It has now sunk in, Sir Alex Ferguson is to
end his time as Manchester United manager. In his 26 and a half years at
Manchester United much has changed, for one I have been born and grown into a
young adult. It is his longevity, ridiculous trophy haul, constant reinvention
and never ending passion for the game that make him a one off. Sir Alex once
said "there are too many examples of people who retire and are in their
box soon after. You're taking away the very thing that makes you alive, that
keeps you alive." It very much seemed that way with Sir Alex Ferguson,
that football, that being the Manchester United manager, was what kept him
alive. Waking up early and dealing with mounds of paper work before training
seemed to pleasure him. To turn Ferguson's own phrase onto him, he is a
"unique freak". However this piece is not an ode to Ferguson, it is
about his successor. David Moyes is the man set to come in and replace the
irreplaceable.
Many
have said that Moyes is not the right appointment, that he lacks European
experience or that his record against the traditional big four is poor. Despite
Moyes' only real European experience being guiding Everton to the UEFA cup
round of 16 in 2008 and the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League in
2005 the obvious question is, how do you gain the experience if you aren't
qualified to compete in the competition? As for a poor record against the big
four, that is neither here nor there. Never before has Moyes had a squad of
Manchester United's quality at his disposal. Realistically it was not the
points picked up against the very biggest teams that defined Eveton's seasons,
it was consistently picking points up against those teams around and below
them. That is not the case at Manchester United, the games against Arsenal,
Chelsea, Manchester City and even Liverpool and Tottenham can be the difference
between a historic season and a forgettable one. It will be in his first year
or two as Manchester United manager that he can define his ability to outwit
the top managers in the country.
There
are other positives too, Moyes is 50 years old. Neither old nor young for a
Premier League manager. He has had time to gain the necessary experience and
now is at a good age to settle down. Prior to Ferguson stepping down Moyes was the
third longest reigning manager in the Football League. In his eleven year
tenure at the helm of Everton he has had to build teams, a much praised
characteristic of Ferguson. This will stand him in good stead as Manchester
United manager as he will, presumably, stay long enough to have to build upon
and develop the league winning team Ferguson has left him. Jose Mourinho's
longest spell managing one club is 3 years, meaning he has never had to have a
truly long term vision in regards to squad building. Another advantage of
bringing in Moyes (that may well apply to bringing in any manager) is that
because the team is not "his" it is easier to identify weaknesses and
ruthlessly act upon them. It is a wide held view that a central midfielder is required
at Manchester United with Fletcher, Scholes and Anderson all going (or
deserving to go, Ando), however Ferguson hasn't bought a defensive minded
central midfielder. Carrick enjoyed his best season in a Manchester United
shirt and this may have slightly masked the problem, none the less a new
manager will be able to objectively assess the strengths and weaknesses of the
squad.
Recently
Everton have been playing better football than many give them credit for.
Regardless of their reliance on physical strikers (Anichebe, Jelavic, Fellaini.
Historically, Yakubu, Cahill) he often employs a system with focus on wide
areas. Pienaar and Baines have developed one of the most effective and
consistent midfielder - full back partnerships in the league. Proof of this is
that 43% of Everton's play is in the left third of the pitch. 31% of Everton's
play is on the right, leaving 26% through the middle third. In comparison to
Manchester United, a team who historically attack in wide areas, Everton
actually play more down the wings. Manchester United play 32% down the left
side, 40% down the right side and therefore 28% through the middle. This indicates
that Moyes is unlikely to change the style of play associated with Manchester
United. Another point worth noting is Moyes' effective use of a clever
playmaker, Leon Osman. Shinji Kagawa has been used poorly for his first season
in English football and it is possible that Moyes will be able to utilise him
more efficiently than Ferguson has, especially with rumours suggesting that Wayne
Rooney has handed in a second transfer request at Manchester United.
Moyes
is also accomplished in the transfer market. Rarely does he make a big signing
that doesn't work well, and even so, with the budget constraints at Everton a
big signing for them may not be considered so at United. For example Kevin
Mirallas for £6.7m has been one of Everton's top performing players this
season, for comparison purposes that is roughly £1m less than Bebe cost
Manchester United in 2010. Another shining example is Marouane Fellaini, the
powerful midfielder cost Everton £19.1m in 2008 and has gone on to prove his
worth and his sought after by many of the top clubs in Europe. With Ferguson
staying at Manchester United in a directorial capacity Moyes will always be
able to ask for advice or guidance. This bodes for success in the transfer
market.
All
things considered Moyes is a smart choice as Sir Alex Ferguson's successor.
Whilst Mourinho may have provided the club with a sense of glamour, it is
stability that is most desired. Sir Alex Ferguson has delivered success almost
every year for his entire stay at Manchester United, undoubtedly a tough act to
follow. Mourinho may have offered an attractive quick fling, however Moyes
offers the dependability of a life partner. Which is what is required at
Manchester United in the wake of Ferguson's retirement.
By Alex Pointon
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