Old Trafford is turning into The Theatre of 'Shattered' Dreams

The day Sir Alex Ferguson stepped off, the question that surfaced was – ‘What will happen to Man United?’

15 matches later, the Premier League champions are in ninth spot with 5 defeats already in the season, three of them coming at home.

They have now lost as many matches this season as they did in the whole of last season. Luis Suarez has scored 11 goals at Anfield so far whereas the entire United team has managed only 8 at Old Trafford. The writing on the wall is pretty clear: “The house is on fire!”

But the situation can still be brought under control provided David Moyes smells the smoke soon.

The season has been bit of a roller coaster ride for Moyes with more lows than highs. Failure to net any big fish in the transfer market and Robin Van Persie’s elongated time off due to injury just did not help either. There had to be a signing where none was made.

Even with players like Rooney and van Persie in the side, you cannot expect them to bail you out on 38 occasions. United paid a staggering £42 million for Marouane Fellaini and Wilfried Zaha; the former isn’t performing and the latter isn’t playing. And that defeat at the hands of Newcastle (first one at home since 1972), pretty much summed up the story.

Yes, it will be too early and too unfair to doubt Moyes’ ability as a manager. After all, he created quite a success story at Everton and did a good job of ensuring that Everton punched above their weight for 11 long years. But at the same time, certain repeated blunders from his side cannot be neglected. Be it exposing the left flank against the likes of Kyle Walker and Aaron Lennon in the game against Tottenham Hotspur or giving his unimpressive wingers too many opportunities; these mistakes have proved costly.

The Everton fans sang – “You are getting sacked in the morning” during their 1-0 victory at Old Trafford. It has taken no time at all for the trends on Twitter to change from #InMoyesWeBelieve to #MoyesOut.

Recently, Rio Ferdinand also questioned his squad selection tactics by objecting to the fact that he reveals the playing XI list moments before the match, providing players with practically no time to prepare themselves mentally. This is not getting better for Moyes. It is not the time to panic but it is definitely the time to pay heed to the alarm clock.

Having said all those things, Moyes has not done everything wrong. The induction of youngsters like Phil Jones and Adnan Januzaj and restoring Shinji Kagawa to his preferred central position are some of the great decisions he has taken this season. Rooney’s form has been a big bonus and the performance of the team in the UEFA Champions League so far has also been encouraging. It is just that the Gaffer now has to find the ingredient X for the Premier League to complete his recipe of success.

United are more than capable of making a comeback and the world knows it. Once Sir Alex Ferguson said, “Win, lose or draw. We show our face, and keep our dignity. We are Manchester United.”

The Red Devils are famous for their “never say die” spirit and no other team in the sport is feared more for making comebacks. The title is quite far yet reachable. So, can Manchester United comeback strong yet again and score a late winner?