Manchester United have now hit rock bottom with the loss to Olympiakos

United hit rock bottom

David Moyes was appointed Manchester United manager in the summer of 2013, handpicked by the great one himself, Sir Alex Ferguson. His parting words “your job now is to stand by your new manager” resonated with the fans of the club and even though many were unsure about David Moyes, they were willing to give the Scot a chance.

Following an average pre-season tour and a disastrous transfer window in which we were linked to the likes of Fabregas, Thiago, Baines, we ended up signing Marouane Fellaini on the final day and that too for an inflated price. But the biggest goof up was the Ander Herrera saga which was perfectly captured by the Spanish paper Marca’s headline the next day,” ‘Grotesque mess by United’.

It was obvious from the beginning that the team was not strong enough to compete with the likes of Chelsea or Man City but what has transpired so far was never expected. United are 6^th in the league, 11 points off 4^th spot, were knocked out of the FA cup in the 3rd round, knocked out by Sunderland in the Capital One Cup via a penalty shootout and now face an embarrassing exit from the Champions League.

The signing of Mata brought some much needed hope to the Old Trafford faithful but all that soon evaporated with the Red Devils falling 11 points off 4th place in a run of 3 games where they dropped 8 points.

But the defeat at the hands of the Greek champions, Olympiakos, has taken United to the lowest point in Moyes’ tenure. It was not the loss but the manner of the defeat that saddens me and all the United faithful. The players looked bereft of ideas and none of them shone, in a night that saw Moyes’ team break another record. It was the first time united lost against Greek opposition and the first time Olympiakos won a match in the knockout stages of the tournament. There is no denying the fact that Olympiakos played well but united never turned up on the night.

David Moyes set up the team to defend and not concede. That would have been reasonable if we were playing a Bayern Munich or a Barcelona but not against Olympiakos, with all due respect to them. He went back to his favoured but ineffective 4-4-2 with the likes of Cleverley and Valencia back in the team. United’s beacon of hope in this period of turbulence, Adnan Januzaj was not even on the bench. Fellaini was dropped to the bench after what most would agree was his best performance in a United shirt against Crystal Palace.

Though Moyes has to take blame for his tactics and team selection, the players were simply poor yesterday. It was one of the most insipid performances by an United team in a very long time. Players like Ferdinand, Cleverley, Valencia and Smalling had a pathetic game. United’s highest paid player didn’t look like he deserved the fat pay package he is taking home. Van Persie was isolated up front and missed United’s only genuine chance. That miss typifies the lack of confidence that is running through the team. Even after bringing on the likes of Shinji Kagawa and Danny Welbeck , United looked as toothless as before.

The game once again showed that David Moyes can’t motivate this team.The most frustrating part for the United fans has been the utter lack of hope under David Moyes. He gives an aura of a person who is out of his depth at the most famous footballing institution in the world. Moyes has not been able to project his vision for the club, the kind of football he wants the team to play. If wing play, crosses and long balls are his style, then why did he purchase Juan Mata. It is confusing and most United fans have been left dumbfounded.

People have talked about giving Moyes time and I do think he must be given atleast one more season to put his own team together. Only then, can he be fairly judged. But time is running out for the former Everton Manager.

The next 3 matches are the most important for David Moyes. This includes games against Liverpool and the return leg against Olympiakos. If United don’t come away with 3 wins and a place in the Champions League quarters, I am afraid Vidic won’t be the only one leaving come the end of the season.