Two back-to-back defeats for David Moyes’ Manchester United has plummeted them 9th on the BPL table and 13 points adrift of league leaders, Arsenal.
Two back-to-back defeats for David Moyes’ Manchester United has plummeted them 9th on the BPL table and 13 points adrift of league leaders, Arsenal. A relief came through a mid-week Champions League victory over Shakthar Donestk (1-0) but problems and crisis lye for the Scot manager. Football pundits and former players have stood behind the manager through this tough period but it seems the players are more to be blamed than him. Last week, defender and current player Rio Ferdinand criticised Moyes for his tactics and team management. This suggestion of Rio was widely criticised by former players and fans and shows a kind of disgruntled attitude of the player.
With the journey now getting tougher with each step for Moyes, the question arising is- Have the players let the team and the manager down? Leave Rooney aside, what was Rio Ferdinand thinking? Former Manchester United goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel too asked the same question to the current squad.
The Dane who was quoted in an English newspaper spoke at lengths of some players in the team who have let the club down. Says Schmeichel, “I think more than anything, he should let players go. There are some players in there that are not doing the job and haven’t been doing the job for a bit now. To be a Manchester United player, it requires a certain level of performance, mentality and you have got to be proud to be a Manchester United player. I just see with five or six players that they don’t care and we [United] have never ever had players that don’t care. You should care. It’s so obvious. Everyone is talking about it. Let’s say the club have 560 million supporters. If you are named in the first eleven, you carry the responsibility for 560million people’s wellbeing at that time. That’s a lot of people. There are 75,000 people there at Old Trafford every time you play a game.”
He further added, “This is what you have to understand when you are a Manchester United player – this is the kind of responsibility you have to take on the pitch. Certain players look like they don’t care and they should not be at Manchester United. I think David Moyes will already have identified that, and the statement that he will make by letting players go will be more powerful than the statement he will make by bringing players in.”
Former Danish player Schmeichel, who won five Premier League titles, three FA Cups and one UEFA Champions League in his time at Old Trafford, believes that Moyes needs to add more quality and January buying is a must. He says, “David Moyes, needs to sign players. He needs to look around that dressing room and see players that he has signed, not players signed by the previous manager. But what is the point of signing players if they are not better than what you already have and are not going to improve the team? I know it doesn’t look great that we are ninth in the table but in January, I don’t think the right players are usually available.”
Right now, if one ask what the target would be for Manchester United this season, a top-four finish at the end of the season. Err……not what the Red Devils’ fans are use to!
