Manchester United’s Lack Of Firepower Is A Problem That Can Easily Be Fixed

It’s quite funny how fast a crisis can grow in football.

Just eight days ago, on Sunday October 25, Manchester United took part in a goalless draw with Manchester City. At the time, there was no real concern over the stalemate. Sure, United fans always look at a home draw as a missed opportunity, but they probably would’ve taken such a result at the start of the day.

Then came Middlesbrough. With Arsenal and Chelsea having been dumped out of the League Cup the night before this now presented the clearest path yet for Louis Van Gaal to pick up a trophy as Manchester United manager.

Instead, United’s much changed line-up limped and laboured through the first half, failing to build any momentum or even look vaguely threatening. The growing concern over just how attackingly tepid United had been was palpably beginning to grow.

The introduction of Anthony Martial, Wayne Rooney and Ashley Young in the second half did little to stem this wave of anguish. Especially as chances came and went. While the fact that the latter duo and Michael Carrick did as English players do and missed their penalty kicks was immediately construed as more evidence of United’s lack of confidence in front of goal.

When, against Crystal Palace, Manchester United once again not failed to find the night for the third consecutive game but even failed to create genuine opportunities the club’s lack of goal threat was now seemingly undeniable.

Van Gaal wasn’t helped by the fact that, in between the Middlesbrough and Palace game, Paul Scholes announced that he wouldn’t have wanted to play in the current United set-up.

And with Wayne Rooney and Memphis Depay not scoring regularly, and Anthony Martial having been sent out to the wing where he has subsequently gone off the boil, there was plenty for the Untied faithful to stew over.

But why have Manchester United’s goals suddenly, and so drastically dried up?The blame for this recent trifecta of blanks has, once again, seemingly fallen upon the shoulders of Wayne Rooney though.

The rather damning statistic that Rooney failed to touch the ball inside Crystal Palace’s area, only had one shot on target, and was deemed to be so off form that Alan Pardew prioritised stopping Anthony Martial out on the left wing instead of England’s record leading goalscorer, all added to the consensus that United’s attacking problems start and end with Wayne Rooney.

That’s both true and false. Because Manchester United will continue their drought if Wayne Rooney persists as their front man, but they’re still a much more formidable outfit with him than without him.

The running narrative is that Wayne Rooney is currently dwindling right before our very eyes. But isn’t he just becoming the player that we always thought he would be? It was widely speculated that because of his frame and the fact that he began his career at 16-years-old he would regress his position further down the pitch as the years rolled on.

Louis Van Gaal is clearly adamant that Rooney can still do a job for him as a striker though. But each passing game where Rooney fails to make a telling contribution in the box is seen as further proof that that’s simply not the case.

It’s also true that United have hardly looked fluid in attack at all this season. There have been bursts of goals, but these have failed to persist for a prolonged period. Even in September United’s impressive haul of strikes came against a shambolic Liverpool, a naïve Southampton, Championship’s Ipswich, and an appalling Sunderland. Even Everton seemed to cave in rather than being overwhelmed by United’s brilliance. But United still scored.

What’s worrying now for Manchester United fans though is the fact that Anthony Martial, a player that was scoring goals for fun when being played as the focal point of United’s attack in his first half a dozen or so games at the club, has now been shuffled out to the wing.

In Van Gaal’s defence, the decision to play Martial on the wing wasn’t made in order to make room for Rooney up front. Instead, Martial was asked to go out there to fill in for the under-performing Memphis Depay, who has recently been omitted as a form of discipline.

Even out on the wing, Martial has danced and driven his way past opponents while still looking threatening. Unfortunately, he’s just been too far out to actually deliver goals, and the lack of individuals in the box means that there is simply no-one there for him to assist to.

But, after these scoreless three games, the time is nigh to shove Anthony Martial back into the position where he looked most deadly. Rooney can then drop deeper, a position where he is still influential, and either Memphis Depay can be brought back out from the cold or Ashley Young can start instead.

Whichever way he decides to line them up, with Memphis, Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, and Anthony Martial on his roster, Manchester United have a fine array of attackers at his disposal.

There should be a way for them to play and score together. It’s now Louis Van Gaal’s job to figure out how to make that a consistent reality.

Images via Getty/Alex Broadway & Getty/Alex Livesey & Getty/Michael Regan