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If it aint broke, dont fix it!
So goes the mantra but why then has Sir Alex thrown caution to the wind and abandoned the attacking model that delivered so much success last season?
The question is being revisited again in the wake of yet another 1-0 triumph against Sporting Lisbon during which United’s attacking enterprise was muted.
“An unconvincing 1-0 victory over a Sporting Lisbon team failed to paper over the cracks that have emerged in the Barclays Premier League champions’ armoury,” ran a report in the Times newspaper.
“That United still struggled going forward was another telling reminder that the manager cannot persist without a striker in the Louis Saha mould for much longer.
“Ferguson’s decision to start with Saha on the substitutes’ bench was partly rooted in the knowledge that he can ill afford to take risks with a player with such a poor injury record, but who may yet play a pivotal role in United’s season.”
The press criticism seems unfair given that United are on a four game winning streak. But as ex-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, will testify, winning isn’t everything.
What is undoubtedly true is that many observers remain to be convinced by Ferguson’s bold and some would say needless tinkering with United’s forward options.
United won the title last year with the most potent attack in the land. Neverthless, for the last four months of the campaign, Sir Alex’s team functioned without a classic N° 9. Louis Saha’s injuries meant that several players - Giggs, Smith, Larsson and Solskjaer filled in alongside Wayne Rooney. Did this give rise to the idea of dispensing with a goal poacher?
But why make such a dramatic change? Most observers agreed that United needed attacking reinforcement at the end of the last glorious campaign but not a change to the attacking model that had served the team so well. Exchange Saha for Berbatov or a similar leading front man by all means. But force Wayne Rooney to become the new Saha? No way!
Perhaps, Fergie believed that he would get the best of both worlds. Rooney is one of the best footballers in the business. He has the instinct and skills allotted only to genius. If United could increase his goal ratio by 30% by playing him higher up the field, he would be the complete attacking player and give United so much more than any of the over-priced frontmen who might be available.
It was a gamble the manager was ready to take. But Fergie’s plans came unstuck in game one when Michael Duberry trod on Rooney’s foot during the match between United and Reading and put the striker out for a month.
Yet, the manager plainly has not abandoned his vision of Rooney’s development. Some observers suggest that United are merely following the trends of modern football. Successful teams are seamlessly integrated, complete with quick, mobile, interchangeable athletes, capable of such dizzying movement that they can unsettle even the most composed defences. The loan deal for Carlos Tevez surely fits into such thinking.
And yet, are there hints that the change to Rooney’s role is nothing more than a season’s convenience?
The Times believes the manager cannot avoid the accumulated evidence. It claimed: “As a former centre forward, Sir Alex Ferguson knows better than most the importance of having a target man, someone who can lead the line. Without one, the balance of a team can be affected, as Manchester United have discovered this season.”
No matter how fluid the system, sooner or later a team requires a front man who can play with his back to goal and receive and distribute the ball with composure. At the highest level, teams need scorers. This is an art known only to those involved in its careful execution over many many years. Rooney may be a sublime talent but it is still doubtful whether he will ever rival the lethal touch in front of goal or Ruud Van Nistelrooy or indeed, Michael Owen, without losing some of the qualities which contribute so much to United’s play.
The manager speaks more favourably of Saha’s contribution these days, a change of heart which seems to be mirrored among the United faithful too. Rumours persist in Bulgaria that United will follow up their interest in Dimitar Berbatov next summer, raising the prospect of Saha and Tevez moving on, with Rooney reverting back to his more natural role 10 yards behind the lead attacker.
So goes the mantra but why then has Sir Alex thrown caution to the wind and abandoned the attacking model that delivered so much success last season?
The question is being revisited again in the wake of yet another 1-0 triumph against Sporting Lisbon during which United’s attacking enterprise was muted.
“An unconvincing 1-0 victory over a Sporting Lisbon team failed to paper over the cracks that have emerged in the Barclays Premier League champions’ armoury,” ran a report in the Times newspaper.
“That United still struggled going forward was another telling reminder that the manager cannot persist without a striker in the Louis Saha mould for much longer.
“Ferguson’s decision to start with Saha on the substitutes’ bench was partly rooted in the knowledge that he can ill afford to take risks with a player with such a poor injury record, but who may yet play a pivotal role in United’s season.”
The press criticism seems unfair given that United are on a four game winning streak. But as ex-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, will testify, winning isn’t everything.
What is undoubtedly true is that many observers remain to be convinced by Ferguson’s bold and some would say needless tinkering with United’s forward options.
United won the title last year with the most potent attack in the land. Neverthless, for the last four months of the campaign, Sir Alex’s team functioned without a classic N° 9. Louis Saha’s injuries meant that several players - Giggs, Smith, Larsson and Solskjaer filled in alongside Wayne Rooney. Did this give rise to the idea of dispensing with a goal poacher?
But why make such a dramatic change? Most observers agreed that United needed attacking reinforcement at the end of the last glorious campaign but not a change to the attacking model that had served the team so well. Exchange Saha for Berbatov or a similar leading front man by all means. But force Wayne Rooney to become the new Saha? No way!
Perhaps, Fergie believed that he would get the best of both worlds. Rooney is one of the best footballers in the business. He has the instinct and skills allotted only to genius. If United could increase his goal ratio by 30% by playing him higher up the field, he would be the complete attacking player and give United so much more than any of the over-priced frontmen who might be available.
It was a gamble the manager was ready to take. But Fergie’s plans came unstuck in game one when Michael Duberry trod on Rooney’s foot during the match between United and Reading and put the striker out for a month.
Yet, the manager plainly has not abandoned his vision of Rooney’s development. Some observers suggest that United are merely following the trends of modern football. Successful teams are seamlessly integrated, complete with quick, mobile, interchangeable athletes, capable of such dizzying movement that they can unsettle even the most composed defences. The loan deal for Carlos Tevez surely fits into such thinking.
And yet, are there hints that the change to Rooney’s role is nothing more than a season’s convenience?
The Times believes the manager cannot avoid the accumulated evidence. It claimed: “As a former centre forward, Sir Alex Ferguson knows better than most the importance of having a target man, someone who can lead the line. Without one, the balance of a team can be affected, as Manchester United have discovered this season.”
No matter how fluid the system, sooner or later a team requires a front man who can play with his back to goal and receive and distribute the ball with composure. At the highest level, teams need scorers. This is an art known only to those involved in its careful execution over many many years. Rooney may be a sublime talent but it is still doubtful whether he will ever rival the lethal touch in front of goal or Ruud Van Nistelrooy or indeed, Michael Owen, without losing some of the qualities which contribute so much to United’s play.
The manager speaks more favourably of Saha’s contribution these days, a change of heart which seems to be mirrored among the United faithful too. Rumours persist in Bulgaria that United will follow up their interest in Dimitar Berbatov next summer, raising the prospect of Saha and Tevez moving on, with Rooney reverting back to his more natural role 10 yards behind the lead attacker.
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