Manchester United; square pegs in round holes

For Manchester United in 2015/16 so far, it has been a case of the famous cliché, square pegs in round holes. In one week containing three matches, they’ve failed to score in any of them, a feat they haven’t achieved since 2005. For a team that has spent millions of pounds in the summer and with the ambition of once again achieving Premier League glory, this is hardly a good start, 11 matches into a 38 game season. 

I’ve been an admirer of the Red Devils’ for years, raised in the golden age of Sir Alex Ferguson. The years which made United a footballing superpower, winning trophy after trophy and with Sir Alex producing quality player after player. For a team to function it must get the best out of each of its members. Like a machine can only function if each of its cogs and pieces are working in tandem. That is what Alex Ferguson did so many times for 26 years, raising players and putting them in the right place on the pitch. Scholes played in the centre, Giggs and Beckham on the wings. The players knew their exact role and did it week in week out for over 10 years, 20 in the case of Scholes and Giggs.

Sadly in the modern day of the club, things are very different. Now Louis Van Gaal is a very successful manager, having won numerous titles in different countries as well as the Champion’s League and guiding Holland to third place in the 2014 World Cup. So to question his philosophy would be mindless. The Premier League is a completely different kettle of fish though. All 20 teams are competing for great financial rewards and so to understand it is very difficult for someone used to different leagues.

His first season he achieved what he needed to do, put Manchester United back into the Champion’s League after the failings of David Moyes. With the 2015/16 season, after spending hundreds of millions of pounds on players, the only goal is the Premier League title. Yet so far this season he is being pressured to play his big players in whatever system is possible and it is not working. Chelsea won the league last season because they had each player in the right position each week and comfortably won the league. Manchester City already look to have a settled team too with Bony and De Bruyne easily replacing Silva and Aguero. On the red side of Manchester though, we have a brilliant number 10 in Juan Mata playing on the wing; a brilliant number nine in Anthony Martial playing on the left and a brilliant number 10 in Wayne Rooney playing in the number nine. Other major details hinder the progress too. Antonio Valencia, one of United’s most consistent players since he signed is playing at right back and Ashley Young, a standout performer from last year on the bench or in defence.

Manchester United can win the Premier League this season, they are already in contention with a misshapen team so think of the possibilities with a properly shaped team.

Tim Sherwood sacking

So on Sunday 25^th October, Aston Villa sacked Tim Sherwood as manager of their club after just 27 matches in charge. Seven losses in a row was form deemed worthy of removing the 46 year old from his post. But how much of this form was down to the manager? 

When he took the post back in February he was only ever brought in to do a job which was to keep the Villan's up, as well as also beat Liverpool in the semi final of the F.A. Cup. By May he had achieved both with Villa having secured Premier League status and facing Arsenal in the Cup final which they lost. The same scenario occurred for his short time as head of Tottenham Hotspurs, he was only ever brought in to do one job (securing european football) and secure a high as possible place in the league before he was to be replaced in the summer by a more well-known name.

Such as the issue with the modern game of football. There is no end of talk about the lack of young, English managers coming through the ranks. Sure there are some, such as Gary Rowett at Birmingham and Eddie Howe at Bournemouth as well as a few others, but they are part of a small minority, swamped by the foreign talent which is seen as more trustworthy. Yet Aston Villa sack a very promising manager in the form of Sherwood. The current form of the team was something to worry about, but he was one of the most optimistic people I have ever witnessed to head a team in the Premier League and Villa are only four points off safety, another win and a draw could see them do that. However, it is clear that Randy Lerner gave him the job of establishing Villa as the team that finished in the European places only a few years ago under Martin O’Neil and with their start, they clearly are back in the relegation battle they have spent the past four seasons trying to distance themselves from. Such is the instantaneous demands that executive and corporate types who own football clubs demand these days that Sherwood sadly wasn’t deemed fit to achieve this. I am an admirer of the man, he was unorthodox in some of his ways but he was definitely a character Villa have lacked since O’Neil departed five years ago.

Aston Villa are currently bottom of the table with four points and with Remi Garde being tipped as the favourite for the job. Garde is another former player trying to establish himself as a top gaffer. If he does get the job, I do wish him the best but I hope he can keep up with the tough demands of modern football club owners and business bigwigs.

Premier League season review 11/10/15

So the Premier League is in full flow and already after eight matches we can tell that this season is going to be a very open one with teams like Crystal Palace, Leicester City and West Ham United occupying positions in the top six.

Now this does seem like an interesting prospect, teams who last season finished 10th, 14th and 12th respectively pushing for the higher places in the league against the big boys with infinite levels of wealth. Not to be the one to run to ruin the party but is this such a big achievement? 

As sad as it is nowadays, football is a financial game. The successes the teams have achieved are all based mostly on money. Chelsea’s 2014/15 title winning team featured zero players from their highly successful academy in the regular starting XI. The same applies to Manchester City’s recent title winning teams. The only possible exception to this is Barcelona who’s academy players (Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Pique) formed their backbone. 

The same pattern is occurring in England this season too. Over the previous two seasons, Crystal Palace have spent over £40 million, Leicester City are over £45 million and West Ham just under £60 million. Combined that is over £145 million. To put it into perspective, Spectabilis Island in the Bahamas is worth over £40 million. So for the price of three islands you can have Premier League quality players.

(source: http://www.privateislandsonline.com/content/listings/1747/cimage_691ba69c7d-thumbb.jpg)

With this new found knowledge, suddenly do the successes of these teams mean so much? To me there are two ways of looking at it. On one hand, the successes are meaningless. Undeserved credit awarded to teams fuelled by billion dollar businessman as a way to become even more elite. However, on the other hand, this is a good thing. For years the Premier League has been dominated by the fat cats from Manchester and London, so to see different names up there is in a way a relief to the system.

But are they ever going to really threaten to top teams who are so content sitting high up on their perches? We saw with Southampton last year how difficult it is to remain in the top four and as a result they ended up finishing seventh which is, in itself still a good achievement. 

 (source: http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/premier-league/2014-15/table.html#$$nw23pn&&xwCj9HAWEeWqdRL/9wgFGw$$)

In my personal opinion, I think yes. Last season the Saints’ were a one man army, a lone rebel against the legions of the elite teams. However this season, they have reinforcements. Swansea have already troubled the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, West Ham have beaten Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, all in their own backyards, and Leicester and Palace have been a firm test as well.

The season is still in its foetal stages but as an avid football fan myself, I personally cannot wait what is in store for us in the next seven months.