We have generally sat on the fence with regards Glenn Hoddle. He was an excellent footballer and is highly regarded by many for his coaching ability.
And, in his latest public utterance, he has stated that Manchester United are no longer feared by opponents as they were under Sir Alex.
The Daily Mail quotes him as saying:
No-one truly fears playing Manchester United at the moment. Not PSV Eindhoven, not Swansea City and nor should Southampton on Saturday, after beating them at Old Trafford last season.
His argument centres on his perceived lack of flair players in the current team.
He said that, in days past:
You used to face them thinking: ‘If we stop Ronaldo there’s two or three others, like Paul Scholes or Roy Keane, who could hurt us.’
He is talking of course about some of the greatest players who ever wore the shirt.
The point does carry some weight.
But we do believe that Manchester United have their solidity back and also possess some top young talents who will soon be regarded as elite players. When Rooney is firing again he will love playing alongside the pace and mobility of Martial and Memphis.
So we aren’t too concerned about the personnel.
What is more important is that Manchester United tweak their style. Start taking more risks. Start being more direct with the football, cutting teams apart with 3 passes rather than zig-zagging up the park with 20.
The problem with Manchester United right now is that they spend 100% of the game playing IN FRONT of the opponent.
Such is the measured and cautious style of play that they don’t get behind defences quickly enough. They always give the opponent time to get back into position instead of playing the early ball.
Manchester United need to start playing with the same urgency in the first 15 minutes as they seem to when they are regularly chasing the game in the last 15.
We think that LvG has done well in the market. He needs one or two more players tops.
But Manchester United’s style is more of a concern. It’s too slow.
