Things falling apart at OT under Moyes

Manchester United is one of the most famous and successful football clubs in the world but its recent slump in performance coupled with the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson has caused distress at the club. Ferguson retired as United manager after over 26 years in charge last season and was replaced by his compatriot David Moyes, who has not won anything in terms of silverware—he was in charge of Everton for close to 11 years. I’m not a Man United fan but I have always admired the offensive style of play that Ferguson used to employ; a style that suits a winning team. However, the reigning English Premier League champions have been far too inconsistent this season, the reason they lie 15 points behind league leaders Chelsea. In my view, Moyes’ tactical standards do not suit a team of Manchester United caliber. The team just seems too big for his capacity as manager. This week, the world watched as Moyes’ negative tactics were exposed by Olympiakos, probably the weakest team remaining in the 16 teams of the UEFA Champions League. Critics were waiting to see how Moyes would react to difficult situations in a match against the underdogs and in a competition which remains United’s only hope of a trophy. Coaches draw their tactical plans before the match and are well addressed to players with the help of knowledge from the opponents’ strength and weakness, which, in modern football, rival coaches are supposed to be very much aware of. However, sometimes the opponent can impose a different game plan that is not familiar to what his opposite number expected, and in this situation, you will be forced to alter your plan accordingly. Actually, a coach, good or bad, is judged based on; the ability to make tactical changes whenever necessary during matches, talent scouting and development of youth players as well as communication with others. I do not want to label Moyes a bad coach but possibly he does not have the strength to handle a big club like United. Everton was his size and you could see that he was fully enjoying his job—unlike now when he probably must be having second thoughts on taking up the mantle to replace one of the greatest managers football has ever seen. While United have been in poor domestic form, the Greek side has endured good domestic form as they lead the Greek Super league by 20 points and have won 24 out of league 26 matches. In his post-match press conference after their mid-week loss to Olympiakos, Moyes admitted the blame because his tactics did not work right from the start to end, and his team was made ball chasers. It was evident right from the start of the game that United midfielders were not up to the challenge. Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverly, Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young struggled to link up with strikers so often. Wayne Rooney was forced to fall back in midfield to look for the ball and sometimes helping out in defence, a situation that slowed United’s attack. You don’t want to criticize a manager for mistakes in a single match but I was surprised by his delay to react to change players or change his tactical plan even when he could see that the game was running away from his grip. Moyes has started to lose sympathy from a big section United fans. Putting aside the 2-0 score to Olympiakos, United’s performance during that game has been described by close observers as the one of the worst in a European game in decades, and this could hurt their Champions League title hopes this season. It will be very difficult for Moyes to keep his job if Manchester United are eliminated from the Champions League by the Greek side. He still has chance to overturn the 2-0 deficit during the second leg at old Trafford for United to qualify to the quarterfinals. People do possess varying potential to handle activities or jobs, and perhaps under Moyes, this could be the reason why we have started to see the decline of the most successful English club. The Ferguson project that dominated England and at a certain extent, European football for some years will soon disappear if the right manager is not found to replace him at Old Trafford—because under Moyes, things are just falling apart.