Is Manchester United Really Bad Or Simply Unlucky?

This is the question one can ask himself after watching Manchester United lose yet again this season. The Red Devils lost on their home field to Sunderland (0-1) on Saturday, May 3. 

This was the 11th loss for Manchester United, making it the worst season in the history of the club. The club will not qualify for any European Cup: A first in 20 years! 

So is Manchester United simply terrible this season or very unlucky? If you watched their games this season you could ask yourself the same question. It seems that the team does everything it can to win, especially at home, but just can't score. The team averages a possession of 60 percent, shots on goal at least 10 times in a game, and has a 1.44 goal for average, which means the team scores at least one goal every game. 

Against Sunderland, Manchester United players tried and tried, over and over, but never found the net.  The full-backs played many balls in front of the goal, but no one was there to finish. The Red Devils only had one clear opportunity to score when Van Persie deflected a cross coming from the right side and missed the net for a few inches. This is surely not enough to win a game. 

The main issue with the Red Devils this season is their defense. Sunderland could have won the game 3-0 if they hadn't hit the post two times in the second half. Manchester concedes an average of one goal per game, and lost seven games on a one goal margin this season. As a comparison, the team only lost five games last season. However, they still allowed 43 goals (for 40 this season), which shows that the defense was already terrible last year. 

The injuries of Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney could explain the bad showing this season. Van Persie had 30 goals last season for 17 this year. Without them, Manchester struggled to score goals. 

On top of that, Manchester had some really unlucky days, sometimes hitting the post two or three days in a game, or getting strange refereeing decisions. Many games should have gone their way, but slipped away from their grasp. That's also the beauty of football! 

United is having the worst season in the history of the club. A season that led to their brand-new manager, David Moyes, getting fired. Manchester will have to start over again next season with yet another manager. 

It seems that the departure of the legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson has dried out United's thirst for victory...         

Is Mata The Right Fit For Man Utd?

This is the question everybody is asking amid the possible transfer of the Spanish player from Chelsea FC to Manchester United for $40 million Euros. Juan Mata, 25, has been looking for a way out of the London club where he struggled to get a starting spot since the beginning of the season. So if this deal works out, let's hope everyone will be happy! But I doubt it...

Is Manchester making the right choice by signing Juan Mata? Mata is a technically gifted player, winner of the World Cup and the Euro with Spain. He is a player many teams would like to have. However, many experts are saying that Mata won't fit in the system and the philosophy of Man Utd. Former Manchester player Gary Neville has expressed his doubts regarding Mata's ability to help Manchester getting better.

"Does he fit in with what I would call the typical Manchester United philosophy? I would say no!" 

However, Neville also said that Mata was a fantastic player who knows the Premier League and could bring some creativity to the Red Devils' game. That is something they greatly need! Manchester is struggling so far, stuck in eighth place, far away from the top four. The injuries of Rooney and Van Persie have hurt the club and the substitutes are having a hard time grabbing wins.

But will Mata play when Rooney and Van Persie will be back? How is Moyes going to manage so many players playing in similar positions? With Rooney, Young, Januszaj, Giggs, Nani, Welbeck and Valencia, Mata will have a tough time to earn--and keep--a spot! Mata played 17 games, scoring once and giving three assists with Chelsea this season.

So, will Moyes change his system to include the Spanish player? Maybe he should when you look at how bad his team is this season! One thing is sure, the young Spanish player is hungry; Hungry for playing time! He wants to touch the ball and to score goals! He also wants to play the World Cup in Brazil and this would only happen if he is effective on the field! No pressure... 

There could be one, and only one, big winner after this deal: Chelsea!  

    

Will Moyes Make It Until Christmas?

Manchester United fell at Old Trafford to Newcastle Unite, 0-1, today, and conceded their second loss of the week, and the first time the Red Devils lose twice in a row at home since the 2000-2001 season!

After 16 games, Manchester United only won six games, tied four and lost five, and defeated only one team from the top five (Arsenal, 1-0). This is the club's worst start of a season in 12 years; the worst of a previous champions in 18 years. Manchester United probably lost all chances in keeping his title today.

Many observers blame new manager David Moyes, who had the tough--if not impossible--task to replace club legend Sir Alex Ferguson. Moyes even admitted that whoever had succeeded to Ferguson would have had a "bumpy ride" in the first months. In other words, Moyes asks for time and patience,explaining that this is a transitional season. And according to him, the fans understand the situation. 

"It was always going to be like this," he said. "It is a changeover period. United supporters understand fully that it will be a bumpy road at times. But there is a bigger picture here and we are looking at that as well."

Even Sir Alex Ferguson backs up his fellow Scot, saying that Moyes had to play difficult games right from the start of the season with matches against Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City in the first five games.

"When I saw that fixtures list, I would have been raging too," said Ferguson. "It was a very difficult start of the season.

Manchester United had not yet gotten a back-to-back win this season and it is the major problem. The team is inconsistent, especially on their home field.

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has showed frustration toward the new manager and his methods. Ferdinand explained that he did not liked the fact that Moyes would not reveal the starting 11 a few days before the game, but would wait until the last day.

"You don't really get to know the team," Ferdinand told BT Sport. "The old manager used to give you a little bit of an idea if you'd be playing and stuff. You spend a lot of energy thinking 'am I playing? Am I not playing?' It's enough to turn you into a mad-man."

After Ferdinand's complaints, Nemanja Vidic, the other center back for the Red Devils, asked his teammates to stick together to get out of the crisis.

"All players realize that with have to stick together, start winning games and perform better," the Serbian said. "Doing that will raise the confidence and everything will get better."

It seems that Moyes might not have a lot of joker left, and Manchester United Board might lose patience with him if the team does not perform quickly in the future. Already qualified for the Champions League knock-out stage, the club can focus on the Barclays Premier League in the next two months.

Hopefully for Moyes, his players will manage to grab four wins in a row as they will face Aston Villa, West Ham United, Hull City and Norwich City. Four "easy" games to get back on the right track.

Spurs Win And Save AVB's Head

© BBC

Tottenham Hot Spurs earned a 2-0 win over Tromso on the road for Game Day 5 of the UEFA Europa League, tonight, Thursday, November 28. This win should give Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas some time as he was under pressure of being sacked after losing two games in a row with a major blow-out against Manchester City (0-6).

AVB's players did the job tonight in Norway against a fairly poor team but on a snowy field and under a freezing temperature.

However, Tottenham had trouble to score and wasted many opportunities. Just another clue that the team is not in form and struggles to find the net. Indeed, Tottenham took the lead after an own goal by Norvegian defender Causevic at the 63rd minute. Only ten minutes later, the very good and promising Spurs striker Moussa Dembele found the net and lifted some pressure of his boss' shoulder.

Many Spurs fans asked for AVB's head, but might have to wait a little bit longer to see their wish come true. Many fans believe that the coach won't make it all the way to Christmas and I do share their opinion.

It seems that the Spurs had lost their touch since the departure of Gareth Bale, showing that they might have been over dependent on the Welsh's talent. Despite a great group of young players (Dembele, Lamela) combined with experienced players (Vertonghen, Soldado, Friedel), AVB has trouble finding a way to make his team more consistent.

Surely, AVB's last chance will be the Spurs' next game. And it won't be an easy game as Tottenham will visit the Red Devils of Manchester United, which have been impressing this week in Champions League (5-0, over Leverkusen).

Can the Spurs pull out a great game and save, once again, their manager's head? I fairly doubt it...