Being a
Liverpool fan, it was a day of happiness and euphoria when Sir Alex Ferguson
threw in the towel, but as a football fan and part of the football family, it feels
vastly strange that the game has lost a godfather of management and coaching.
The day he announced his retirement, it was a sad day for football as a whole.
Millions of Manchester United fans (and fans of other clubs too) were deeply hurt by Ferguson’s decision, and
to some extent, their lives will have changed forever.
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| CHAMPIONS: Fergie poses with United's 20th league title in his final game at Old Trafford |
In November
1986 a 46-year-old Alex Ferguson who had just led Aberdeen to their most
successful era in their history arrived at Carrington, ready to put pen to
paper at a club where he went from zero to hero. In his first 4 years, it was
almost as if he was an internal menace towards Manchester United Football Club,
which was arguably in decline, but the 1990 FA Cup victory was a catalyst for
greater honours and seasons, including the illustrious 1998-99 Treble campaign,
and the 19th League title in May 2011, which helped the Mancunian
club surpass arch rivals Liverpool as the most successful team in England (when
considering FA Community Shield wins).
In May 2013,
Sir Alex Ferguson called an end to an incredible 27 years at the Old Trafford
helm, and so fittingly, he won United’s 20th League title in his
1500th game as manager. What was so nit-picking and stressful for
United was finding a successor to the 71-year-old Scotsman. Enter David Moyes.
WHY MOYES?
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| Unveiled: Can Moyes continue the sparkling successes of the Ferguson era? |
United most
definetely have the correct man for the job, but on the other hand have also
taken a gamble on Moyes who has won just a single piece of silverware in his
managerial career – the First Division play-off title with Preston North End
FC. But will that prevent him from becoming an Old Trafford managerial great?
No. Unlike at Everton, Moyes has sufficient transfer funds at his disposal, and
has made no secret of his desire for success.
On 4th July 2013, Moyes
appointed veteran Ryan Giggs as a player-coach, with Phil Neville returning to
the Manchester club where he began his career, as first team coach. Giggs is
contracted as a player at United until the summer of next year, and will turn
40 in four months’ time. He will also be keen to prolong the Red Devils’ dominance of English football for many years to come. Neville,
another one of Fergie’s Fledglings has
followed Moyes from Everton back to United, and like his former teammate Giggs,
could be vital in nurturing the performance of United in the Premier League,
the FA Cup (a trophy United have not won since 2004), and Europe.
ROONEY: STAYING PUT AT THE RED DEVILS
IN THE SHORT-TERM
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| Wonderkid: When Rooney was just 16 years of age |
Moyes said
in his first press conference last week that Wayne Rooney will remain as
United’s number 10 for the foreseeable future, despite the fact that there have
been various disagreements and grudges between the pair, ever since the latter
departed Goodison Park for Old Trafford in August 2004. At large, many United
fans have claimed that they wouldn’t mind if Rooney departs, but what the
ex-Everton man’s most significant quality is that he works harder than most of his
fellow strikers, and can on some occasions, play in various attack positions,
namely as a winger. However, last season
he scored just 12 league goals (Premier League official website), whereas in
2011/12, he accumulated a staggering 27 goals in a league campaign in which
United narrowly missed out on their 20th league title. This major
difference was chiefly down to the arrival of Robin van Persie from Arsenal,
who was regularly picked ahead of Rooney by Sir Alex Ferguson, in the former
Aberdeen boss’s last season at the Old Trafford helm.
If Moyes
rotates his squad regularly, then Rooney will without doubt reap a greater
number of chances than he did last season, but that does not guarantee that the
relationship between him and his number 10 will be good. In April 2007, Moyes
sued Rooney for libel, where in his autobiography, the latter criticised his
now re-united manager for being arrogant in terms of his overall power over his
players. Rooney was sued £300,000 by the Glaswegian manager, but can that stop
the two from now being successful? No. The pair must take into account that in
general, life is too short to bear grudges, and if United are to have any
success over the next few years, Moyes and Rooney must put what’s happened
behind them and successfully work together.
