Moyes And The Midfield Muddle

UNITIED KINGDOM - David Moyes has accepted the blame for Manchester United's slump and rightly so.

It is just about the only thing he has got right in recent weeks.

As manager of one of the biggest clubs on the planet, he cannot and should not hide from his responsibilities. He picks the team, he motivates the players.

Had he sat in front of the world's media and made excuses, he would have been in far more trouble. He deserves credit for his strength of character at least.

That courage will be noted by United's supporters, the majority of whom have stuck behind their manager, if for no other reason than to isolate themselves from their more hysterical, less experienced brethren.

With just moments left in United's clash with Cardiff City last month, it appeared that a corner had been turned.

Had Moyes' men held on to their 2-1 lead, they would have been within touching distance of their rivals, fully recovered from their poor start and ready to make a charge for the title.

But Cardiff scored and United have not won since.

After back-to-back home defeats by Everton and Newcastle, they are now closer to the relegation zone than they are to the league leaders.

Moyes is a fortunate man in many ways. Were he the manager of Chelsea or Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona or Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Schalke, any other major European club where the axe swings at the first sign of trouble, he would be packing his office into a cardboard box by now.

But he is at United, where his illustrious predecessor handpicked him and publicly called upon the supporters to back him. He will be given the time that he needs.

He must find a way to control the central areas.

In Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, United have two world-class strikers, but there is little behind them to provide ammunition.

It is no coincidence that United have not won in the league since Michael Carrick's injury, but much more is expected of Tom Cleverley and Marouane Fellaini.

This is the club of Bryan Robson, Paul Ince, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes.

It just is not good enough.

ON THE WANE

But, while this mess is certainly Moyes' responsibility, it is not entirely his fault. United have been on the wane for some time.

They have not progressed past the last 16 in the Champions League since their run to the final in 2011, a run that saw them defeat a weak Schalke side in the semi-finals and a troubled Chelsea in the quarter-finals.

Sir Alex Ferguson performed miracles to keep the team at the top of English football, but there was no hiding their decline in Europe.

Serious questions must be asked of the Glazer family, who are reported to have cost the club over £600 million ($1.2 billion) since they took control in 2005. That money could have been spent on players.

But serious questions cannot win Premier League points. The fact remains that they are a team performing well below expectations.

And only Moyes can change that.

npsports@sph.com.sg

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