Sir Alex Ferguson's blueprint (Part One)

In the next days, I will be writing about Sir Alex Ferguson's ideologies, attitude and mentality which has made him one of the best managers to grace this beautiful game of soccer. Before retiring in May 2013, Sir Alex Ferguson was the manager of Manchester United for 26 good seasons (wasn't that rosy when he began though). His accomplishments during that period was remarkable. The Red Devils won 13 English league titles along with 25 other domestic and international trophies. 

Ferguson was far more than a coach, as he played a key role in shaping United managing not just the first team but the entire club. In 2012, a professor at Harvard Business School Anita Elberse had the privilege to extensively examine Ferguson’s managerial approach. She went deeper than just conducting a series of in-depth interviews with Ferguson about his leadership methodologies. She watched him in action at United’s training ground and at the World acclaimed "Theatre of dreams", Old Trafford, where a nine-foot bronze statue of the former manager has been erected. She spoke with many of the people Ferguson directly worked with, from David Gill to the club’s assistant coaches, kit manager, and players. She also observed Sir Alex Ferguson during numerous short meetings and conversations with players and staff members. Ferguson and Prof. Anita discussed eight leadership lessons that touched on the crucial elements of his approach. The approach that sustained his longevity and success. These article will touch on the first step he took to succeed.

Start with the Foundation

Sir Alex Ferguson clearly arrived in Manchester United with a plan, a plan to succeed.  Sir Alex Ferguson said "From the moment I got to Manchester United, I thought of only one thing: building a football club. I wanted to build right from the bottom." Upon his arrival at Manchester, in 1986, Ferguson developed a model for the long future of the club by re-organizing and modernizing United’s youth program. The most successful coach ever further added "When I arrived, only one player on the first team was under 24. Can you imagine that, for a club like Manchester United? I knew that a focus on youth would fit the club’s history, and my earlier coaching experience told me that winning with young players could be done and that I was good at working with them. So I had the confidence and conviction that if United was going to mean anything again, rebuilding the youth structure was crucial. You could say it was brave, but fortune favors the brave." 

He implemented his thoughts in two ways. The first thing he did was to establish two “centers of excellence” for promising talents as young as nine. The other thing he did was to recruit a number of scouts, instructing them to bring him the top young talents. He wanted more than just providing a constant stream of talented players for the first team. The Former Scottish international said "that [building a youth academy] was in order to create fluency and a continuity of supply to the first team. With this approach, the players all grow up together, producing a bond that, in turn, creates a spirit." The best-known of his early signings were David Beckham and Ryan Giggs. Other Manchester United legends like Paul Scholes and Gary Neville were also among Ferguson’s early youth program investments. Together with Giggs and Beckham, they formed the famous "class of 92" which formed the backbone of the hugely successful United teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Sir Alex took a huge gamble on young talents at a time when the notion was that “You can’t win anything with kids.” Ferguson thought about the difference between building a team, which is what most managers concentrate on, and building a club. He said "The first thought of 99% of newly appointed managers is to make sure they win—to survive. So they bring experienced players in. That’s simply because we’re in a results-driven industry. At some clubs, you need only to lose three games in a row, and you’re fired."

Sir Alex Ferguson however admitted he was a bit lucky during his early days at United. He was quoted to as saying "In today’s football world, with a new breed of directors and owners, I am not sure any club would have the patience to wait for a manager to build a team over a four-year period." His position as Manchester United manager would have been in serious jeopardy had the club not won the 1990 FA Cup, former chairman Martin Edwards has revealed. 

The 73 year old further illustrated that there is more to building a team than just for short term success. "Winning a game is only a short-term gain—you can lose the next game. Building a club brings stability and consistency. You don’t ever want to take your eyes off the first team, but our youth development efforts ended up leading to our many successes in the 1990s and early 2000s. The young players really became the spirit of the club."

Ferguson had a passion for the youth. He had this to say " I always take great pride in seeing younger players develop. The job of a manager, like that of a teacher, is to inspire people to be better. Give them better technical skills, make them winners, make them better people, and they can go anywhere in life. When you give young people a chance, you not only create a longer life span for the team, you also create loyalty. They will always remember that you were the manager who gave them their first opportunity. Once they know you are batting for them, they will accept your way. You’re really fostering a sense of family. If you give young people your attention and an opportunity to succeed, it is amazing how much they will surprise you.

Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson was truly a great man, probably the best coach in history. Watch-out for the second part of this series.

Reasons for Manchester United's collapse in the first 20 minutes at the Emirates stadium

Manchester United's disastrous start at Arsenal was a true wake up call for Louis Van Gaal and his players. United have started quite slowly in almost every game they have played this season and for a top team hoping to challenge for trophies, that's not good enough. Tottenham created about 2 clear chances against us in the opening twenty minutes. Wolfsburg and Club Brugge scored a goal in the 4th and 8th minute respectively. Even Sunderland (without any disrespect)  dominated us in the first 10 to 15 minutes. The only game this season that we started very well was the game against Newcastle. Wenger had done his homework and duly punished us. Such was the dominance that Arsenal three goals resulted from their first 3 shots on target. Luckily for United, they didn't get more shots on target in the first 20 minutes, we could have been staring at a cricket scoreline. So what went wrong in the first 20 minutes?

