When I wrote “20 and counting!” – when we won the Premier League last season – little did I know that in the coming winter transfer window, I would be re-reading “So, how good is Juan Mata?”. I did not really expect United to sign a creative player, and that too from Chelsea. Or should I say, I never expected The Special One to sell Chelsea’s best player for the last two seasons, to United. Okay, back up right there. Chelsea are not the only ones with a One with a capital O. We have The Chosen One on our side. No I will not be making any “Juan Mata, One Assist” puns here. Myth has it that The Special One burst into tears when The Chosen One was hand-picked by Sir Alex to take over the reins at Manchester United.
Looking at how United are currently playing though, I’m pretty sure The Chosen One is the one crying tears of helplessness after practically every game. Whether it is due to inopportune injuries, plain buffoonery on the part of the players or outdated tactics being employed, Moyes has unfortunately become somewhat of a record-breaking manager or a rather benevolent professor in the Hogwarts Premier League, depending on how you look at it.
Losses to teams like Sunderland and Stoke do not even fetch reactions from fans anymore, that is the level of mundane we have gotten accustomed to seeing, but not expecting, at United. A missing midfield is the biggest legacy of Sir Alex that Moyes regrettably has to deal with. Apart from De Gea, Rafael, Evans, Jones, van Persie, Rooney and Carrick – honorary mentions to Januzaj and Fletcher – the players are either past their prime or just not performing at the Manchester United level. Players like Cleverley, Young and Valencia put in plain old boring shifts week in and week out. They are squad players, nothing more. How Ferguson managed to get the best out of this squad is befuddling, and worth admiring at the same time, in the strangest of ways.
Everyone compares United signing Mata to how Arsenal signing Ozil lifted the morale of the entire team. I don’t agree with that, it isn’t even half the story. Arsenal also got Flamini for free. He has slotted in so seamlessly and provides the steel in midfield, which Arsenal has lacked over the past few years. However, more than Ozil and Flamini, it is the simple fact that Arsenal have a style of playing football which has evolved with the game. Yes, possession remains at the core of Wenger’s teams, but look at the players: Cazorla, Rosicky, Wilshere, Ramsey, Arteta, Chamberlain, and Walcott – you are guaranteed slick, skilful play when you see these players on a pitch.