The plot rarely changes. Only the names and faces differ. The theme is depressingly familiar for Manchester United. With every game tends to come a reminder of their midfield malaise.
The causes are all too obvious – the final six years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign, when he neglected to buy a central midfielder, the struggles of the summer signing Marouane Fellaini and the ever-increasing evidence they have relied upon the ageing – and the symptoms are the sights of opponents excelling in the centre of the park.
At Villa Park on Sunday, Ashley Westwood, Karim El Ahmedi and Yacouba Sylla, Paul Lambert’s trio in the middle, will attempt to join a long list of midfielders who have excelled against United.
David Moyes’s problem is not so much tactical or structural as much as one of personnel. Without the injured Michael Carrick it has been exacerbated and it is no coincidence United have not won in the four league games the Englishman has missed through injury.
Meanwhile, while Aaron Ramsey has outscored Wayne Rooney and Yaya Toure has more goals than all of United’s midfielders and wingers this term, the only man to strike from the centre of the pitch for Moyes this season is Phil Jones, 21, and, by preference, he is a centre-back.
The chances are Jones will start Sunday, probably accompanied by Tom Cleverley, 24. The latter, by his own admission, has been “average” rather too often this season.
So the fundamental issue can be called “the Cleverley test”. Put simply, would Cleverley get in the opposing midfield? When Cheik Tiote and Yohan Cabaye illustrated their quality as Newcastle United won at Old Trafford last week, the answer was surely no. So, too, when thinking of Everton, who triumphed in Manchester three days earlier, and their excellent alliance of Gareth Barry and James McCarthy.
Tottenham Hotspur overpowered United two weeks ago with the forceful trio of Paulinho, Sandro and Mousa Dembele. They would have no need for Cleverley.
Nor, indeed, would Southampton, who have Morgan Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama and drew at Old Trafford in October. West Bromwich Albion triumphed in September with the midfield anchored intelligently by Claudio Yacob and Youssouf Mulumbu. Once again, it is hard to see Cleverley fitting into Steve Clarke’s first-choice side.
Besides taking points off United, each of Newcastle, Everton, Tottenham, Southampton and West Brom have something else in common. None began the weekend in the top four; it is very possible none will end the season there, either.
Fine footballers as all are, some of the aforementioned are midfielders for mid-table clubs and while Cleverley played a part in wins at Stamford Bridge and the Etihad Stadium last season, at the moment, they would walk into the United side ahead of him. And he, in turn, is ahead of an out-of-sorts Fellaini and a declining Anderson in the queue for places.
It all explains Moyes’s determination to strengthen the midfield. Although Cesc Fabregas, Thiago Alcantara, Daniele De Rossi, Sami Khedira and Ander Herrera all eluded United in the summer, the manager scouted Atletico Madrid’s Koke on Wednesday and his coaching staff have been spotted all over Europe looking for reinforcements.
And so the sense is that, even though Moyes would not admit it publicly, he feels “the Cleverley test” is a reason why United have failed thus far.
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