MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER David Moyes conceded that he was finding his job harder than he could have ever envisaged after a chastening 3-0 home defeat by bitter rivals Liverpool.
The loss on Sunday was United’s ninth of the Premier League campaign — five of which have come at home — and carried echoes of the 4-1 humiliation at Manchester City in September that foreshadowed the club’s current struggles.
The defending champions mustered just one shot on target in the entire game, while Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers claimed with some justification that his side “could have scored five or six”.
In the end the visitors had to content themselves with a brace of Steven Gerrard penalties and a late Luis Suarez strike.
Gerrard squandered a chance to complete a rare hat-trick of penalties when he sent a third spot-kick against the post, but the scoreline was still enough for United striker Wayne Rooney to brand it “one of the worst days I’ve ever had in football”.
With United 12 points below the Champions League places, having played two more games than fourth-placed City, their hopes of reserving a berth in Europe’s premier club competition via the league have been all but dashed.
They also trail Greek champions Olympiakos 2-0 ahead of the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday, making their chances of qualifying by winning the tournament appear almost equally remote.
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It is only 10 months since Alex Ferguson stepped down as manager after overseeing the club’s 20th league title triumph, and Moyes admits that the pace of United’s decline has taken him by surprise.
“The job was always going to be hard,” he said. “Is it harder than I thought it would be? Yeah, I would say so.”
United have beaten only one of the teams currently in the Premier League’s top nine — Arsenal, in November — but despite the damning statistical evidence, Moyes played down suggestions of a malaise.
“That tells you we’re not doing as well as we should be,” he said.
“We have to play better and make ourselves harder to beat, harder to play against, and we are also going to have to make sure we are creating and taking more opportunities.”
- Rodgers ‘not losing sleep’
He insisted that his players remain “confident” and “hard-working” and said that they would approach the game against Olympiakos at Old Trafford fully believing in their chances of reaching the quarter-finals.
“I think everyone wants to win, no matter what game you play, and give the supporters something to shout about,” he said.
Moyes took umbrage with some of referee Mark Clattenburg’s decisions and Rodgers conceded that Liverpool’s third penalty, awarded for a foul on Daniel Sturridge by Nemanja Vidic, was “harsh”.
Vidic was shown a second yellow card and angrily accused Sturridge of taking a dive, but despite Gerrard’s subsequent miss, there was no disguising the extent of Liverpool’s superiority.
They are now four points behind leaders Chelsea with a game in hand, but Rodgers remains reluctant to talk up his side’s title chances.
Asked if he had forbidden talk of the title, he told journalists: “I’ve not banned it. We have better things to talk about.
“It is about improving and getting better. I don’t lose sleep over it. We are up there on merit, so of course we have an opportunity — I didn’t say no chance. If you think we have a chance, then write it.”
Rodgers also expressed bewilderment at Moyes’s pre-match admission that Liverpool were probably the favourites to win the game.
“I was probably surprised when I heard we were supposedly coming to Old Trafford here as favourites,” said the Northern Irishman.
“I would never say that at Liverpool, even if I was bottom of the league.”
Moyes responded: “I just thought Liverpool were above us in the league and playing well and I thought any average person would have said the same thing.”
To be fair, anyone after Fergie probably would find it tough, but I think some would have gotten better results so far…. Moyes seems to have lost the dressing room…. Faces on some yesterday were shambolic….
I think if we dont wjn on wednesday and put in a type performance like they did in the first leg or against liverpool then it will be the fjrst time this season that moyes job will really be in doubt with a real possibility of um gettin the sack
It’s not just the manager, the players are way out of their depth too.
They’ve relied on Van Persie, Rooney, Hernandez, Grandpa Giggs and Grandpa Giggs to bail them out in previous seasons and now that those players have lost form/finally it’s revealed just how embarrassingly bog standard average the rest of Man Utd’s squad really is.
The regulars at OT who’ve watched this team for years realise this, it’s only the barstooler Utd fans who think a new manager is going to shake up these players into top 4 world beaters. Delusional.
No manager could achieve anything better than 5th with this current squad. Reality check needed for all Barstoolers.
His key players RVP and Rooney don’t appear to get on. Both want to be top dog and aren’t working hand in glove. He hasn’t attained the status at the club to drop either player.
