ANALYSIS: The Factors That Have Been Responsible For Man United’s Ongoing Crisis

If there is a club that has been falling into a never-ending pit of trouble, it is none other than Manchester United at the moment. The name that once ruled the globe in terms of club football has seen a drastic change in its fortunes in this decade, and is now not even the best team in the city of Manchester.

A trophyless campaign last term, three points from three games this season, and a growing distance between the management and the fans clearly suggests that the improvement signs are just not there.

Let’s take a look at some of the reasons that have landed United in the situation they find themselves in, and what makes them the fallen giants of English Football:

 

1. No Proper Successor To Sir Alex Ferguson

The most obvious and devastating impact the club faced was the exit of their, and possibly football’s greatest ever manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

The man who led them to 13 Premier League titles, 2 Champions League titles, and possibly every single winnable trophy that there is, left the Red Devils 6 seasons ago, and along with him went everything great and grand about the club.

Names like David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal, and Jose Mourinho have been brought in since then, but the passion Sir Alex filled the players with, the attacking football that won numerous titles, and the fear that Old Trafford launched into the minds of every other club out there never returned.

Replicating what the great one did is an achievement next to impossible, and the pressure of doing so has a big role to play in the failure of matching expectations.

 

2. Ed Woodward

The man under the most scrutiny at the moment, the big boy of the club might be serving his last few months at the Mancunian outfit. The fans have had enough of Ed, and have been vocal about their desire to want him out right away.

His lack of ability to bring in the wanted players by various managers, spending extra funds to add to the talent in the team, and being on the hunt for sponsorship deals more than anything else has left the supporters fuming.

Ed has had poor relations with all managers appointed since the departure of Sir Alex, and every one of them has faced the axe, with Mourinho likely to approach a similar fate in the coming days.

Players like Gareth Bale, Antoine Griezmann, Toby Alderweireld, Thiago Alcantara and many more were big targets for Manchester United, but resistance to splash the cash has seen all of them get away, as those superstars went on to make other teams better.

 

3. Lack Of Leadership

When you think Manchester United, you think of names like Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic, Ryan Giggs, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, and Wayne Rooney kissing the badge and wearing their hearts on their sleeves.

Names like these, and the drive and commitment they carried are hard to find around Old Trafford these days, and when tough times arrive, the lack of a presence leading the line and taking everything head-on speaks volumes.

Antonio Valencia might be the club captain and David De Gea might be an experienced member of the squad, but do they capably fill the shoes of those gone away?

 

4. The Rise Of The Rivals

If self-inflicted worries were not enough for Manchester United, their rival clubs coming to power has simply added salt into their burning wounds.

Liverpool now have a manager that has brought fear back to Anfield and gets the team to play arguably the most attacking football in the country. Chelsea have been shifting bosses for fun, but European glory and English glory has come to them during the same.

The biggest problem has been the rise of Manchester City, as the ‘noisy neighbours’ have put United in their shadows. The Cityzens are now not only the champions of England, but also playing the most attractive and stylish football under Pep Guardiola, colouring the city blue in the process.

The red half of Manchester is in a huge spot of bother at the moment, and that has been recognized by one and all in the world of football.

 

Amid this chaos at Manchester United, club legend and former captain Gary Neville offered an apt solution to their problems when he stated: “Get the team right for the rest of the season because the club is bigger than any individual. They have to get themselves sorted because it’s not a time for in-fighting and politics.”

Jose Mourinho and co. are already 6 points behind table-toppers Liverpool, a gap that would be difficult to recover unless the Portuguese tactician’s squad fails to improve drastically. Things are in need of a miraculous change at the Theatre of Dreams, and it needs to start happening soon.