David Moyes needs to get his head back in the game

David Moyes

It has become almost inevitable that more often than not, when Manchester United takes to the field, last-minute histrionics are on the agenda.

Unfortunately for the defending champions, last night’s match-up against newly promoted Cardiff City saw the newcomers find a last-gasp equalizer that saw the champions go back home with a only a share of the spoils.

David Moyes was not a happy camper, and has warned his team that their grip on the title may well be slacking. However, far more telling was his criticism of defender Chris Smalling.

Granted, Smalling was at fault for the free-kick that ultimately saw Kim Bo-Kyung nod home the equalizer. A needless foul on Craig Noone, as the Cardiff player looked to make his way down the left flank, was particularly irresponsible considering Cardiff’s serious threat from set pieces.

However, this is the same Chris Smalling who was able to keep Santi Cazorla in check when Arsenal came calling before the international break.

On that night, Manchester United were lauded for the efficient manner in which they nullified Arsenal’s in-form pass masters. A pragmatic Moyes saw the futility in trying to beat Arsenal at their own game, especially in light of his own side’s inability to gel and find a rhythm of their own.

Manchester United proceeded to hustle and bustle their way to a hard-fought win that reflected the side’s work ethic more than anything else.

Again, last night saw a very physical Cardiff City come away with a well-deserved point, simply because they too, saw the benefits of the hustle and bustle that one associates with the Premier League.

Now, that brings us to another very poignant – and arguably equally important moment in the game – Wayne Rooney’s lunge on Jordon Mutch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2278uoYPCU).

Do not let the off-beat music playing in the background fool you – that was about as reckless a challenge as one will see, especially considering how easily Rooney escalates in a matter of seconds.

At the beginning of the video you can see ex-United boy Fraizer Campbell smiling as the referee brings out the yellow card – perhaps knowing that his former team-mate was lucky to get away with that one.

Moyes, however, defended his star man’s actions in his post-match interview, meandering on and on about how Mutch “ran across” Rooney’s path. By that logic even his own team-mates are at serious risk of getting kicked by their temperamental superstar.

As if Shinji Kagawa does not have enough to worry about at the moment.

Rooney certainly didn’t waste his breath pondering his luck, and he soon put the Red Devils ahead soon after.

One cannot fault Moyes for defending his star man, or at least coyly, if not very convincingly, trying to shift the blame to the “lashing out” that is a part and parcel of the Premier League as we know it.

But in blaming a far less experienced Chris Smalling for a moment of weakness, Moyes’s words reek of double standards. The manager could’ve resorted to blaming his side’s lack of concentration at set pieces and been completely justified.

In singling out Smalling in a game that saw United’s most important player succumb to a moment of far greater stupidity, Moyes is apparently telling his players that it is acceptable to play dirty – but woe betide you if it has severe consequences.

Barcelona’s Gerard Martino, for one, is not one to focus too much on results– although considering that he does manage Barcelona, results are far easier to come than for Moyes at Manchester United.

The point to take away is that Martino has continually urged “performances”, as opposed to results. Martino is a proud student of Marco Beilsa’s school of thought that acknowledges that in football, the best team does not always win.

Hence Beilsa’s reluctance to develop a “Plan B” – pointing out that any “Plan B” that clicks into gear should automatically be made the “Plan A”.

That Moyes has been fighting to give Manchester United an identity, or a “Plan A”, is no secret. To his credit, he has done a decent job in steadying a ship that looked destined to sink not too long ago.

In putting his faith in Adnan Januzaj, the former Everton man has once again reinforced his image as a man who promotes young talent – an essential part of the “Manchester United” identity.

He has understood that while this may not be one of the most technically gifted group of Manchester United players around – it is certainly a group that has a strong work ethic and a physicality that can unnerve opponents.

Unnerve them long enough for the more technically gifted players – and in Rooney and Van Persie he has two of the best – to take advantage and punish the opposition.

A “Plan A” that worked very well against Arsenal, but not one that came off against Cardiff.

Manchester United matched Cardiff blow-for-blow on the night, and capitalized on the opposition’s mistakes to score.

A careless pass was intercepted by the watchful Valencia, whose pass to Javier Hernandez was delightfully flicked onto Rooney’s path by the Mexican.

Lady Luck was on Rooney’s side once again as his shot was somehow deflected in; the untimely bounce taking it over a despairing Marshall in goal.

United’s second goal from a corner was far more straightforward – as no one saw fit to mark a prowling Patrice Evra, who did not need further invitation to powerfully head the ball home.

They should consider themselves lucky that Campbell’s audacious chip on 53 minutes bounded off the crossbar harmlessly, after a careless pass from Cleverly let the young Campbell in.

Lady Luck, however, rightly denied them three points when, in the dying seconds of the game, Rooney’s indecision from a superb lofted ball from Giggs meant that a grateful Marshall was able to collect the ball easily.

A moment that had David Moyes cover his face in disbelief – and one that was prominently displayed in news reports the world over as the champions slipped again.

Moyes need not despair – he is on the right path in his quest to see this Manchester United side rise again. He may feel that they deserved the three points, but his team’s performance, as well as their manager’s words later on, prove that this is a side whose fate will be decided by the vagaries of luck and human stupidity, rather than inspiration.

For that inspiration to come along on a regular basis, Moyes may well be served better by working on Manchester United’s “Plan A”, so that luck and chance – those wreckers of all but the best laid plans – do not come to haunt his team in the future.