From treble to trouble - Manchester United in crisis
Achieving a treble is every club’s dream; an unrealistic target for some, but still some dare to dream it.
Manchester United dreamt of it, and achieved it in 1999. This season, they have got another opportunity. Prior to loosing to Roma in the Champions League, and Portsmouth, United were looking good to realistically aim for that treble dream.
They weren’t so wrong in doing so, they were pitted against a lowly Watford in the FA Cup, 6 points clear of Chelsea, and handed a Champions League tie against AS Roma. Everyone thought that maybe it’s their year…again…and it’s their turn to win the honors of the respective competitions.
But suddenly things have changed, changed a lot, drastically. The backline, which has made United among the very best this season, is now suddenly in all sorts of troubles. Injuries after injuries have plagued the team now, and the recent casualty of Vidic has surmounted the already serious problem. Silvestre, Neville, Evra and now Vidic, which makes 4 defenders, the complete backline if you play in a 4-4-2 or a 4-4-1-1.
Anyways, the point being, suddenly the team is in all sorts of problems. Saha is still unfit; Rooney is doing the job alone, Ole and Smith in support. This is what things do to you when you don’t have the usual defenders with you and the bench has to come up to it.
Not only that, Edwin Van Der Sar, who was having a great season, until the Roma game, is now suddenly questioned. The worse being the own goal by Ferdinand on Saturday in the away game at Pompey. This is what the absence of your key defense players can do to you, even the goalie is not spared. Although it’s entirely logical, as the defenders do the job of keeping the ball away from the goalie.
United, after loosing that away game at Roma, needs to win it by at least 1-0. The away goal which Rooney scored, saved a nearly disastrous trip to Rome, and the match tonight will be a nervy one, as United’s treble ambitions rely heavily on it.
Saha is still unfit, Evra is doubtful, the other injured defenders are still injured. Scholes will miss the game as he is suspended, with nearly the same squad which lost two consecutive games, and only Evra hopeful of joining in, and minus Scholes, United face an uphill task of surmounting all the odds and beat Roma at Old Trafford, and then win the home game against the Blades, to keep the pressure on Chelsea and maintain, if not increase, that vital 3 point advantage over Chelsea.
If they do it, it will really be a big confidence booster, or else Manchester United will be lurching from treble to trouble without any respite. After seeing Arsenal lose their marbles in a fortnight, Ferguson will do well to prevent something similar from happening to Manchester United.
Author: Rohit
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