United were a mess on Sunday for several reasons but their defence, supposedly one of the best in the league, should shoulder a good chunk of the blame. Fergie’s back four has become little more than mediocre.
Rio Ferdinand looks to have completely lost it, and Patrice Evra may well be heading the same way. Jonny Evans remains the Titus Shambles of Manchester while David de Gea looks like to be taking lessons from the Gospel According to Heurelho Gomes.
What about Fergie’s new fledglings? Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are both undeniably talented, but can two players who learnt their trade at Blackburn and Maidstone United really be expected to fill the shoes of Gary Neville and co. so quickly?
Then you’ve got the Reds midfield. Ashley Young and Nani look good on the wings, but United lack serious quality in the middle. City’s David Silva and Yaya Toure look a different class to Darren Fletcher and Anderson. Ryan Giggs, meanwhile, will soon be the wrong side of sixty, and Tom Cleverley – whatever the Old Trafford faithful may tell you – just is not Paul Scholes.
Finally, the attack. Wayne Rooney is his team’s best player, but he still looks susceptible to sudden dips in form and off-field distractions. It’s the issue of who to partner him with that seems to be giving Ferguson a headache, although there’s no reason why it should. Javier Hernandez is the club’s best buy for a long time and should be playing every game for which he’s fit. Danny Welbeck, for all there is to be said about playing home-grown talent, isn’t as good.
Compare United’s assortment of ex-Wigan stars to City’s team of galacticos, and it’s perhaps easier to see why the Reds lost they way they did at the weekend. There are gaps in quality in most areas of the pitch: Hart beats de Gea, Kompany beats Evans, Silva beats Fletcher, Aguero beats Welbeck.
Roberto Mancini’s reluctance to take advantage of his team’s unrivalled attacking ability last season was probably why they didn’t win more than just the FA Cup, but this season the Italian has finally taken the hint. City are now the force they should have been a while ago.
Of course history tells us that Alex Ferguson is capable of winning silverware however bad his team is. It was a minor miracle that United won the league last season. But I will eat my mortarboard if they win another title this season – and don’t worry, they won’t.