Should
Rooney leave, the most suitable Premier League parties will be London clubs
Chelsea and Arsenal, who are both tabling a bid for a prominent striker. But
with both having reportedly submitted bids for Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez
(Arsenal have also considered a bid for Gonzalo Higuain of Real Madrid)
respectively, Rooney who also wanted to leave United in
2010, could consider
his options abroad, and may head for the Serie A, where he would be suited to
AC Milan and Juventus. Alternatively, the former Everton boy wonder could
replace the outgoing Higuain at Real Madrid, and re-unite with his former
teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
In terms of
a replacement, Robert Lewandowski of Borussia Dortmund is widely tipped to move
to Manchester United or Bayern Munich, although the German media have fuelled
speculation that he prefers the latter, in order to re-unite with Mario Götze,
who was unveiled as a Bayern Munich’s new number 19 last week.
Wherever
Rooney’s fate lies, there is no doubt that United’s management team will continue
to do their very best to keep him, especially David Moyes.
STYLE OF PLAY
Everton most
certainly did not play the most
attractive football in the Premier League last season, but that did not prevent
them from finishing 6th in Moyes’ final season as Everton boss – one
place higher than city rivals Liverpool. Manchester United is a club known for regular
squad rotation, which allows them to play different styles of football week in
week out. Counter-attacking play is associated heavily with the Red Devils, who have had many wonderful
attackers in the last 15-20 years, such as Eric Cantona, Andy Cole and Ruud van
Nistelrooy. It is likely the Moyes will continue to ensure that United play
counter attacking football during his reign at the Theatre of Dreams, with the
Glaswegian being spoilt for choice in terms of the many wingers, attacking
midfielders and strikers available to him.
In terms of
formations, with the players Moyes has, he can play a 4-2-3-1, with Rooney, as
a CAM, supporting Shinji Kagawa and one of Ashley Young/Antonio Valencia/Nani.
United fans can expect Moyes to deploy Rooney as dovetailing Robin van Persie,
which could lead to selection headaches, with Danny Welbeck and Javier
Hernandez also vying for a first-team spot. Defensively, mainstays Nemanja Vidic
and Rio Ferdinand are no longer in their prime, although they are always 100%
committed each game. Therefore, the aforementioned defenders are likely to stay
for at least another year at United, with Jonny Evans and Phil Jones also
competing for the centre-back starting places. It is unlikely that Moyes will
play 3 centre-backs, so Rafael and Patrice Evra will almost certainly maintain
their positions.
At Everton,
Moyes ensured that left-back Leighton Baines joined the attacking players
during an offensive move, which was a tactic that frequently paid off. Baines
could be lured to the Theatre of Dreams if the 32-year-old Evra is told that he
is not part of Moyes’ plans/wishes himself to move on. However, Baines will be
turning 29 later this year and may not be a long-term replacement for the
Frenchman.
WHAT CAN UNITED FANS EXPECT IN TERMS
OF THE MANAGER AND HONOURS?
As mentioned
earlier in this article, Moyes has one just a single honour with Preston North
End throughout his entire managerial career. At United, he has the money, the
players and over 300 million fans worldwide behind him which will all be
massive influences as United quest to dominate English football for many more
years to come. One would expect Moyes’ inaugural season to not be trophy-less
nor trophy-laden, but one in which they add at least one or two major titles to
their scroll of honour.
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| Just the one: Moyes kisses the Division play-off trophy |
He is a
man-manager who at the same time as being someone who is focused intently on
football, can counsel his players if they are going through a negative spell,
on and off the pitch. At the same time, he will not tolerate players moaning
and complaining about team selections, and will therefore make amends as soon
as possible. The former Everton boss is not someone who is notorious for
playing mind games although he can be critical of opposition
players at times, as well as his own squad’s members. He could be considered as
a father-figure too, for he is mindful of his player’s activities off the
pitch.
An infamous incident that took place between Moyes and former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini in 2010 at the Etihad Stadium (then called the City of Manchester stadium) questions and contradicts Moyes' rational attitude, and he can quite quickly lose his temper if things are not going his team's way.
