Three reasons why Manchester United lost the title race

SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND – MAY 13: Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United looks dejected after the Barclays Premier League match between Sunderland and Manchester United at the Stadium of Light on May 13, 2012 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Losing the BPL title to Manchester City this year, is a nightmare that will forever haunt the minds of Manchester United‘s fans. However, there is nothing that us fans can do, except to face the fact that the team was not strong enough to win. Adding to the pain, United didn’t manage to win any trophy this season. What did Man Utd go wrong? Do they have the strength to regain the league title, and mount another challenge on the Champions League title?

I have listed down below what went wrong with Man Utd this season, and also the catalyst needed to propel them to glory next season.

1. Injury

This has been a major factor in influencing Man Utd’s performance this season. Losing Cleverley early on in the season was a big blow; his performance against Barcelona in a pre-friendly saw what he does best. His energetic runs from the midfield, the passing and the creativity that he showed were amazing. His performance against Manchester City in the Community Shield was also splendid, and almost single-handedly won the match for us. Unfortunately, he was forced to sit on the sidelines for months and that halted his progress.

Another important player that United lost to injury was its captain, Nemanja Vidic. He formed a defensive wall in front of goal, and he also offered plenty of goals from set-pieces. If only he had played against Wigan, Manchester City and Everton, United would not have suffered leaked in so many goals, at the end of the season. Other injuries like the ones to Fletcher and Anderson also contributed to the overall weak performance. Fletcher’s box-to-box style of play, and his energetic running were sorely missed; besides, his ability to offer some defensive cover proved to be a great loss, despite the fact that we still managed to keep more clean sheets than compared to the last season. As for Ando, he has already shown glimpses to the world, that he has what it takes, to play a more central role in United’s midfield. But he was halted by injury as well.

2. Loss of form

Some might argue that over the seasons, Patrice Evra has been great for United at left-back. Unfortunately for me, he seems like a player in decline this season. He provided United with great impetus in the attack, but that also has constantly led to the opposition storming our left side. The defeat to Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final when he failed to deal with the attacking threat of Dirk Kuyt forms a valid point to this argument. Maybe it was because of his age. He turned 31 this may, and he is not getting any younger. His form can also be attributed to the lack of competition to his place on the squad. Fabio is the only notable LB, and he will be loaned to Benfica to polish his rough edges.

Another player that I deem to be not good enough is, Rafael Da Silva. Sometimes he channels his disappointment by tackling mindlessly and puts pressure on our defense. Hopefully he learns from his mistakes for next season.

Nani is also one of the players that should take more responsibility. It is true that he managed to score some vital goals for us, but a player of his calibre should have done more. The same could also be said about Ashley Young. He was inconsistent throughout the season after hitting good form early on in the season. Their inability to deliver high-quality assists into the box has forced the team to work extra hard in the midfield area (where we lack a quality passer).

3. Lack of depth

Injuries to key-players in midfield meant that Sir Alex Ferguson was forced to play Giggs in central midfield. However, as the season rolled on, Ferguson somehow coaxed Scholes to come out of retirement. Since Scholes ‘second coming’, United just lost and drew the match only twice in the games that he featured in.

Moving on from the negative side of this article, I will now focus on what could be done to challenge the other powerhouses in the BPL and Europe.

1. Acquisition of Kagawa, Hazard and/or some other players

We need him

If the recent transfer gossips are to be believed, Hazard and Kagawa will move to the club this summer. They will be nice additions to the squad next season. Rooney’s responsibilities of carving out chances and connecting midfield (sometimes defense) with attack would be eased. Rooney is a proven goal-scoring machine, and he is best played as the striker or second striker. United should bring in someone to play as a playmaker and ease his burden. Also perhaps it would be nice to have more Left-back and Right-back options to ensure the current players stay on their toes and keep on giving their best in every match. Everton left-back, Leighton Baines has been touted as a potential transfer target.

2. Improvements

Nani possesses great dribbling ability, but he always plays the ball too late to the strikers, thus decreasing the chances to score. Hopefully, SAF could do something about this. Also United’s playing style is too one-dimensional some times. They always play the ball to the flank, and against teams that parks the bus in front of the goal. For example, when playing against QPR, Man Utd scored early in the second half when they attacked from the middle. However after that, their focused only on moving the ball to the flanks, and the wingers failed to deliver quality crosses inside the box. Those who watched the match could perhaps understand my disappointment.