Changing of the Tactical Guard

By: Taylor Rockwell | September 16th, 2008

The most recent performance by the team currently masquerading as the reigning Champions of Europe seems to validate a preseason fear held by many a United fan: Carlos Queiroz will be (and is) sorely missed. While C. Ronaldo’s failed move to King Franco FC dominated the headlines this summer, the departure of Ferguson’s two-time number two is clearly having the greatest impact on the new season. One needs look no further than Ferguson’s sole summer signing as evidence of impending change.

During Queiroz’ second tenure at United, he and Ferguson shifted away from a traditional 4-4-2 with Rooney and Ruud Van Horseface. Instead, a more free-flowing attack with smaller, faster-paced wingers was implemented (see Ronaldo, Evra, and Nani). This system appears to have been the brainchild of the new Portugal head coach, with sources indicating that Ferguson had taken a back seat in first team training. With Queiroz now strategizing across the channel in Lisbon, Lord Fergie has been forced to resume the role of chief strategist, and the results (thus far) have not been impressive, hence the signing of Dimitar Berbatov. Despite the implementation of a 4-3-3 formation Saturday, the Bulgarian’s signing may indicate a return to the tactics favored by United in the late 1990s/early 2000s.

Whether this is a positive or a negative change remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: United had best discover a winning identity in a hurry. Although it would be simple to downplay the shortcomings of this new season as merely a hiccup, similar to that experienced in the 07/08 campaign, doing so neglects a fundamental truth. Last season, all of the Big Four got off to slow starts. It seems unlikely that a Scolari led Blues squad will experience any of the strife encountered during the Avram Grant era. Peace seems to have come to Anfield (at least, for the next three weeks) and the desire to keep United from leveling them on titles must be an added incentive for Liverpool to end their titleless drought. Even the squad of prepubescent children that Arsenal consistently fields can be dangerous on their day… especially after their morning feeding.

That said, it would be well foolish to overstate the impact of Saturday’s loss to Liverpool, as many pundits have. Every team is destined to have an off day, and it just so happens that a particularly off day happened against a most hated rival. However, if one sluggish performance becomes several in a row, United could easily find themselves on the outside looking in before their season even truly begins.