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Manchester United have gone goals crazy recently, with TEAMtalk's Ian Watson insisting it is all down to Sir Alex Ferguson's new formation.
You'd have thought I'd have learnt by now. Despite all Sir Alex Ferguson has achieved, I, and a great many others to be fair, keep doubting the great man. Yet time and time again, the wily old Scot leaves us all looking pretty stupid.
As United stuttered and spluttered to 1-0 win after narrow 1-0 win, I insisted the new continental style of play Fergie was forcing upon the champions would never work. Only three goals, two draws and a derby loss in the opening five games, suggested that I was right.
My argument was 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.
United won the title last season playing the sort of football they're famous for. Fast and free-flowing with Ronaldo sublime wide on the right and Giggs defying his years on the left. That is the United way. The club's success has been built on wingers. From Best to Ronaldo, via Coppell, Kanchelskis and Giggs.
But anyone who has watched a lot of United this season will tell you that there has been a very noticeable change in the way the Red Devils have gone about breaking down defences. Gone are the traditional wingers in a 4-4-2 and in their place, a roving trio behind a lone frontman at the head of what is effectively a 4-2-3-1.
It is not a new thing, Fergie has had this in mind for the best part of the last five years. When Ronaldinho was close to choosing Manchester over Catalunia, he was the final piece in the jigsaw. The thought of the Brazillian, Giggs and Scholes buzzing around Ruud van Nistelrooy was enough to make Fergie salivate. Then Peter Kenyon did his thing.... and Ronaldinho was on his way to Barcelona, who employed him a similar system to devastating effect.
But with the title back at Old Trafford and the financial backing of the Glazers, Ferguson saw this as the opportunity to tinker.
However, with Nani and Tevez signed to join Giggs and Ronaldo as a quartet from which any three could be thrown in, Fergie seemed to be missing the key ingredient. A frontman, a pivot, a more old-fashioned centre forward.
This is the role Ferguson had in mind for Louis Saha, but once again, the balsawood man has shown he can't be relied upon. With Rooney, the only other candidate for the role, falling victim to the dreaded metatarsal, United finished the opening game of the defence of their Premier League with jack of all trades, master of none, John O'Shea up front.
United were struggling to fill the role and scored only three in five games but more worryingly, opposition keepers were rarely being bothered.
United were playing some of the prettiest, most intricate football Old Trafford had seen. But it was all going in a sideways direction, in front of the opposition's back four. Or back nine in Reading's case on the opening day! Even Michael Duberry can look like Franco Baresi as long as the play is in front of him and he doesn't have to turn towards his own goal. Fergie's men were restricted to pot-shots from distance, and not much else.
In Rooney and Saha's absence, Carlos Tevez was forced to sweat and toil in the lone frontman's role which is not his forte, and not what he was bought for (whoever he was actually bought from). A defeat across town at Eastlands gave those of us vowed that it'd never work even more ammunition. Fortunate wins against Spurs and Sunderland strengthened our argument even further.
Ferguson insisted it was coming, and that sometime soon, somebody was going to feel the full force of United's frustration. I couldn't see it.
But then cometh the hour, cometh the man.
Wayne Rooney's return has reinvigorated United, and his relationship with Tevez bears a reasonable resemblence to the telepathic understanding Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke enjoyed in the Treble season.
The intelligence of the young England talisman seems to be the key to making the system work. For a player who has admitted himself that he prefers not to be the man furthest forward, his movement has been pivotal to unlocking opponents and drawing defenders out of their comfort zone.
And those around him are taking his lead. With the back four protected by two of Carrick, Hargreaves, Anderson, Fletcher, O'Shea and even Scholes, those in front have the licence to roam and utilise the space created by Rooney to devastating effect.
Rarely have we seen Giggs, Ronaldo or Nani getting 'chalk on their boots', the channels either side of the penalty box now seem to be reserved in the name of either Evra or Brown.
And do you know what, it works.
After scoring 16 in four games, the players look like they are starting to enjoy themselves within the new system. Granted, the defences United have come up against in October are hardly renowned for being water tight, Dynamo Kiev in particular were hilariously bad, but Giggs, Ronaldo and Tevez look to be relishing their new roles, wrecking havoc from behind the awesome Rooney.
If Rooney and company continue in their current run of form, you'll once again find me being force fed a fairly sizeable portion of humble pie by United's knight at the helm as he picks up another Premier League trophy. A title I, and many others, had virtually already written off.
http://www.teamtalk.com/football/sto...833909,00.html
You'd have thought I'd have learnt by now. Despite all Sir Alex Ferguson has achieved, I, and a great many others to be fair, keep doubting the great man. Yet time and time again, the wily old Scot leaves us all looking pretty stupid.
As United stuttered and spluttered to 1-0 win after narrow 1-0 win, I insisted the new continental style of play Fergie was forcing upon the champions would never work. Only three goals, two draws and a derby loss in the opening five games, suggested that I was right.
My argument was 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.
United won the title last season playing the sort of football they're famous for. Fast and free-flowing with Ronaldo sublime wide on the right and Giggs defying his years on the left. That is the United way. The club's success has been built on wingers. From Best to Ronaldo, via Coppell, Kanchelskis and Giggs.
But anyone who has watched a lot of United this season will tell you that there has been a very noticeable change in the way the Red Devils have gone about breaking down defences. Gone are the traditional wingers in a 4-4-2 and in their place, a roving trio behind a lone frontman at the head of what is effectively a 4-2-3-1.
It is not a new thing, Fergie has had this in mind for the best part of the last five years. When Ronaldinho was close to choosing Manchester over Catalunia, he was the final piece in the jigsaw. The thought of the Brazillian, Giggs and Scholes buzzing around Ruud van Nistelrooy was enough to make Fergie salivate. Then Peter Kenyon did his thing.... and Ronaldinho was on his way to Barcelona, who employed him a similar system to devastating effect.
But with the title back at Old Trafford and the financial backing of the Glazers, Ferguson saw this as the opportunity to tinker.
However, with Nani and Tevez signed to join Giggs and Ronaldo as a quartet from which any three could be thrown in, Fergie seemed to be missing the key ingredient. A frontman, a pivot, a more old-fashioned centre forward.
This is the role Ferguson had in mind for Louis Saha, but once again, the balsawood man has shown he can't be relied upon. With Rooney, the only other candidate for the role, falling victim to the dreaded metatarsal, United finished the opening game of the defence of their Premier League with jack of all trades, master of none, John O'Shea up front.
United were struggling to fill the role and scored only three in five games but more worryingly, opposition keepers were rarely being bothered.
United were playing some of the prettiest, most intricate football Old Trafford had seen. But it was all going in a sideways direction, in front of the opposition's back four. Or back nine in Reading's case on the opening day! Even Michael Duberry can look like Franco Baresi as long as the play is in front of him and he doesn't have to turn towards his own goal. Fergie's men were restricted to pot-shots from distance, and not much else.
In Rooney and Saha's absence, Carlos Tevez was forced to sweat and toil in the lone frontman's role which is not his forte, and not what he was bought for (whoever he was actually bought from). A defeat across town at Eastlands gave those of us vowed that it'd never work even more ammunition. Fortunate wins against Spurs and Sunderland strengthened our argument even further.
Ferguson insisted it was coming, and that sometime soon, somebody was going to feel the full force of United's frustration. I couldn't see it.
But then cometh the hour, cometh the man.
Wayne Rooney's return has reinvigorated United, and his relationship with Tevez bears a reasonable resemblence to the telepathic understanding Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke enjoyed in the Treble season.
The intelligence of the young England talisman seems to be the key to making the system work. For a player who has admitted himself that he prefers not to be the man furthest forward, his movement has been pivotal to unlocking opponents and drawing defenders out of their comfort zone.
And those around him are taking his lead. With the back four protected by two of Carrick, Hargreaves, Anderson, Fletcher, O'Shea and even Scholes, those in front have the licence to roam and utilise the space created by Rooney to devastating effect.
Rarely have we seen Giggs, Ronaldo or Nani getting 'chalk on their boots', the channels either side of the penalty box now seem to be reserved in the name of either Evra or Brown.
And do you know what, it works.
After scoring 16 in four games, the players look like they are starting to enjoy themselves within the new system. Granted, the defences United have come up against in October are hardly renowned for being water tight, Dynamo Kiev in particular were hilariously bad, but Giggs, Ronaldo and Tevez look to be relishing their new roles, wrecking havoc from behind the awesome Rooney.
If Rooney and company continue in their current run of form, you'll once again find me being force fed a fairly sizeable portion of humble pie by United's knight at the helm as he picks up another Premier League trophy. A title I, and many others, had virtually already written off.
http://www.teamtalk.com/football/sto...833909,00.html
unlocks the ManU back group...and, how often the 'babes' breach ManU's goal?! -
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