It will take
time for Moyes to win fans over although perhaps not as much as his predecessor
Ferguson. Once his players are able to work together under any philosophy he may
be looking to implement, Moyes can form a team that is capable of maintaining
the ability of competing with European titans, such as Barcelona and Bayern
Munich, which is a mandatory requirement at Manchester United every season.
As Moyes
said last week, Wayne Rooney is not for sale, and will stay put at United,
although a transfer to a European club must not yet be ruled out. Moreover, a
player who could be parting company with the Old Trafford outfit is Nani, who
although is a skilful and talented winger, is known to complain and groan
regularly, and will not be accepted by United fans if such an attitude
continues to be a recurring problem in the pre-season and season ahead.
Leighton Baines could follow in Moyes’ footsteps from Goodison Park, and it can
be argued that United definitely require a new, relatively young and
experienced centre-back. Other potential defensive targets, some of who are
dynamic in defence, are Mamadou Sakho, Diego Godin, Benedikt Höwedes and
Nicolas Otamendi.
Cristiano
Ronaldo has been heavily linked with a return to Old Trafford, after departing
for Real Madrid four years ago, for a record £80 million. Although the return
of the Portuguese winger is a possibility, if Moyes is serious about making a
bid for Ronaldo, he may well be going into his transfer budget overdraft.
 |
| Will 2013-14 be the last season for Vidic and Ferdinand at United? |
Paul
Scholes’ second retirement is something that has left a massive gap in the
middle of midfield, although the talented and homegrown Tom Cleverley is ready
to step up to the plate and play a midfield role similar to that of the former
England international’s, which is diverse – both offensive and defensive. Moyes
could still delve into the transfer market for Barcelona’s Thiago Alcantara,
who last month helped the Under-21 Spanish team clinch their 2nd
consecutive European U-21 Championships title; with
reports that he will join the Red Devils
very soon in a deal in excess of £15 million fuelling such speculation, United are the front-runners for the talented youngster. Marouane Fellaini has also
been linked with a move across the East Lancashire road from Goodison Park to
Old Trafford, but unlike at Everton, he would not be guaranteed a starting place.
THE START OF SOMETHING NEW?
 |
| Will United be smiling at the end of the season? |
It’s
definitely a new era at The Theatre of Dreams, but as customary, United fans
will still expect silverware to be delivered by their team. The question is,
will Moyes continue to deliver the many titles and honours that Ferguson won in
his 27 years at Manchester United? If so, then United’s dominance could
continue in the foreseeable future, although Chelsea and Manchester City will
once again be major competitors for the Barclays Premier League title.
As it
stands, it would be absurd to consider that Moyes will be Manchester United
manager for over 25 years, but he is fully expected by the board of directors
of the Old Trafford club to fulfil the 6 years of his contract. In the 1950s
and 1960s, United had the Busby Babes,
and in the last 20 years, Fergie’s
Fledglings have included some of the greatest players to have graced
English, European and World football. In the next decade or two, we may well be
talking quite highly of a group of players called Moyes’ Mavericks, should the Glaswegian make the most of United’s
fantastic youth system.
In
conclusion, the Red Devils can expect
great things from their new manager and in order for the club to continue the
successes of Ferguson, the Old Trafford faithful will need to get behind their
new manager and support him immediately.
IN A NUTSHELL:
· David Moyes definitely has the ability to succeed at Manchester United
· In the short-term, Wayne Rooney will remain at Old Trafford
· United may need to be make 2-3 signings this summer, including a new centre back
· There is a healthy competition for places at United
· Moyes is a man-manager of a good demeanour, but is rightly strict at the same time
CREDITS:
STATS: Wikipedia, Official Premier League
Website
OTHER TEXT INFO: BBC Sport Football, The Telegraph,
The Guardian
PHOTOS: Daily post.ng, The Mirror, The score.ie, Sports Keeda, Soccer Lens, Official Premier League website
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