In fairness what did the fans or the board expect? If you appoint someone who specialises in finishing 5th-7th and makig baragin buys than that’s probably what he’ll do.
He’s on course to do that again. Another finish just outside Champions League spots!
Watching the demoyes of United makes me smile like a Cheshire cat. The media are deluded in their thinking that he did a great job as Everton manager, he never got them champions league or won anything. So consistent top 7 finishes is considered great these days?
So he takes over a championship winning team, buys one of his former club best player (Screech) and his former club are above him having spent virtually no money!
Watching the game yesterday, United players are playing like a team that want the season to end, as Kevin Sheedy said game plan was to hoof it up to Screech chest. RVP is playing like a player who has no interest and doesn’t want to get injured before the world cup. Moyes tactical ineptitude is glaring obvious, 2-0 at home and he brings on Cleverly who simply hasn’t kicked on from all the hype that surrounded him. Surely Kagawa or even Ashley Young would have been a more creative option, but that is Moyes biggest flaw; fear.
He’s afraid to take offensive risks and it’s been proven several times over and will continue to be done so for the season duration #moyesin
It’s very difficult to score goals at “fortress Old Trafford” and to be awarded penalties! Very difficult to win at Old Trafford! Even Man Utd players can’t score and win home matches.
Keep Moyles in the job, come on the Pool. Rodgers is class and a small squad and small wallet compared to Utd, Man C and Chelsea!!!
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Brilliant so he’s sticking it out
#moyesin
To be fair, anyone after Fergie probably would find it tough, but I think some would have gotten better results so far…. Moyes seems to have lost the dressing room…. Faces on some yesterday were shambolic….
I think if we dont wjn on wednesday and put in a type performance like they did in the first leg or against liverpool then it will be the fjrst time this season that moyes job will really be in doubt with a real possibility of um gettin the sack
He’s out of his depth!
It’s not just the manager, the players are way out of their depth too.
They’ve relied on Van Persie, Rooney, Hernandez, Grandpa Giggs and Grandpa Giggs to bail them out in previous seasons and now that those players have lost form/finally it’s revealed just how embarrassingly bog standard average the rest of Man Utd’s squad really is.
The regulars at OT who’ve watched this team for years realise this, it’s only the barstooler Utd fans who think a new manager is going to shake up these players into top 4 world beaters. Delusional.
No manager could achieve anything better than 5th with this current squad. Reality check needed for all Barstoolers.
The same squad that won the league by 11 points last year , book yourself in for Drug accessment will you
“No manager could achieve anything better than 5th with this current squad.”
- You’ve heard of Alex Ferguson, right? You’ve heard United finished top last season?
His key players RVP and Rooney don’t appear to get on. Both want to be top dog and aren’t working hand in glove. He hasn’t attained the status at the club to drop either player.
No, you’re doing just fine. Carry on…
In fairness what did the fans or the board expect? If you appoint someone who specialises in finishing 5th-7th and makig baragin buys than that’s probably what he’ll do.
He’s on course to do that again. Another finish just outside Champions League spots!
It’s in his contract. Fair play to him.
Negative tactics, negative words, making the team feel imperiour to others. Time for him to go!
Imperior?
Watching the demoyes of United makes me smile like a Cheshire cat. The media are deluded in their thinking that he did a great job as Everton manager, he never got them champions league or won anything. So consistent top 7 finishes is considered great these days?
So he takes over a championship winning team, buys one of his former club best player (Screech) and his former club are above him having spent virtually no money!
Watching the game yesterday, United players are playing like a team that want the season to end, as Kevin Sheedy said game plan was to hoof it up to Screech chest. RVP is playing like a player who has no interest and doesn’t want to get injured before the world cup. Moyes tactical ineptitude is glaring obvious, 2-0 at home and he brings on Cleverly who simply hasn’t kicked on from all the hype that surrounded him. Surely Kagawa or even Ashley Young would have been a more creative option, but that is Moyes biggest flaw; fear.
He’s afraid to take offensive risks and it’s been proven several times over and will continue to be done so for the season duration #moyesin
Please sack him Man U fan
It’s very difficult to score goals at “fortress Old Trafford” and to be awarded penalties! Very difficult to win at Old Trafford! Even Man Utd players can’t score and win home matches.
Keep Moyles in the job, come on the Pool. Rodgers is class and a small squad and small wallet compared to Utd, Man C and Chelsea!!!