When Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester United, many were concerned that his successor David Moyes would be unable to deliver in the same manner. Afterall, Ferguson is arguably the most successful manager of all time and was coming off a season in which club finished atop the Premier League. However, since Ferguson handpicked Moyes himself, few contested the choice.
After six matches into the new season, Moyes is starting look like a poor choice for the club. Not only is the team playing poorly, but Moyes also lacks the confidence in his own team. The manager recently told reporters that he was concerned about his squad's chances in the Champions League because the team lacks the world-class quality of clubs like Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
"To win the Champions League, you need five or six world-class players,'' Moyes said, according to ESPN. "Look at Bayern Munich, they have it. Look at Barcelona, who had it in the past and Real Madrid, who have maybe got it now. That's the level you have to be at to win it. We've not got that yet but what we have got is experience."
The comment is rather odd considering the world-class talent on the roster. Moyes has Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie leading the way up top. He has Shinji Kagawa and Marouane Fellaini as two of his prominent midfielders and he has a star goalie in David De Gea. As if that were not enough, he has young Mexican star Javier Hernandez coming off the bench and other stars such as Andres Valencia, Rafael, Nemanja Vidic and Nani. Few would claim that the team lacks star power, much less world-class talent.
The problem is that Moyes has not found the appropriate means of putting the players together. His offense seems slow in its buildup and the defense looks disorganized; neither of these aspects of the game were problems under Ferguson.
Comments like the above are problematic for a team that has a Champions League match on Tuesday; United is expected to take down Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday even though the team is on the road. A less confident club could potentially blow that road match and find itself in dire straits heading into a home and away matchup with Spanish club Real Sociedad. This kind of undermining could also potentially harm the relationship between the club and the player.
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