[2012/13] Man United Progress Season Review

[rondwisan]

31/12/2012 10:10 - ManUtd.com, Editorial team
Half-term report: 2012/13



To date, 2012/13 has been a campaign of high-octane, winding, churning brilliance. With a draining half-season still in store, take a break and relive five madcap months...

Turning on the style
To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. In which case, the signs in 2012/13 augur well for the remainder of the campaign. For the first time in 99 years, United secured top-flight wins at Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City, while victory over Arsenal completed a remarkable 12-point haul from our grandest quartet of Premier League fixtures, and that’s not to mention a comprehensive 3-0 win at Newcastle. With the exception of a first Anfield win in almost five years, the most notable aspect of each victory was a strong first-half display. While early concessions have riddled the majority of the Reds’ fixtures this term, we were ahead inside three minutes against Arsenal, four minutes at Chelsea, eight minutes at St James’ Park and 16 minutes in the Manchester derby.

Back in character
United were already out of the Champions League this time last year, but this term has been a very different story. The Reds were home and hosed by the end of Matchday Four, although progress admittedly came with the customary United drama. After Michael Carrick’s early goal got Sir Alex’s men off to the perfect start at home to Galatasaray, the Reds had to hang on for a vital 1-0 win after Nani’s penalty miss and other wasted opportunities. United came from behind in the next three games, away at Cluj and home and away to Braga, to ensure maximum points and qualification for the knockout phase. Back-to-back defeats followed in the final two group matches, away to Galatasaray and at home to Cluj, but neither result affected United’s position as winners of Group H. “Our minds are focused on challenging all the way to the final,” declared Sir Alex. The next hurdle on that path comes in the formidable form of Real Madrid. Bring it on!

The Dutch destroyer
In his Newcastle programme notes, Sir Alex compared Robin van Persie’s impact to that made by Eric Cantona. “He has made a vital difference to our chances in this season’s title race,” wrote the boss. In front of goal, Robin has the calm, ruthless efficiency of a hitman. “He’s similar to Ruud in the way he puts chances away,” says Ryan Giggs. But the Dutchman’s adroit hold-up play, elegant touch and enthusiasm for setting up goals have been equally important. The 29-year-old looks like he’s played here all his life. “When you feel wanted, it gives you wings,” Robin says. If 2013 brings more of the same, he could be the final piece in Sir Alex’s latest jigsaw.

A timely boost
It’s not only been the season of the comeback in terms of winning matches in 2012/13; two key figures in the Reds dressing room also made welcome returns. The importance of Nemanja Vidic to United was reflected in the ovation he received upon his recent comeback against Sunderland, while his influence in defence was sorely missed in the 19 matches since his fleeting early season reappearance from a seven-month lay-off. Sir Alex said: “He brings great experience, that warrior type of defending he’s famous for. Having him back is a real bonus.” The latter sentiment also applies to Darren Fletcher, who has surpassed all expectations in battling ulcerative colitis, making 10 appearances up to the year's end. “Every day is a battle,” says Fletch. “I have to watch my diet and take certain medication or it could come back, but I feel great.”

Evolution, not revolution
Wingers, more than any other position, capture the essence of Manchester United’s style: fast, incisive, swashbuckling, counter-attacking football. So it was the talk of the terraces when Sir Alex dispensed with wide men earlier this season, albeit temporarily, in favour of a new diamond system. “If it turns out we play the diamond consistently it’d be revolutionary because it goes against our history,” Sir Alex said in October. “But the level of the game in England and Europe is so high that making yourself unpredictable is a strength.” That last point is key. This wasn’t an identity crisis but an enhancement of United’s philosophy. With dynamic attackers like van Persie, Rooney, Welbeck, Kagawa, Young, Nani and Cleverley all easily accommodated in a variety of positions and systems, it's clear that fluid movement, quick passing, spontaneity and unpredictability are attributes Sir Alex craves. The ability to switch from 4-3-3 to a midfield diamond, 4-2-3-1 or a more familiar 4-4-2 is another string to the Reds’ bow in an ever-evolving, more sophisticated football landscape.

Back to front
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. That seemed to be the mantra for United’s defenders in the first part of 2012/13, as they offset a certain leakiness in our own box by making headlines at the other end. As injuries left the back line stretched, Jonny Evans, Patrice Evra, Rafael and Alex Büttner all weighed in with goals and Evans (who let us not forget waited 118 games before scoring his first United goal) has only Rooney, Hernandez and van Persie above him in the top-scorers list this term. Perhaps the most important, and most impressive, of the defenders’ strikes came from the boot of Rafael. With the Reds behind at Anfield, the little Brazilian conjured a moment of sheer magic, accepting Shinji Kagawa’s chested return and bending a perfectly struck equaliser beyond the clutches of Pepe Reina.

The comeback kings
Beneath this season’s hair-tearing trend of conceding first has lain an overriding positive. Every setback provides a platform to showcase our pièce de résistance –*the comeback –*and this season has already crammed in a campaign’s worth of against-the-odds triumph. “The game is for 90 minutes and you need to play until the last minute,” panted Chicharito after November’s two-goals-down, 3-2-up victory at Aston Villa. Even by that early point in the season, United had come from behind to win seven times, including late victories against Southampton, Liverpool, Braga and Villa. There have been occasions where such self-made mountains have proven insurmountable (Everton, Tottenham, Norwich), but even when leads have been taken and subsequently squandered, United have still found the reserves to procure all three points. To have done so at the homes of Chelsea and Manchester City speaks volumes for the indefatigable spirit which continues to characterise Sir Alex’s side.