Manchester United and the reserve game plan

Last Saturday, Manchester United succumbed to just their second Premier League defeat of the season. Their first also came in front of a packed Old Trafford, and was no less humiliating; a crushing defeat to rivals Manchester City. Had they slipped to their second defeat at Stamford Bridge or the Emirates, fewer questions would be asked of Sir Alex and his injury-stricken side. However, going down at home to similarly depleted strugglers Blackburn Rovers has inevitably set pens wagging and keys clacking. The short-term problems faced by the defending champions run deeper than temporary and rectifiable defensive frailties.

The first issue to address for Sir Alex came almost a week before the ill-fated fixture itself. The decision to discipline messrs. Rooney and Gibson for their Boxing Day night out with extra training and a hefty fine is justifiable, but dropping two players in the midst of an injury crisis seemed counterproductive, and so it proved on Saturday. At a time when midfielders are more commonly found in the treatment room at Carrington than on the training pitches, two match fit players could only look on from the stands as their stand-ins faltered.

And how they faltered. Park and Rafael struggled against a compact defensive Blackburn midfield, and it came as no surprise when Fergie reshuffled his deck in the second half. Bringing on Anderson for Hernandez didn’t have the desired effect; the Brazilian playmaker was more threatening to the fans to the right of Bunn’s goalposts than he was to the scoresheet. Gibson’s eye for goal from range would have made him a viable alternative to a player lacking sharpness and shooting boots. Rooney’s well-known qualities and his ability to deputise in midfield would have made him a dangerous focal point for the team. Had Sir Alex not limited his own options, the result could have – and should have – been a far more positive one.

Instead, United had to resort to playing a wider game. Unfortunately, Nani and Valencia were not up to the task. Wayward and looping crosses betrayed the technical ability of both wingers, who always looked to destroy their respective full-backs with their pace and skill. Blackburn are nothing if not dominant in the air; too many high balls were easily dealt with by Samba and Hanley, who towered over the likes of Berbatov and Welbeck. On the rare occasions that the ball was driven in lower, the Rovers pair looked less at ease. Indeed, both of the home side’s goals came from balls arriving into the box at a more awkward height for centre-halves. In spite of this and all of the tactical alterations, the United gameplan remained the same. All too often, they played right into Blackburn’s hands – or heads, in a literal sense. Despite dominating possession, the champions could not learn from their earlier successes and failings.

Unlike on the pitch, Fergie was matched play for play on the touchline by counterpart Steve Kean. His far less experienced Rovers side did exactly what they had to do. They sat deep, attacking in small breakaways and at set pieces. Playing a youthful side out of necessity rather than choice, Kean kept with the style and formation to which his side was accustomed, even if it meant leaving senior players like Goodwillie and Vukcevic on the bench. Despite his equally devastating injury list, the under-fire coach did not select one player out of position. He put faith in his youngsters, and the likes of Lowe, Hanley, Henley and Morris all repaid him with gutsy performances. By contrast, hot prospect Paul Pogba warmed United’s bench, whilst Matt James, former England Under-19s skipper, languished in reserve team obscurity.

It is clear from the performance as much as the result that players operate better when they fully understand and feel comfortable in their defined roles. The versatility that Ferguson talks up so frequently in press conferences has its clear and perilous limitations. Sir Alex seems reluctant to look towards his own academy products – a forgotten foundation of the club’s past success – for longer than five minute cameos, even when the squad is stretched to the limit.

All excuses and speculation aside, Blackburn’s shock victory shows that it is not only the experience of squad members that matters; how a manager utilises all of the players at his disposal is what truly counts. Manchester United may have a number of reserve game plans, but not one of them seems to involve actually utilising their reserves.

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