Decision time: Poor use of substitutes by David Moyes is hindering Manchester United

“And Solskjaer has won it!”

With those five words Manchester United became synonymous with coming from behind to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat thanks to substitutions.

As the phrase ‘Fergie Time’ entered the national lexicon, United’s reputation for winning matches in the dying moments was cemented, helped no end by a late Michael Owen winner in the derby.

Since that night in the Nou Camp over fourteen years ago, when Sir Alex masterminded the Champions League win over Bayern Munich, United have often been associated with substitutes winning football matches, lately the name Solskjaer being replaced by that of Javier Hernandez.

David Moyes is finding out the hard way that the right – or wrong – substitution can have a huge effect on just how quickly the loss of Sir Alex Ferguson is going to be forgotten at Old Trafford.

On Saturday we saw the how making the wrong changes can cost you points as Moyes’ decision to swap Nani for Ryan Giggs around the 70 minute mark seem to hand the impetus to Southampton.

United’s home draw with Southampton isn’t the first time this season that Moyes has endured a disappointing result, nor is it the first time the manager has failed to make a tactical change that has improved the champions.

Following United’s 4-1 win over Swansea- where incidentally the Reds were already 2-0 up before any substitutions were made – the real test came against Chelsea at Old Trafford.

With the scores deadlocked at 0-0 Moyes didn’t really go for the win, instead replacing Antonio Valencia with Ashley Young after 67 minutes with Ryan Giggs coming on for Danny Welbeck minutes later.

Neither substitution was aimed at truly taking the game to Chelsea and the fact Young gave the ball away more than any other United player, which raises doubts as to whether it was even worth taking off the Ecuadorian.

Ashley Young Passes v Chelsea (67% Pass Accuracy)

When United fell behind early on in their next game against Liverpool at Anfield it presented Moyes with the perfect opportunity to showcase the same tactical ingenuity that had made his predecessor famous.

Moyes was forced to make an early change when Phil Jones suffered a knock and Antonio Valencia replaced him in the first-half. With half an hour left to play Moyes decided to take off Young and bring on Nani, before replacing Giggs with Javier Hernandez. Similarly to the Chelsea game, the players Moyes brought on didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory, with both players extremely wasteful in possession.

Nani Passes v Liverpool (58% Pass Accuracy)

Javier Hernandez Passes v Liverpool (60% Pass Accuracy)

For the defeat to Manchester City, it would be foolish to blame Moyes’ substitutions for a loss that was assured well before the United boss had even had a chance to make a change, although it should be worth giving the Reds boss a modicum of credit as following his only change of Tom Cleverley for Young, the Champions enjoyed far more possession and chances.

After a solitary chance in the first 50 minutes, the last forty minutes, which saw the introduction of Cleverley, the game slightly changed for Man United.

Attempts In The Man City – Man United Game (After Cleverley Introduction)

The defeat to West Bromwich Albion was the game that really started raising serious concerns over Moyes tactics. Taking off Shinji Kagawa for wonderkid Adnan Januzaj may have seemed like an exciting idea at the time, and I’m certainly not blaming the teenager for United’s defeat, but it didn’t really help the Reds.

Kagawa had been quietly effective, keeping possession and even making a couple of key passes. Januzaj enjoyed an indifferent afternoon, even being partly responsible for the WBA opener when he lost the ball.

Shinji Kagawa Passes v West Brom (85% Pass Accuracy)

Adnan Januzaj Passes v West Brom (53% Pass Accuracy)

For United’s win over Sunderland, the Reds had already taken the lead before Moyes made any changes, although credit is due for seeing out the victory.

This all sounds like a bit of Moyes bashing, which it isn’t intended to be as obviously it takes a new manager time to find his feet.

It will be slightly alarming to some United fans though, that the club synonymous with coming back from the brink, now seems unable to do just that.