While the United squad thawed out in the sun in Qatar this week, the club’s mountain of debts and the financial activities of the Glazer family took center stage in the media. But United manager Sir Alex Ferguson still found time to bask in the footlights with his latest criticisms of Premier League refereeing.
Mark Clattenburg was the latest ref to find himself the focal point of the opinionated Sir Alex. Clattenburg sent off United midfielder Darren Fletcher in last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Birmingham. The Scottish International had already been booked, and when Clattenburg awarded Fletcher a second yellow for what seemed the most innocuous of fouls, his performance became the subject of Sir Alex’s critique.
All of this is mere distraction, however. The fact is that Manchester United are not the club they once were, and no amount of referee-cajoling can change that.
United Unable to Finish
Against Birmingham for example, the Red Devils pressed the attack. But despite enjoying the lion's share of the possession they were unable to break down the Birmingham defense. Only an own goal from Birmingham’s Scott Dann in the 2nd half salvaged a share of the spoils for United.
United needed a creative spark. Dimitar Berbatov couldn’t provide it, for he didn’t appear for United, not even on the subs’ bench. He has a knee problem it is claimed, and exploratory surgery may be in his future. Wayne Rooney’s work ethic was unimpeachable as usual, but he could not find the breakthrough either. Perhaps a touch of that old Ronaldo magic is missing.
Opportunity Lost
With the draw against Birmingham, United missed an opportunity to move to the top of the table and deal a psychological blow to league leaders Chelsea. Instead they have proven again this season that when facing a cohesive defense their ability to put the game away is questionable. In their last six matches United have managed just three wins. And those were against Wolves, Hull and Wigan, all of whom currently live at the lower end of the league table.
Burnley, however, sit in the 14th place in the league. It’s a very respectable position for a club of Burnley's limited resources, and their relative success can be attributed to manager Owen Coyle, now managing Bolton. With three draws and three losses in their last six Premier League matches, the Clarets recent form could be seen as consistent with their league position. But they’ll need wins at some point if they want to stay ahead of the relegation zone, and new manager Brian Laws, a surprise appointment to replace Owen Coyle, will be hoping he can instill some confidence in his men, who must have been bewildered by the suddenness of Coyle’s departure.
The New Manager's Challenge
Despite having once been a Burnley player, Laws’ ability to maintain the sense of purpose that Coyle had engendered among The Clarets is open to question. If he can’t, Burnley are likely to be competing in the Championship next season.
Will United take the three points off Burnley this weekend? In previous years the answer to that would have been an emphatic yes! Yet United are still playing without key defenders Ferdinand, Vidic and O'Shea. And although goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar may be available, United’s season has been so unpredictable that their obvious man-to-man superiority is no guarantee of three points.
