There were certainly a few pundits and columnists around, this time last year, who predicted that we were heading for difficulties because of our lack of firepower. I recall Rod Liddle in the Times tipping us (and Palace) as outside bets for relegation last season, despite us sitting in the top 8 at the time, on the basis that teams that can't score, eventually drop.
Of course, the cretin Liddle is revelling in belatedly being justified - just this weekend he mentioned (in an article about WBA) that he predicted that United were "nailed on" for relegation before the season started.
And Liddle isn't the only one. I don't know who this hack is in the Independent, but he is obviously amongst a number, that were made to look silly last season, who are now taking the chance to claim that this was obviously going to happen all along.
This article smacks of an opportunist taking the chance to knock down last year's 'bright new thing', under a flimsy veneer of unnamed, and possibly fictitious, sources.
That being said, the reference to "organisational shape over coaching or development work" in training, has a certain ring of truth to it.
The glorified training ground, non-pressurised matches post-lockdown have ruthlessly exposed United's shortcomings in individual technique, compared to all of the other teams. The overbearing emphasis on "the system" - even in the gaffer's interviews - is glaring, and it is difficult to believe, on the evidence of our clueless work in the final third, that we are doing anywhere near enough work with the ball or on shooting.
Perhaps, therefore, some of the 'lower league sources' who are taking the opportunity to put the boot in, include the various scorned and discarded 'creative' players, that Chris has consistently found it difficult to shoe-horn into 'the system'.
We certainly know of one 'number 10' plying his trade lower down who isn't shy of voicing his opinions.
www.independent.co.uk
