Worrying times for Moyes and United

We are now 15 games into the season, almost half way, and Manchester United sit in 9^th place with 22 points, closer to the relegation zone than the summit of the league.

David Moyes has repeatedly blamed the transition from Ferguson to his regime being a problem but at this stage of the season is that really a valid excuse? Surely by December you would expect a new manager to have settled in.

Take a look at Moyes’ old side Everton, Martinez has come in and quickly settled down, Everton now stand six points clear of United in 5^th place.

The season started off shaky for United and that was excusable, but very few expected that Moyes and United would be struggling in early December and even fewer would have thought they would be 13 points adrift of the leaders so early on.

Of all the managers in the Premier League this season, David Moyes would have been one of the most unlikely candidates to be sacked, but at this stage it is starting to look like a distinct possibility.

Moyes was guaranteed when he took the job to be given time if he got off to a bad start but it was not predicted he would have a start this bad, losing back to back games at Old Trafford is bad enough but losing these games to Everton and Newcastle is extremely worrying.

Some fault is being given to the players, Van Persie is apparently no longer a top player and players like Vidic and Carrick are not performing, but is this the players fault?, players do not lose their quality over night, the blame must also be put on the system they are playing in.

Last season Van Persie was the difference for United that won them the league, he was deployed as the main striker and was the clubs top scorer, this season however he has been picking up injuries and not scoring goals.

A main cause of this is the fact Rooney is now playing in Van Persie’s role and Van Persie is playing in a deeper role, lessening his goal-scoring threat and also putting him at a higher risk of injury due to the increased physicality of the deep lying striker role, being the injury prone player Van Persie is this role does not suit him at all.

Questions must also be asked about Moyes’ work in the transfer window, the purchase of Fellaini for almost 30-million-pounds has not been a success, he like Moyes has failed to adapt to life at United as of yet.

There is no doubt Moyes is a good manger but is he good enough for a team as big as Manchester United? He had a good spell at Everton but never really excelled there, Martinez is currently making the job he did at Everton look very average.

A big part of the job at United is being able to handle big players, something Moyes never had to do at Everton, with reported unrest in the dressing room and Van Persie being reportedly unhappy it does not look like he is handling this aspect of the job very well.

There is now a genuine concern amongst Man United supporters that they may not even get a top-4 place, they currently sit seven points behind rivals Man City who occupy 4^th place and with the form of Liverpool and Arsenal and the strong squads of Man City and Chelsea it is hard to see how United will be able to bridge that gap.

 The jury is well and truly out on Moyes and he certainly has his work cut out for him, if there is not a quick change in form for the side, Moyes could be the next manager in the Premier League to receive the sack.