Manchester United: A dream team in the making

“You saw the two faces of Manchester United there”, said Sir Alex Ferguson in his post match conference after the first home game of the season against Fulham. Indeed it was, and all the United supporters must have mixed feelings right now after the opening two fixtures of the season. There are some flashes of brilliance and that swagger and incisiveness in the attacking play, but then there are also those difficulties at the back and an inconsistency in the midfield, which has taken a completely different shape this season.

More than the defensive crisis (which is temporary and will be handled once the injured players are back) that United are undergoing at the moment, the major headache that Sir Alex Ferguson is facing right now in terms of long term benefit is selecting the front six players and playing them into appropriate positions to make full use of their respective abilities.

As already seen from the opening two fixtures where United started with two up front against Everton but decided to field only a lone striker against Fulham and a 5 man midfield with changed personnel, it can be inferred that SAF is weighing up his options and trying to figure out his best combination of players which is something even he, with such vast experience, haven’t faced quite often.

United have always been operating with a 4-4-1-1, 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 formation for years with more or less the same personnel in every position. But now with increased options at each position and versatility of available players and the need for replacing Scholes and Giggs, United are trying to change their system to 4-3-2-1 or 4-3-3 that FC Barcelona usually employ. However, the biggest danger of playing with such a system is susceptibility to quick counter attacks, unless you can hold the ball as good as Barcelona even in crowded areas.

If people have watched it closely, then they could see United trying to emulate the Barcelona style of total football in the first half against Fulham with those intricate short passes in the midfield and little one-two’s between the players or making those short triangles to draw defenders out of position and making the ball move quickly across the field to open up defenses. However, they could not achieve the consistency and accuracy of the passing that Barcelona do it so easily and also the speed at which Barcelona get the ball back once they lose it with their tireless pressing is unmatched. But still, the similarity in the approach play could be seen.

SAF admitted himself after the defeat in 2011 Champions League final against Barcelona that he would like his team to be as quick as FC Barcelona and probably that’s the reason he has since ousted Dimitar Berbatov from his plans. What we are probably seeing right now is the execution of the idea which he foresighted a year ago. It’s a long term project and there’s no doubt that if there’s anyone who can pull this off, it’s for sure SAF and he has that kind of talent available at his disposal too. The only thing he needs to crack is to find the correct combination and make full use of the talent available.

Apart from the defenders and that right wing area (which Antonio Valencia has made his own), all other places are up for grab at Old Trafford. Whether to use the composure of Carrick or the guile of Anderson or the work rate of Phil Jones for the holding midfield area. Whether to use the trickery of Nani or those telling balls of Young or the ever reliant Giggs for that left wing. Whether to use the evergreen Paul Scholes or the growing maturity of Cleverley or the new found Giggs for that attacking midfield position. Whether to use the all round ability of Rooney or the new highly promising and proven recruit Shinji Kagawa in that role just behind the striker. Whether to use the finishing qualities of Van Persie or the poaching abilities of Hernandez or the limitless potential of Welbeck up front are just few of many questions which must currently be doing rounds in the head of Sir Alex Ferguson.

These are indeed new and exciting times at Old Trafford and a good headache to have for a manager but you have to be cautious in playing your cards in such a situation as can be asked from Andres Villas Boas at Chelsea last season where he faced the similar situation of trying to find out his best eleven but finally having to give up after trying almost all the permutations and combinations.

However, the same is not expected from a man who has been there and seen it all for the last 38 years into the football management and all United supporters must trust him to answer all those questions above in due course of time and in the process reclaim the glory that Old Trafford is so accustomed to and start a new era there of.