David Moyes
has been sacked as the manager of Manchester United and failing to fit certain
players into the team was probably the cause of the Red Devils’ fall from
grace.
Replacing a
football legend like Sir Alex Ferguson was always going to be a demanding task
for Moyes and unfortunately the results didn’t come his way.
For some
people, the decision was perhaps made later than expected. As former Chelsea
player-manager and Italian international Gianluca Vialli put it: “David Moyes,
in Italy, would have been sacked three times now.”
In Serie A,
club presidents have a reputation for being trigger-happy but in the English
Premier League, it isn’t the case unless Chelsea comes into the equation.
Despite the calls for Moyes to be sacked ages ago, the United hierarchy were
willing to give the former Everton manager time to prove himself.
Qualification
for the UEFA Champions League is a mathematical impossibility now. That was
confirmed after the Red Devils lost 2-0 to the Toffees, which resulted in Moyes’
axing.
So why were
things so bad for Moyes?
Aside from him
replacing Ferguson as Manchester United manager, Moyes struggled to create a
cohesive unit, and has been criticised by fans and media alike for managing a
team that plays with a simple approach.
Moyes bought
Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini from his old club and he too has struggled
to replicate the form he had with the Toffees.
Japanese
playmaker Shinji Kagawa has been overlooked by Moyes on many occasions this
season but if Moyes struggled to accommodate a creative genius like Kagawa in
the team, he had more trouble fitting two in after Juan Mata arrived from
Chelsea.
Moyes would
have been better off using Kagawa as an attacking midfielder and Mata as a
left-winger like he was at Valencia.
Probably the
only positive for Moyes’ midfield this season was the introduction of Kosovar-Belgian
winger Adnan Januzaj.
He made his
debut in United’s 2-0 win against Crystal Palace but he grabbed the world’s
attention when he scored both goals in a 2-1 win away to Sunderland. His impact
waned a bit since then but that has not stopped a plethora of national teams
wanting to call him up.
Portuguese
winger Nani has made little impact this season and he could be on his way out
of Manchester. Rumours of Dutch striker Robin Van Persie leaving had come up
during the season because he reportedly didn’t see eye-to-eye with Moyes. With
Moyes gone, he could stay on.
In attack
there have been issues too. Van Persie has had fitness and form concerns, Danny
Welbeck has not been influential either and Wayne Rooney had issues with his
contract. Javier ‘Chicarito’ Hernandez has not been the impact player off the
bench that he was under Ferguson.
For all the
issues Moyes had in finding his best midfield and attack, his defence was more
of a concern. United do not have a star defender in his prime. Nemanja Vidic
looks set to join Inter Milan but Patrice Evra should leave too and Rio
Ferdinand should consider retirement.
Ryan Giggs
is now the interim manager at Manchester United. He is a club legend so he
would be able to motivate the players and he is better off hanging up his boots
anyway.
At 40 years
old, Giggs has achieved plenty of success in his career and a new generation of
players should have their chance to prove themselves.
A possible
candidate to take over next season is Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal. He has been
linked with the Tottenham Hotspur job in the past but Manchester United would
give him more funds for players and he can still work with the players
available in the present.
United has
been having issues in the post-Ferguson era and Moyes could not obtain results
on the pitch. The roster needs improving but Moyes was not capable of working
with what he had at his disposal.
Comments
Post a Comment