I heard a multitude of reasons, from various people –
ex-players, journalists, fans – as to why United lost in Rome on
Wednesday. The natural reaction to defeat in such a big game is to
go overboard with analysis, hence why today’s newspapers are filled
with tales of another rebuilding job.
Three months ago United were the greatest team on the planet, an
unstoppable force. Everyone thinks they know best when the team
loses. My take, for what it’s worth, was that United were a bit
unlucky to concede after dominating the first ten minutes, but once
Barcelona were in front, they were excellent with the ball, we
weren’t. They performed on the night, we didn’t.
I don’t believe mass changes are needed this summer – let’s not
forget that United were a poor penalty decision in the FA Cup (and
then of course a final with Chelsea) and one good Champions League
display away from a potential quintuple. This is far from a
disaster, even though the in-depth post-mortems would have you
think it was.
There were two points keenly debated on the plane home from Rome
that got me thinking about next season and whether United’s
approach could change. The first, was United’s midfield. One
journalist I was sat next talked about the midfielders we could –
or rather could not – sign this summer, saying that he thought our
midfield was the third best in England behind Liverpool’s and
Chelsea’s.
But looking at the constituent parts, United have excellent
players; Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Owen Hargreaves,
Anderson, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. But we need a fit
Hargreaves, and Anderson, who will be a wonderful player, to add
the maturity and consistency that comes with age. I don’t think
United need to add anyone in the middle, but that brings me to my
second point: Wayne Rooney’s position.
There have been times when playing Rooney out wide on the left
has worked a treat this season – the interchanging front three
against Arsenal in Europe were a prime example – and it’s still an
option. Don’t get me wrong, when I chose the team I wanted to play
against Barcelona, I had Rooney wide left. But as we saw with
Liverpool, their positional experimentation with Steven Gerrard
eventually led to bringing him infield, and I think Rooney will
eventually follow suit and play behind the main striker.
Cristiano Ronaldo gets the individual accolades – deservedly so
– because he’s capable of match-winning moments of magic, but I
think Rooney is the key man for United. The team can play badly and
Ronaldo can get a goal to win a game; but when Rooney plays well,
United play well. He is the player I would build my team around.
So, if United were to dip into the transfer market this summer, I’d
rather see us go for a left winger.
You could take the media’s speculation about rebuilding as a
mark of respect for United’s high standards, but it strikes me as a
knee-jerk reaction; I bow to Sir Alex’s superiority. He knows
better than anyone what’s needed, I just hope that includes
bringing Rooney into a central position where he can cause maximum
devastation.