Mid Season Report 11/12 by United Rant

How does one characterise Manchester United’s season to date? After all Sir Alex Ferguson’s side lies second in the Premier League after 18 games, with only goal difference separating the Reds from cross town title rivals Manchester City. Despite an ever lengthening injury list, the American owners’ parsimonious attitude to the transfer market, and City’s sovereign wealth, United will surely head into 2012 favourites to take the Premier League title.
All rosy then except, of course, for United’s disaster in Europe, where the Reds were knocked out fair and square by FC Basel and Benfica over six games. Neither are the continent’s leading lights. If United’s benchmark for success is Europe’s premier competition then group stage exit is surely a regression from last season’s run to the final. Add to that an embarrassing Carling Cup exit to Crystal Palace and the season begins to look far less successful.

In the Premier League Ferguson’s side began the season in blistering form, scoring eight against Arsenal at Old Trafford, and brushing aside West Bromwich Albion, Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers in the late summer. In doing so United played some of the most entertaining and attractive football of any team in Europe, including Barcelona, with Tom Cleverley and Anderson dynamic in central midfield.

Yet, that fine start to the season proved to be anything but sustainable, with the wheels truly falling off as City visited Old Trafford in October and put six past goalkeeper David de Gea. In truth a beating had been coming, with United conceding more shots on goal than any side in the division to that point. The lesson hit home in the most humiliating fashion, but Ferguson’s side responded strongly – domestically at least – by tightening up at the back, and winning a succession of games by a single goal margin.

In Europe, United’s campaign was nothing short of calamitous – performances, results and Ferguson’s management. From the beginning the Reds appeared to take the group lightly; less seriously than both the quality of opposition, and quality of Ferguson’s resources, deserved.

Indeed, had the Scot not heavily rotated his team, in a group that United’s manager clearly believed was less than challenging, the Reds may well be facing a last 16 tie with Bayern Munich in February. Instead, United will meet Ajax in what promises to be a stimulating tie, if in Europe’s second division.

Elsewhere, United exited the Carling Cup at the quarter-final stage after the embarrassing loss to Palace. That would have been acceptable if the United manager had used the competition to blood younger players. Instead, England’s second cup competition became a pseudo reserve competition for United’s squad players.

Sir Alex Ferguson
It has been a mixed campaign for United’s manager. Cleverley’s injury against Bolton in September, and Anderson’s sudden and not unexpected loss of form and then injury, certainly did not help Ferguson’s planning this season, although the Scot’s strategic choice to not invest in central midfield leaves a lot to be desired. Unless, of course, Ferguson is right when he claims that the ‘Ronaldo money is there’, ‘there’s no value in the market’ and there is ‘nobody good enough for United’ in the transfer market.

Yet, the manager’s decision to rotate his team in Europe backfired hugely, for which the 69-year-old Scot is highly culpable. However, Ferguson drew a strong response out of his squad post derby humiliation – a series of results that no other manager in the league could have guaranteed. Once again the Scot will be required to create a team that is greater than the sum of its parts if United is to bring home a 20th domestic title come May 2012.

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Jade Christopher Bentley Adams (JCBA)