5 draws from 8 games.
That's 10 points dropped.
Those of us who want to take the most defensive of stances will point out that, "we're always slow starters, and we've gotten 11 Premierships in the bag without really starting any seasons on a flier"—or "it's our post-Christmas form that's the most devastating and how we win our titles."
But how do we expect United to be Champions when we don't play like Champions?
Too many times this season have I seen our players not want it as much as the other team. Too many times this season have we needed someone to step up and take the game by the scruff of the neck and lead us to victory, with no one forthcoming.
Sure, Berbatov played that role when the world was watching in the game against Liverpool. United fans around the world breathed a sigh of relief, if not for his heroics, then for at least beating our rivals and keeping some form of pressure on Chelsea.
That was almost a month ago.
Since that game, we've drawn THREE, against Bolton, Sunderland and now West Brom, and had an international break.
Back to back to back draws is worrying.
But what's even more worrying is that I don't see where our improvements will come from. Something has to change.
TSR Editors Amer and Ikmal discuss:
It's obvious that what we're doing isn't working. It's not working, Fergie, starting Anderson is not working.
First thing I'd do is send that kid on loan or something, get some match practice elsewhere. Prove his credentials before he can play for Manchester United.
I agree. I mean come on, let's face it. From his arrival in Manchester to now, we haven't seen anything spectacular from him. The only two things I can remember are his goal against Tottenham, and his superb ass-to-face marshaling of Cesc Fabregas against Arsenal some time ago.
Anderson hasn't done anything memorable for us. He also isn't known for a particular style of play and he doesn't add anything to the team. Passing? Scholes and Carrick have it covered. Tenacity? Fletcher and Hargreaves. Shooting? Gibson and Scholes. Ball-winning? Every single one of our central midfielders can do it better, even Scholes with his unorthodox methods of dispossession.
I don't want to rag on about Anderson for too long, so I'll bring us to something else that we should address - our wingers.
With Valencia and Giggs out, we currently have Nani, Park, Obertan, and Bébé as our wing options. Nani is a fixture in the squad thanks to his great form, but who goes on the opposite wing. I've made a case for Obertan to get a chance and I still think he will add a lot to the attack if he's given a chance. Park on the other hand gives us a tenacious edge and will make room for our attack to create. I'm excited about the raw potential of Bébé, but I don't think he'll be starting games anytime soon.
Your thoughts Ikmal?
Yeah, Bébé would definitely be a credible option on the wing, once he acclimatises to the Premier League. No question that he'll be able to. He came on against Sunderland (for Anderson? Oh will he never escape our discussion?!) and I was impressed, overall, with his run-out, considering his meteoric, rags-to-riches, pantomimic scenario.
I think, though, that a few of our players haven't demonstrated their full potential in the attacking third yet. I'm thinking specifically of:
Darren Fletcher | Ji-Sung Park | Wayne Rooney | Patrice Evra
Each of them have, in previous seasons, provided a real attacking threat.
1. You've mentioned Fletcher's tenacity, something we've not seen much of this term. His intense pressing of the opposition leads to pressure on them, less cohesive play coming at our defense and the higher retention of possession for us.
2. Park's said, himself, that he's not very happy with his performances, but he's not been that bad in my opinion - considering his lack of time on the pitch. Plus, that man is our very own, Korean, Pheidippides. He'll run and run and run. But now that we've got a spot up for grabs on one of the wings, most likely the left, I wouldn't be surprised if he got more opportunities.
3. Enough has been said about Wazza. Only time will tell if he'll regain his electrifying form... and whether he'll be here come the end of the season...
4. A shocking World Cup, a suspension from playing for his country... it's all gone wrong for Evs before this season even kicked off. Going from captaining his country to national disgrace can't do much good for your confidence or mentality, even if you're Patrice "I am a champion" Evra.
But I think those 4 players also represent another glaring insufficiency we have had this season: we lack creativity.
Scholes is the master, beyond any reasonable doubt. But he won't start every game. Evra's been the second left winger for us for the past 4 seasons, but he's not been up to scratch, Wayne Rooney's been out of sorts altogether, and the likes of Fletcher and Park, who're at the core of the spine of our team, can't seem to click into gear yet.
Any football enthusiast could tell you that you need a strong spine to build the team around, and any old idiot could tell you that a lack of creativity poses a problem...
What do you reckon?
Despite this advice being simple and readily available from casual soccer fans to die-hard supporters, the message is simple and true: A good team needs a strong spine and a spark of creativity.
Our team, at its core, is very strong with a good goalkeeper, a solid backline, a versatile midfield, and an effective strikeforce. On paper we have one of, if not the best, team in the Premier League. The problem does not lie with our lack of quality, but instead our ability to channel that into a good performance.
On one hand, people can put our terrible performances down to poor form. This is true, but it's so unlike the United of recent years to be lagging behind for this long. We haven't started the season brightly and are still looking for a spark. Like you said Ikmal, the disappointing play we've seen from Fletcher, Park, Rooney, and Evra really do exemplify our lack of fire this season.
They always say, "form is temporary, class is permanent", and I think that is the case with our players. Given enough time, they will be back to their deadly best and we will continue to be genuine title contenders. The problem is... we don't know how long it will take for them to get over the slump they're in. That is why I believe that we are currently in the "rebuilding" stage and need to bring in some new players who will fill the roles of Scholes, Giggs, and van der Sar.
I've always been a fan of bringing in youth players and watching them flourish, but I'm gonna have to back down on my beliefs and suggest that we look elsewhere for players.
Yes? No?
Before we continue, what's the date today? The 19th?
19/10/10
I read the worst piece of news to have ever been published in the entire history of the world (maaaaaybe slightly exaggerated...) I made a post on it. I shall not mention it any further.
Moving on. I actually think that youth would be a good idea.
But! If we do look at bringing in some youth, we have to look at the group of players as a whole, rather than as individuals. Yes, we've been able to build incredible teams since the very beginning at United, but with a few players out of sorts, it throws off a large bulk of our squad.
I don't think a singular star signing could galvanise our team and lead us to success, though... We, technically, don't need anything new. Plenty of depth in every department, quality too. So perhaps looking towards our youth could be a very sensible option.
It's worked before...
In the end, Fergie's Fledglings Mark 2 might be the only option that's possible. Or we could buy back Ronaldo, hey?
I'm all for giving the youth a chance and I'd much prefer that over a new signing. Although a Ronaldo return would be quite hilarious...
Pretty hilarious!
In any case, I have faith in Sir Alex and the gang and will accept whatever moves they make as long as we can keep competing for the title.Anywho, the bottom line is that something is very wrong in Manchester, and the club has to do something about it before we pull a Liverpool.
I shudder at the mere thought of it.
Well said. Right now all we can do is have faith in the boss. His press conference is about to begin and everyone will have their ears to the ground to hear what he's got to make of the Rooney situation, as well as the season as a whole.
Let's hope he's got some major plans in store.
That's all folks!
If you've taken the time to read everything that has been posted, drop us a line and tell us what you would do to change the fortunes at Old Trafford—because we've all got something to say about how things should transpire to inspire us to glory come the end of May.
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