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Club Focus – Manchester United – Ferguson’s rotation policy deflects blame from the real problem faced by United
The start of a new season of Champions League football at Old Trafford got off to a less than flying start, soured further by a horrific injury to winger Antonio Valencia. Manchester United failed to unlock a stubborn Rangers defence as the match ended goalless, leaving Sir Alex Ferguson to field criticism over his team selection.
In making 10 changes to the side that started the 3-3 Premier League draw at Everton at the weekend, Ferguson was always going to give the headline writers ammunition if the Red Devils failed to complete the job and pick up the three points. The manager has been accused of disrespecting a competition as illustrious as the Champions League by playing what has been termed a “Carling Cup team” by some but those same detractors are offering a large dollop of disrespect to the players that lined up against the Scottish champions. This was not a team of youth team prospects and bench warmers. The likes of absentees Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Dimitar Berbatov will likely start the majority of United’s biggest games this season but the same could be said of several members of the selection on Tuesday night.
There were returns for Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney, two of the most senior members of the squad in anyone’s book. The unfortunate Valencia was United’s main summer signing a year ago after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and would have played a big part again this season but for the ankle injury picked up on the night. Park Ji-Sung has consistently started for United in the big games in the competition in recent seasons, whilst the sole survivor from Goodison Park, Darren Fletcher, is one of the first names on the team sheet for every game. At right-back was Wes Brown, an England international until his self-imposed exile recently and a Champions League winner in that position just two years ago. Then there is Javier Hernandez, the much-hyped Mexican signing of whom much is expected this season. But for the volume of changes from one game to the next, no-one would have batted an eyelid had this combination of players been chosen for the match.
The rest of the team was made up of players who need first team football to establish themselves and a home game with Rangers sandwiched between a tough trip to Everton and a huge match with Liverpool was, at least on paper, a good opportunity to get them a competitive outing. That the Glaswegian side felt the need to defend for 90 minutes is evidence enough that even Walter Smith considered his side massive underdogs, and with five further games in Group C for United to reach the targeted 10 points for qualification there was always going to be further chances for United. The same cannot be said of Sunday’s Old Trafford meeting with the Reds, in which Ferguson’s team can ill-afford to lose further ground on league leaders Chelsea, even this early in the season. Chris Smalling will have benefited from 90 minutes between the experienced Ferdinand and Brown, Fabio da Silva will only catch up in terms of experience with his twin Rafael by getting game time, whilst Darron Gibson already looks comfortable at this level, coming closest to breaking the deadlock.
Focus on the selection only papers over the real crack. United did not fail to take victory because of making 10 changes. It was an inability to break through the massed ranks of blue shirts that cost the Red Devils, and it is the one concern that Ferguson will have when he surveys his squad that only Paul Scholes stands out as having that extra ingredient that would have made the difference. United have a lot of talent at their disposal but they still lack a player of the ilk of Xavi Hernandez or Cesc Fabregas, the 35-year-old aside. As has been oft-documented, Scholes and his long-term colleague Ryan Giggs will find it hard to play every game, and Ferguson needs to find another recipe for unlocking such stubborn defences in Scholes’ absence. Rafael van der Vaart was busy impressing on his European debut for Tottenham on the same night, putting in a beautiful cross for Peter Crouch to head the second Spurs goal. Given the problems the London club had in sealing the last minute deal on deadline day, it is unlikely United could have pounced to steal him away but he is the kind of player that would fit the bill.
United regularly find teams putting men behind the ball to prevent them making a breakthrough, and the only difference on this occasion was that Rangers played five in defence rather than in midfield. Such a tactic may now become the choice for teams coming to Old Trafford and could realistically be carried out by the likes of Stoke, Blackburn and Wolves with success. United now have to focus on a new plan for these occasions.
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