Why Manchester United didn’t win the treble

The 2012-13 season started with a huge splash for Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson. First, there was the purchase of Robin van Persie, who United stole from under the noses of their noisy neighbors Manchester City and second, the Dutchman started the season off for his new club just where he left off last season at Arsenal –banging in goals for fun.

The Red Devils were favorites to land another historic treble at one point this season but after two horrific moments against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League and Chelsea in the FA Cup replay, United can now only hope to lift the Premier League, provided they don’t implode like they did last season. Of course, it would be very rare for a side led by Sir Alex Ferguson to suffer the same fate two seasons in a row, but even if they win the Premier League, it would be a disappointing season.

Of course, in terms of trophies won, this season would rank higher than last season but given the fact they bolstered the squad and boosted their attack manifolds will definitely leave a lot to desire. We could try and understand what exactly went wrong for Sir Alex Ferguson and his side in spite of playing so well for most part of this season.

Too much reliance on strikers: With the signing of Robin van Persie at the start of the season, United boast of four first class forwards and it surely caused Sir Alex Ferguson much dilemma as to which two should play up front. Danny Welbeck is brilliant on the wings and coupled with the poor form of the three wingers in the squad, won him a lot more call-ups than Javier Hernandez. And while the little Mexican has been brilliant whenever he has been called upon, van Persie is the actual difference between City and United and the 12 points they lead by this season. Many pundits called the Dutchman’s decision to join United at the summer over their bitter rivals arguably won them the title before a ball had been kicked.

But the sad truth is, United have relied on their strikers a bit too much. To put it simply, the midfield just hasn’t fired in the goals one expects at a club like Manchester United.

57 of United’s 98 goals this season have come from their strike four. This means a 58% of United’s goals have been scored by their strikers. The midfield has scored only 23 goals for the club this season, which is a mere 23% of all the goals scored.

It is true that Michael Carrick has been absolutely brilliant for the club this season and his passes forward have been top notch. But the likes of Nani, Ashley Young, Ryan Giggs, Antonio Valencia and Tom Cleverley need to step up to the plate and get to the goal scoring position because if the strikers don’t fire, the midfielders will have to chip in.

Paul Scholes was a genius for United in his heyday; those clever runs from nowhere into the box, the perfect positioning sense and the goal scoring instincts of a poacher – the Ginger Ninja had it all. Unfortunately, United haven’t replaced him quite yet.

Hence, Ferguson needs to address the lack of goals from midfield next season if he wants another successful season.

Out of form wingers: Nani, Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia – all three of United’s wingers were absolute class last season, chipping in with goals and assists at pivotal moments and winning matches that were heading for draws or losses. But this season, all three of them have gone missing. While Young and Valencia are yet to get on the score sheet this season, Nani has scored just three goals and a comparison with their stats for this season with the last season reveals how poor they actually have been.

Last season, the three had combined for 35 assists and 24 goals; this season, the record stands at 3 goals and just 13 assist – a staggering drop for one season. No wonder the likes of Patrice Evra and Rafael have been so good on the attacking front this season. The out of form wingers have left the wing backs with plenty of room in the attacking third which the two have utilized.

Another stat shows the United wingers put in 593 crosses in the Premier League alone last season at 15.61 crosses per match. This year, the number stands at just 323 with 10.42 crosses being put in every match. This stat is enough to show how the wingers have fared for The Red Devils this season.

Ferguson has already bought Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace and is also keeping tabs on James Rodriguez of FC Porto.

Injury problems on a regular basis: Just like last season, Manchester United have been hampered by injury problems at crucial junctures of the season. Vidic, Rooney, Fletcher, Jones, Smalling, Nani, Anderson – all have been out of action for lengthy periods at some point in time and this hasn’t helped the cause of the treble one bit.

Currently, United have Smalling, Evans and Vidic on the sidelines. Vidic, Smalling and Jones were not available for parts at the beginning of the campaign as well and the absence of proper centre backs has hurt United on many occasions. Ferguson has been forced to try several centre back pairings this season – not by lack of form but by their absences due to injuries.

United were also the worst hit team last season, having lost key players for a combined total of 1,681 days. Sir Alex cannot afford losing players to injury for so many days because if you want to challenge on three fronts, you must have strength in depth.

THAT red card: United fans will cite one moment of absolute rubbish from the Turkish official when their hopes of a treble were dashed. Many fans thought this was the year United would win their fourth European crown, that van Persie would lay to rest memories of failures in the last couple of seasons.

And after completely outplaying Real Madrid at home in the second leg of the round of 16 tie, leading 1—0 after Sergio Ramos scored an own goal, The Red Devils were well on their way to the quarter finals. But fate had other ideas and as Nani challenge Alvaro Arbeloa for a 50-50 ball off the ground, he made contact with the Spanish defender. It was purely an accident, the likes of which people had seen thousands of times.

But for the Turkish referee Cunyet Cakir, it was an offense worthy of a red card. Old Trafford was in stunned silence as the Portuguese international was dismissed and United found themselves 2-1 down and heading out of Europe just 12 minutes later.

There have been many debates over the red card but the fact is, United had the chance of taking a win from the first leg away from home when van Persie spurned two golden opportunities. Even at home, United held the upper hand without having the goals to show for it. Everything might have been perfect before that red card, but sometimes, fate does intervene and maybe this time, fate showed Fergie that he needs some new players who will take them to their fourth European crown.

Reactive performances: Too many times, United have found themselves behind in a match only to come back and win from there. The Red Devils have possibly won nine matches from losing positions this season and it is this reactive nature of their performance that has seen their fortunes fall apart at the latter stages.

Instead of going for a win straight away, United have been laid back in too many matches, allowing the opposition to come at them and score before rallying to win. They have made it hard for themselves and this has made the players tired undoubtedly.

Ferguson knows this mentality has to change and if there is anyone suited enough to change a team’s mentality, it is the great Scotsman.

On a positive note, United’s youngsters Tom Cleverley, Phil Jones, Danny Welbeck, Javier Hernandez and David de Gea have shown immense maturity and they will come back stronger next season, without a doubt.

Shinji Kagawa has been brilliant in phases but he is still finding his feet in the Premier League and Sir Alex believes next season, United will see his true potential unleashed.

Sir Alex has already signed an exciting young winger in Zaha, who will be dying to make a mark in the big league next season.

Moreover, with the potential return of Cristiano Ronaldo still on the cards, United fans can hope for an exciting season ahead for The Red Devils. 


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Posted by Subham Mitra on behalf of FootballWorld.