Is Moyes driving Man united to the depths of hell?

The performance in Greece was so pathetic
that the Old Trafford boss must wield his
power and make sure those coasting never
play again for the club

COLUMN
By Peter Staunton
David Moyes has justifiably been criticised in
his first season as Manchester United manager.
His team have lost about a quarter of their
matches which is far too high a figure even in
a season of transition. United have not yet
settled on a style of play which defines the
Moyes ethos and, even in smaller-scale games,
they have been shown up to be unimaginative
and limited.
The tactical shape of the team is something
Moyes alone is responsible for and it is he who
must field the questions when United are
called out on being one-dimensional. If his
ideas are not coming across, then the buck
stops with the manager.
"Me and the team didn't show together," he
told Uefa after the defeat to Olympiakos.
"We'll put it right, we're determined to put it
right and we'll have opportunities to do it in
the coming weeks. Old Trafford's seen some
great nights in the past and we'll hopefully
see another one. We'll do everything we
possibly can to reverse the 2-0 defeat."
Stepping up from Everton to Manchester
United, Moyes was always going to encounter
some issues with a higher calibre of player. He
played with Robin van Persie's fitness against
Newcastle by refusing to substitute him
against his better judgement. He has indulged
Wayne Rooney far too much at the expense of
more lithe, creative players like Shinji Kagawa
and Juan Mata. He has at once overburdened
Adnan Januzaj but then cut him loose at the
wrong time by leaving him out at Olympiakos.
There is another side to it though. All the
problems cannot be laid at Moyes' door. He
must have a look around the dressing room
now and ask honestly the question: "Who is
letting me down?"
On the basis of the display against
Olympiakos, the answer could be, conceivably,
quite a few. Robin van Persie seems on the
verge of exasperation. But at least he looked
like he was trying.
If Moyes has any hope of salvaging United's
season then he cannot wait until the summer
to begin his clearout. There were players on
the pitch in Greece who look beyond saving
and, as such, should not play for United again.
Rio Ferdinand, one of United's most senior
players, has aimed thinly veiled barbs at
Moyes for his decision not to name the team
far in advance of kick off. He would be well
advised to concentrate on his football than the
preferences of his manager. Not once under
Moyes has Ferdinand looked the part and yet
he is content to divert more criticism in the
direction of Moyes. He'd be first to be
banished.
Chris Smalling does not measure up, simply
put. He is too ponderous and is incapable of
making the right decisions consistently
throughout a match. He'd be out.
Tom Cleverley and Ashley Young are all too
content to let matches pass them by without
thinking to grab hold of it and try to affect it
in United's favour. Far too passive. They'd go.
Remember that the midfield of Antonio
Valencia, Michael Carrick, Cleverley and
Young, which started against Olympiakos, was
good enough to beat both Chelsea and
Manchester City away in the Premier League
last season as well as Arsenal at home. These
players simply are not performing for the
manager.
They are coasting and they will continue to do
so until Moyes shows his teeth and makes the
unpopular calls. These sub-par performances of
the players, week by week, increase the
probability of Moyes losing his job. Do you
think they really care about that? Not a
chance. It's not him they are playing for, it's
Manchester United. Another manager will be
along shortly.
Moyes is in a race against time now. Between
now and the end of the season, he dare not
allow his players dredge up another
performance as poor as that against
Olympiakos. Overturning the 2-0 deficit at Old
Trafford would purchase good will from the
fans and owners alike too. By summer, though,
Moyes will be overseeing a high turnover of
players with the likes of Luke Shaw and Toni
Kroos reportedly on his shopping list.
The problem is that Sir Alex Ferguson was the
only man who could possibly drag this team
together and make them win the league by 11
points. David Moyes may have a lot on his
plate but by identifying and ditching the
players he can simply no longer trust he could
give himself a better chance of survival.
Anderson said in January that a lot of players
"wanted out" of United following the departure
of Ferguson. Well those type of mutineers are
not the types to be relied upon now the going
is tough. Moyes should show them the door
and not before long.