Manchester United are one of the most successful clubs in England, and for that matter, the world, with some of the best talent the world has seen over recent years, so why have things drastically changed so much in the space of one year?
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Many people around England – including myself – believe it stems from the last years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s rein at Old Trafford, the signings the 72- year-old Scot were hardly convincing, with the signings of Ashley Young (Aston Villa), Antonio Valencia (Wigan) and Alex Buttner (Vittese) hardly inspiring signings, maybe Fergie’s eye for talent simmered towards the end of his career?
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When Ferguson retired at the end of the 2012-2013 season, I think everybody knew who the next Manchester United manager was going to be, David Moyes, good friends with Sir Alex and a very good manager at Everton, with the budget he was given there, he utilized the market well, but it would be a whole new situation to Moyes at Manchester United, Premier League champions the previous season, could he really follow in the footsteps of a footballing giant?
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Things did not get off to a good start for him, winning just two out of seven pre-season friendlies, he won when it mattered in the Community Shield though, beating Wigan Athletic 2-0 to take his first silverware as Manchester United manager.
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He started off the league campaign with a 4-1 win away at Swansea, he was off to a flying start, although for the five games after that results deteriorated with loses against rivals Liverpool (1-0) and Manchester City (4-1) with a defeat and a draw against Chelsea (0-0) and West Brom (2-1), the fans were pushing for a major signing to which Moyes responded with his former Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini. Could he fix Manchester United’s midfield problem?
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The answer in a nutshell is – No, although at first it seemed to work with the next seven games accumulating United 15 points with four wins and three draws then successive defeats at Everton and Newcastle brought up fears that come January Manchester United NEED to strengthen.
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Four wins in a row against Aston Villa (3-0), West Ham (3-1), Hull (3-2) and Norwich (1-0) followed by defeats to Premier League strugglers Spurs (2-1) to leave them in 7th place, Swansea (2-1) to knock them out of the FA Cup and Sunderland (2-1) in the semi-final of the League Cup semi-final 1st leg.
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It is crucial Moyes gets the United fans on his side quickly and wins some silverware this year, with links to sign Marco Reus and Ilkay Gundogan (both Dortmund), Koke and Diego Costa (both Atletico Madrid) and others such as Leighton Baines (Everton) Ander Herrera (Athletic Bilbao) and Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona) with a rumoured transfer kitty of £200m. He needs to act quickly before it’s too late.
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1 Comment
It is nothing but the absence of Sir Alex Ferguson.