Looks like rain... When it rains, it pours David
The worst kept secret of the week: David Moyes’ tenure at Old Trafford has come to an end.
The post-mortems have begun, and the debates about who
should succeed him will be back page news for the foreseeable future.
Where Moyes failed was in his ability to understand and run
a squad of players with a big team mentality.
At Everton expectations were lower; they could play on the
break freely, and they caused bigger teams problems, particularly at Goodison
Park.
They played direct and high tempo football that put
possession teams under pressure. Add in a sizeable chunk of Marouane Fellaini
and the formula was an effective one.
Despite the result on Sunday, United’s away record this
season has been that of a title challenging team, which says a lot about where
Moyes’ problems lay.
For years I have listened to Arsenal and Chelsea fans
moaning about away teams ‘parking the bus’ and playing anti-football.
My response was always the same during the Ferguson era. I
like it when opposition teams come to Old Trafford for a 0-0 draw, because it
means they won’t be scoring…
Sir Alex Ferguson’s United had the mentality of a big team.
They expected to score, and they threw everything at the opposition to do so.
In the latter Ferguson years, teams started to come and
attack at Old Trafford, either because they saw a weakness to exploit, or
simply because they realised defending hadn’t worked on previous visits.
But still United found ways to win. The Newcastle game last season,
which saw United come from behind to win 4-3, was a glorious example of a
Ferguson-style Old Trafford performance.
With the game poised at 3-3, United threw absolutely
everything, including the kitchen sink and a Jonny Evans at Newcastle. The
result was men over in the penalty area, and a Javier Hernandez winner.
It was this inability to produce results under the pressure
of expectation at home, and with teams sitting back waiting to counter, that
Moyes’ team has faltered.
The tactical knowhow of his own successor puts the final nail in the coffin
Sunday’s result and performance were a hauntingly fitting way for Moyes to exit.
His successor at Everton, Roberto Martinez, understood the
circumstances that have seen United struggle this season, and set up tactically
to exploit that.
On plenty of occasions United have dropped points, and lost
games, at Old Trafford where possession has been plentiful, but creativity has
been absent.
Contrast this with away wins at Swansea, Newcastle and West
Brom that have shown the ability of United’s attacking players to exploit space
and attack quickly on the break.
Martinez, usually so keen to retain possession and play
football on the front foot, saw letting United play as the home team as the way
to beat them on Sunday, and my God was it a beating.
It was the lowest percentage of possession Everton have had
in the league this season, but due to United having to play against a packed
defence, ready to pounce on the break, there was only one winner, and it was
the men in blue.
Whoever Moyes’ successor at United may be, they will have
the task of finding a way to win as the home team once more.
There is no longer a fear factor at Old Trafford, so it
requires a team that have an unquestionable will to win and self-belief to
recreate that. Something a Moyes’ United team never looked capable of.
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