Fergie’s Dilemma: Stick Or Twist?
Can Sir Alex save United’s season against Spurs on Sunday?
The question seems absurdly dramatic just three games into a new campaign but it is the manager who sees the game in such stark terms.
“We have to get a win under our belts,” Ferguson said. “We have Tottenham on Sunday and that has become a very important game for us.”
“We have given ourselves an uphill fight. We know the position we have put ourselves in. Over the years we have always been able to overcome these things. We will have to do so again. But this is a league where if you make mistakes, it punishes you.”
Three games, two points, one goal. These bald statistics are red meat to headline writers with a ‘crisis’ to sell but in fairness, they do not tell the whole story of United’s worst start in 15 years.
Sir Alex has lost the scorers of 70 goals from the team that ran away with the title last season, a quite horrendous handicap for any side. Ronaldo’s absence is short term. Saha and Ole should be back soon enough but how long they will remain fit is anyone’s guess, whilst Rooney is unavailable for nine weeks.
Amid all the talk of ‘crisis,’ Sir Alex will have noted the ingredients for the exhilarating and winning performances to come.
The defence is not yet a fortress but conceding two goals in three games is not reason for grave concern. Vidic and Rio will get better as the season progresses. Brown will give way to Neville in early September and Evra looks bright and capable enough at leftback to make fans forget the expected treachery of his Argentine rival.
Happily, the midfield is purring. Owen Hargreaves’ performance against City showed just why the manager waited a year for his signature. His tackling, distribution and recovery of the ball were mostly excellent and the England star looked the dynamic midfield screen which Fergie promised.
Scholes has already scored a fine goal at Portsmouth and after a subdued display against Reading looks to be hitting his stride again. Carrick too, looked a better player alongside Hargreaves and used the ball intelligently as United dominated City in midfield. If Carrick could only threaten real danger with his forward runs, United’s new midfield formation would be an unequivocal joy to behold.
Sooner or later, United are going to hammer an opponent. But they will not do so without
better finishing. United’s lack of weight, invention and goal instinct up front, is maddening. Nani has performed well in two starts and would have opened his account at City with more composure in front of goal. Giggs improved against City after a slack contribution on the south coast but has yet to reach the required level of consistency .
All attention however is on Carlos Tevez. The player is being asked to do a job for which he was not bought and is not equipped. Micah Richards devoured him in the derby and the striker can expect little change out of the muscular athletes he will face in the weeks to come. The Argentine is busy, has a wonderful touch and will be a great asset to the team but he is not a predator in the mould of Ruud. For the moment, Tevez wears the look of a man given the labours of Hercules.
Ferguson threw on Frazier Campbell as he chased a point in the derby but the 20 year old looked out of his depth and didn’t touch the ball in 20 minutes of play. His time will come. Whether the same can be said of Dong Fangzhou, is another matter. The Chinese striker is the new ghost of Old Trafford. United’s first team squad is no place for a student seeking work experience.
Clearly, United’s lack of end product is undoing the side’s good work. Can this be improved on the training field in time for the home encounter with Spurs? Can the art of goal-scoring be acquired or is it so specialist, that no amount of drills and technical training can instill the instinct of when to arrive in the box and which position to take up in anticipation of the final ball?
Such a question forms part of what must now be the manager’s preoccupation in the run up to the Sunday’s game: With the transfer window due to close in 10 days, does Ferguson buy again or stay with what he has and hope for the best?
Press reports claim the Glazer family is ready to open its cheque book and link the club with Bolton’s Nicolas Anelka and Newcastle’s Obafemi Martins. Publicly however, Ferguson gives every indication that a return to the transfer market would be a show of panic.
“We have to rely on our experience and make sure we do not get carried away with a knee-jerk reaction to it all,” he declared.
Could the destiny of the title depend upon the manager’s decision? Spurs are merely the first test of United’s mettle and their indifferent form must give Ferguson hopes of a result next weekend and he may trust in his current players to get the job done. But will they be good enough for future games against Chelsea or even Everton?
United’s golascoring during the remaining weeks of Rooney’s absence will go a long way towards deciding whether the club’s interest in the title will survive the Spring. If Spurs, perhaps under a new manager, prove to be stubborn guests, the balloon of pre-season optimism will burst loudly. Fergie may be left with no choice but to gear the club towards the Champions League, as Arsenal and Liverpool did in previous years, with all the attendant risks.
Sir Alex had a strategy in place just nine days ago, which injury and suspension have now left in tatters. He will hope for a change of luck and might take comfort from the fact that on the last occasion United started a league campaign as badly, they went on to win the title.
He will also know that his first domestic league honour was made possible only by the signing of Eric Cantona.
TOMORROW: How United Can Beat Spurs
