So...What's Wrong With Manchester United?

Let's get this out of the way...I'm an Arsenal fan. Being an Arsenal fan, I am required to hate Manchester United with a burning passion. So when Manchester United loses at home twice in one week, I am required to laugh at them. So yes, I have done my fair share of that this year. But beyond laughing at Man U, beyond laughing at their poor form just because the lose, there are some questions that need to be asked. Isn't this the same cast of players that comfortably won the league last year? David Moyes was a successful manager at Everton so why is the team's form so bad? Most importantly though is simply: why is Man U playing so poorly; what's wrong with them? Let's start with the big one.

1.) David Moyes is not Sir Alex Ferguson

Moyes had quality players at Everton but never ambitious expectations

Let's be honest, everybody knew that Man U was going to slip this year. You don't simply replace the most successful manager in the history of the sport and expect everything to just continue along the same track. This is a whole new ballgame for David Moyes, a manager who's expectations for himself had never been set above "qualify for Europe" during his managerial career. All things considered, Moyes was a successful manager at Everton, given what he had to work with. However, success at Everton is measured differently than it is at Man U, for team success and for player success. For example, David Moyes was an expert at buying under the radar players for low prices and having them perform well in relation to what Moyes paid for them. In fact, during his tenure, Moyes paid more than 10 million for a player twice. This didn't mean that Moyes didn't have good players at Everton, after all he brought in Marouane Fellaini, Kevin Mirallas, Tim Howard, Leighton Baines, and a whole host of other quality players. However, this is besides the point, Man U expects that their world class players will perform like world class players that will go on to win the league. Everton expects that their very good players exceed expectations. It's a whole new world for David Moyes out there. Sir Alex Ferguson would never play for a draw, especially not at home. In fact, Fergie made a habit out of trusting his gut and making a risky sub that had the potential to lose the game as well as win it. More often than not, Fergie would be right and his teams would eke out victories. He always had his finger on the pulse of his players. No manager is better at understanding player personalities and how they mesh with each other better than Fergie. Not to mention that it was almost unthinkable for a Ferguson coached team to lose at Old Trafford. This isn't to say that Moyes doesn't have the potential to be a success at United, he's proven in the past that he can he can be successful with a smaller talent pool than United's. However, the early returns have not been promising.

2.) Maybe United Simply Aren't as Good as We Think

This next point feeds off my last one more than anything. It's a general consensus that Manchester United's title winning team from the last campaign was hardly Ferguson's best. I find it hard to argue that United were vastly more talented than Chelsea, Manchester City, or Arsenal. If anything, they were simply the most consistent of those sides. All three of those sides battled major inconsistency issues all during the season, meanwhile Man U simply ground out results. The title race was really decided back when Man U won the Manchester Derby over City a year ago today. It wasn't talent, no, it was classic Ferguson consistency which won them those games. Fergie's ability to get the most out of his players paid massive dividends. Building of my last points, no other manager knew his players like Ferguson did. He always knew which combinations of players worked best together.  Last year, Ferguson's skillful managing made up for United's weaknesses in midfield. This year, those weaknesses have become glaring. Everton and Newcastle came into Old Trafford knowing that they matched up player for player with Manchester United. This never happened under Fergie. Teams were beaten in the tunnel often at Old Trafford and now that the fear factor is gone.

The partnership between Rooney and Van Persie, such a success last season, has been more of a detriment this year, causing a selection problem.

David Moyes' insistence on playing Wayne Rooney and Van Persie in the same time has become a detriment. Ferguson could handle Rooney's attitude and wasn't afraid to bench him if he felt the situation required it. Under Moyes, Rooney is picked every week, regardless of form. Rooney has had several brilliant moments this season but there's been plenty of bad as well. Shinji Kagawa meanwhile continues to waste his creative talents on the wings while United fans long for him to finally play centrally. Similarly, Rio Ferdinand's form has been poor this season but retains his spot due to his seniority despite the superior form of Jonny Evans. Van Persie's injury problems have also popped up again this year and he's been in and out of the team, struggling to score at the same rate as last season. The midfield lacks a pure defensive midfielder; Phil Jones can fill in and play well there, but it's clear that United need him in another weak area of the pitch, the back four. Michael Carrick, whose steady presence was invaluable for United has been missed. New signing Marouane Fellaini has yet to fully fit in with his new teammates and suddenly seems out of his depth now that he's no longer the big fish in a small pond he was at Everton. Ordinarily, United could rely on their depth however, this season that depth comes in the form of a whole host of underperforming players. Picking from a long list consisting of Tom Cleverley, Anderson, Ashley Young, and Alexander Buttner is hardly enviable. Arsenal's lack of depth was criticized at the beginning of the season and now their bench appears exceptionally strong; strange how perceptions change. None of those players listed above are good enough to grace United's starting eleven or bench and yet Moyes continues to call on them.

3.) So does this get turned around?

The simple answer would be that the team starts playing better, but that would be ignorant and dismissive of the larger problems at hand. It would be ignorant of United's weak midfield, lack of presence and lack of form. To be honest, this is how last season could have gone without Ferguson's guile and genius. The simple solution is for Moyes to buy in January to reinforce the team and cover their weaknesses. Of course, buying in January is typically tricky business as prices are generally higher than they are in the summer. Moyes' failings over the summer window also bring up the question as to whether he's capable of bringing in top class players. Second, squad selection must improve. A creative player like Shinji Kagawa should be played centrally as a No. 10. Kagawa is United's most creative player and not playing him in the center, where creative players should be. Lastly, they need a better play from their deep lying midfielders. Fellaini's form should improve as the season goes on but Phil Jones is likely the better option. His dominant performance against Arsenal is just one example of his potential. His future may lie as a centre-back but right now United need his strength and creativity in the midfield. This also can't go without mention of Adnan Januzaj, the wonder kid who wowed all of England with some fantastic early performances. While his recent form has hardly matched those heights, the potential is still there and one can only assume with more time he'll only get better. At his best, it seems he can be a match winner.

At this point, United have their work cut out for them. In the 2001-2002 season, Sir Alex Ferguson was able to bring United back to third place after a similar start to this year's team. However, such an outcome seems unlikely with Moyes in charge. Teams no longer fear United the way they did under Ferguson. That never say die spirit saved them on so many occasions. This is the same group of players that won the title last season so there's still a chance that things will turn around. However, based on the form of the league leaders (Arsenal) and their slightly more erratic but still strong rivals, Man U will have a tough time doing so.