The season just got from bad to worse for Manchester United. Yet another defeat for David Moyes’ men in the opening leg of the last-16 Champions League tie, as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Olympiacos on Tuesday night, which may well be their worst performance this season. Tuesday’s match will cause questions to be asked about the suitability of David Moyes as manager of a football club of this stature.

The Scot’s dream job has already turned into a nightmare in just eight months. Taking over from compatriot Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer, it was no secret that he had gigantic shoes to fill. But to perform so poorly with pretty much the same squad of players that breezed through to last year’s Premier League title is nothing short of baffling.

Let’s put things into perspective here. United lost to Olympiacos. Not Real Madrid, not Barcelona, not Bayern Munich.

Olympiacos might be the champions of the Greek league, but with all due respect to the team and the league, they are far from the elite of Europe. They are the also-rans of the competition, not title contenders.

Even though United has had a poor start to this season’s Premier league campaign, Tuesday’s match at Athens should have been a regulation victory for the English champions.

Languishing at sixth in the EPL table, a massive 15 points short of table-toppers Chelsea, whenever United wins a game this season it is tipped as the ‘turning point’ for their season. But each win is followed by a spate of draws and losses and not necessarily to top-quality sides, as Tuesday night’s encounter will vouch. It’s a classic case of going one step forward and two steps backwards.

Everybody’s to blame

But it is unfair to point fingers at the manager alone. This might be the same team that won an unprecedented 20th league title — under Sir Alex — last season, but the same players, who were crowned champions in May, seem to have lost their appetite for success. Star player Wayne Rooney, who recently signed a bumper contract that ensures his numerouno status among the Premier League earners, said before the Olympiacos match that he would be disappointed if he doesn’t win the Champions League again before he retires. Well he isn’t lifting the trophy any time soon and the same goes for the rest of the squad. The whole squad looks absolutely disinterested and there is a clear shortage of leaders in the dressing room.

Slim chances

Chances are they will be removed in the quarter-finals by the first good team they play, assuming they manage to survive the return leg at Old Trafford against the Greek team. Also, they are 11 points adrift of the 4th place in the league, which is the final Champions League spot.

Will United be able to attract top players in the summer transfer window given their current predicament? Will they be able to hold onto their talisman Rooney, who has clearly spelt out his ambitions? Will they be the formidable force that they were over the past three decades?

With no titles to show for this season, an ageing squad, a helpless manager and their probable non-participation in next year’s Champions League, Manchester United fans should dread the answers to the questions. Could this be the beginning of the end for Manchester United as a European heavyweight? What do you think? Write to us at

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW