Manchester United

Since the Manchester Derby mauling inflicted by "noisy neighbours" Manchester City last weekend many have questioned United's defensive problems. However those problems have actually been there since the last time the two sides faced each other.
Back in August at Wembley in the community shield United gave City a 2 goal head start and somehow managed that time to turn the result around to win 3-2. At that time United were the settled club and City were still shaping their squad. United then squeaked a win against West Brom and the 3-0 win over Tottenham flattered United. Against Arsenal United got very lucky. On the day they played a team low in confidence but had Arsenal scored the penalty the whole complexion of the match and again the final 8-2 scoreline flattered United.
September started with a convincing 5-0 win away at Bolton but came at a price as the Bolton captain threw himself into many of United's team. The next match saw the start when United struggled against an inferior Benfica team in the Champions League. The problem first became highlighted against Chelsea in a 3-1 win. But for some amazing misses from Chelsea and a couple of border line refereeing decisions and things should of been different. United were struggling to create chances despite dominating possession. At the same time opposing teams were counter attacking and looking dangerous every time.
Next after a tricky trip to Stoke which saw probably a point gained came another defensive horror in the 3-3 draw with Basle. Norwich will consider themselves unlucky on the day to lose 2-0 when again had chances been taken the result would have been different. Then United went to Liverpool and any United fan would have taken a draw before the match and United fought well but never threatened to win. Even against minnows Galati in the Champions League, United were less than convincing in a 2-0 win.
And so came the Derby and United came unstuck in front of millions. It was the first defeat of the season yet somehow keeper David de Gea escaped with unusual praise from the press. He did well to keep the score down and can only wonder what was going on in front of him. City exposed Rio Ferdinand and Johnny Evans weaknesses and you have to wonder about both. Has Rio lost that crucial yard of pace? Is Evans the future? Ferdinand is still a top defender when he is 100% fit but to get the best out of himself for United I feel England may have to do without him. But Smalling and Jones are the future so the first mistake was having Jones on the bench and Evans on the pitch.
The next problem was United's midfield. Nani remains a frustrating player. In matches like that the little flicks don't seem to come off. Antonio Valencia is a much steadier performer and that was another flaw in Fergie's selection. The most critical mistake was playing 4-4-2 which United don't do against the big teams. By playing 4-3-3 United look and are a tougher team to break down. In the end nobody seemed to know what to do and once Evans was dismissed with United chasing the game the writing was on the wall.
There has been injuries I know but I'm not sure Fergie knows what his best team is. De Gea is growing into the role and Smalling and Jones can play right back and centre back. Vidic and Evra provide experience, battling qualities and leadership on the pitch. If a 3-man midfield is the way to go then Cleverley is looking a key member of the side. Him and Fletcher can build a good partnership with Rooney dropping back in front of them when chasing possession. Ashley Young and Valencia are reliable providers and Hernandez is a goal getter.
That being the idea of United's strongest XI and 8 started against Everton although Cleverley went off injured to be replaced by Nani. You have to question the wisdom in releasing Hargreaves considering the repetition of Cleverley's injury problems. United held on for a 1-0 win which is another good result and they produced a good defensive display.
Before the season started I looked at the games United had and thought 22 points from 10 games would be a good total. That would of been 7 wins, 1 draw and allowed for 2 defeats. United have 23 points from 10 games, have only lost once and gained 2 useful draws away at Stoke and Liverpool. City won't be easy to catch but all United can do is maintain the gap. Now United head into a period where they should gain their 8th point in the Champions League group stage, they have been given the best draw for the Carling Cup Quarter Finals, and 3 games that should produce 9 points. Before November is out also sees the home fixture against Benfica. So by December United should have qualified for the knock out stage of the Champions League and be in the Carling Cup semi finals and if your Sir Alex Ferguson you have to look at the fixtures and try to not lose any league points between now and the new year. They have Arsenal away on the 22nd of January and have 11 league matches between that and anything less than 29 points from a possible 33 ultimately won't be good enough I feel. In the same time City will have 3 crucial Champions League games 2 of which are away and the other is a home tie against Bayern Munich. OK the Germans should have qualified by then but now there is also a tricky Carling Cup tie against Arsenal plus league matches against Liverpool (away), Chelsea (away), Arsenal (home), Liverpool (home) and Tottenham (home) all in the the same time period. United have given City a slight head start but lets just wait and see the league table come the end of January.