans's trust.
The only silver lining for United and Moyes has been the arrival of Adnan Januzaj at the big stage, the youngster had been a revelation and has won many a game on his own. But is this what it has come to, The 20 times Premier League champions need an 18 year old to change their fortunes? United fans need to remain patient for it could be a long and winding road but could culminate in them becoming greater than before.
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