Football News: Man Utd manager Sir Alex’s gamble in team selection fails to pay off twice in a row
Two selection errors on Ferguson’s part cost Manchester United two draws in four days, a highly uncharacteristic set of circumstances.
First it was Everton’s amazing comeback at Goodison Park which was followed by the monotonous Battle of Britain at Old Trafford. Both games were winnable by Manchester United’s standards but selection mistakes made by Ferguson
may have long-term repercussions for his side this season. Against Rangers, Ferguson played a weakened side missing regulars and featuring 10 changes from the previous match at Goodison Park. Ferguson wrongly estimated the strength of the Scottish champions
as he posted a team comprising of rookies such as Hernandez and Smalling. Rangers fully exploited the vanity of Ferguson as ultra-defensive tactics employed by Walter Smith allowed him to grab a point at Old Trafford. Six players made their first start of
the reason, with Ferguson calling only on the experience of Fletcher, Ferdinand and Rooney. Despite criticism of his selection by pundits, Manchester United’s Scottish boss was adamant that he made the right choice. “Seven or eight of them played against Chelsea
in the Charity Shield. I wanted to find out about one or two players,” Ferguson said.
On the other hand, Ferguson’s counterpart Walter Smith was more orthodox in the selection of his team and his strategy was understandable as a goalless draw was enough for the under-resourced Rangers. He opted for an ultra-defensive
strategy as he placed five players in defence with a lone striker upfront. However, Manchester United were equally lethargic as Scholes was greatly missed in midfield. Man Utd failed to create a single clear cut chance and with in-form Berbatov missing, Manchester
United eventually brought on Michael Owen which clearly showed their desperation. Commenting on his defensive strategy, Walter Smith said, “We would expect to come and defend here and we did that very well. It's far easier to do that than it is to create opportunities.
It's easier to defend and stop people than creating but there's nothing else left for us. In the Champions League now, we have to do that.”
Ferguson has a habit of taking risks in crunch games. He played the then injured Rooney against Bayern Munich in the 2nd leg of quarter-finals without any effect. Similarly, playing a young team against Besiktas and Leeds produced
similar results at home. His faith in young players is somewhat misplaced. Commenting on the performance of his young players, he said, “A half-chance from Darron Gibson and that was about it. It was a really difficult night for us. The Rangers system was
very difficult to break down. It's up to us to do something about it and we didn't do that tonight.” Gibson tried his best to fill Scholes’ shoes but except for his thunderous volleys, he produced an indolent and sluggish display. Ji-Sung Park, newbie Hernandez
and veteran Owen all lacked spark as they all failed to break the Rangers defence. Berbatov was dearly missed as his recent prolific form was greatly needed. Even the boss admitted to missing his best forward. Commenting on the Bulgarian’s absence, Ferguson
said, “His ability to create in tight situations would have made a difference.” Additionally, the absence of Nani and Evra further limited the attacking options especially on the wings.
Another worrying point for Red Devils is injury of Antonio Valencia which could rule out the South American for rest of the season. Valencia sustained an injury which was later revealed to be dislocated and fractured left ankle.
This injury has further depleted the Red Devil’s resources which were already plagued by injuries to Anderson and Hargreaves. It will be interesting to see how Ferguson reacts to criticism pinned on him by pundits and how he evaluates his strategy in the coming
games.
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