Many things went wrong, both from the technical perspective and the attitude of the players on the pitch. Having watched the first twenty minutes again, I noticed some issues that need immediate solutions. The international break couldn't have come at a better time. I will highlight a few in the accompanying paragraphs.

Mata is not a winger, how many times  do we have to say this? How many times do we have to say Mata must be played in a place where his defensive responsibilities are limited?

I was wasn't surprised 2 of the three goals we conceded came from the right side of the defense. Mata desperation to change the game caused him to dart into the middle as a result, he couldn't track back quick enough. This left Darmain all alone and exposed to the runs of Alexis Sanchez and Nacho Monreal. Darmian is very good, but he still needed help against a special player like Sanchez. Mata tracked back to help Darmian only twice in the first 20 minutes.  No wonder Sanchez had a very good match as opposed to the Chelsea game where Pedro and Ivanovic teamed up well to nullify his efforts.

Mata's movements in the first 20 minutes really exposed Darmian (courtesy of Fourfour.com/Statszone)

Throughout the season, there is something odd I have noticed about the "philosophy". I know the philosophy clearly depends on depriving the opponent of the ball. But the unwillingness of our players (especially our defenders and keepers) to clear the ball out of the danger area, especially if they are under pressure certainly must not be part of it. We have got away with many misplaced passes in and around our penalty box so many times this season. Arsenal finally made us pay heavily for that 'criminal attitude' on Sunday. Daley Blind's attempt to pass the ball to Memphis when he was under intense pressure kick-started a chain of events that led to Arsenal first goal. I keep asking myself, is it necessary for defenders to pass the ball in their defensive half always especially if they are under pressure? 

The lack of mobility in central midfield was one was one of the major reasons why we lost against Arsenal. Carrick and Schweinsteiger are two players who like to sit and dictate play. They both don't have to the pace to press opponents and neither are both hard tacklers. Arsenal out-numbered, out-foxed and bypassed them with ease before unleashing hell on the defense. The second and third goal, we conceded resulted from decisive passes that emerged from the central midfield area. A more combative midfielder like Schneiderlin would have prevented at least one of those passes from going to their targets.

In summary, the first twenty minutes against Arsenal showed us that Mata should be moved behind the striker otherwise quality teams will exploit the gaping hole between him and Darmian. We also learnt that pairing Schweinsteiger and Carrick is almost suicidal.

Juan Mata the winger? Or Mata the playmaker

When Juan Mata signed for Manchester United, many supposed he would walk straight into the starting lineup under then manager, David Moyes. The Spaniard then had won Chelsea's player of the year twice in succession due to his unique ability to make and score goals. The Red Devils at the time boasted of the likes of established names such as Robin van Persie, Javier Hernandez, Wayne Rooney, and promising academy talent, Adnan Januzaj, among others. Mata, did walk straight into the starting XI, but it came at a cost, the diminutive Spaniard had to sacrifice his most effective position. This was due to the club captain Wayne Rooney 'acquired traits' of playing behind the main striker. With Van Persie or Hernandez upfront and Rooney occupying the 'number 10' role, the then 25-year old had to be shunted out wide almost all the time.

Mata is an intelligent footballer who finds pockets of space in and around the penalty area. He is too slow to act as a winger so what he does is to mostly drift inwards and deliver intricate passes into the paths of strikers or players within scoring positions. The only time Mata played as a number 10 under David Moyes was against Newcastle. He only played there because Rooney and Robin Van Persie were both injured. You know how he performed right? Two goals and one assist capped off a terrific performance from the then 26-year old as United won 4-0. His beautifully curled free-kick into the top-right corner broke the deadlock. His second goal was all about his calmness and composure as he slotted the ball home after Hernandez had hit the post. And his classy, back-heeled assist for Januzaj goal was a glorious combination of his vision and awareness.

The experienced Dutchman, Louis Van Gaal, succeeded Moyes after an impressive outing with the Netherlands in the World Cup. He is a man who believes in philosophical and intricate methods of achieving success. The Dutchman sought to infuse his style into the Manchester United team, the possession game and the 3-5-2 formation that thrives with wingers and full backs making runs to and fro the pitch. The change in management didn't cause much difference to Mata's situation. The little Spaniard was mostly deployed on the right wing of play, unable to make his presence felt in a position which clearly doesn't suit him. Though he cut a frustrated figure more especially because he had not adapted to the wings, Mata managed to be directly involved in 13 goals in Van Gaal's first season (9 goals, 4 assists). Nonetheless, that was his lowest contribution to a team in a full season since he burst onto the scene in the English Premiership.

This season (2015/16) started with Juan Mata earning a starting berth in all 13 matches under Louis Van Gaal. He has impressed largely because he has adapted quite well to his 'wing role'. He has mastered the artistry of acting as a false winger or false number 10. His timed infield runs have ended up creating more chances for the likes of Martial, Rooney and others to pounce. However, As good as Mata has been this season (5 goals, 4 assists), just imagine how unplayable the Spaniard will be in his favorite number 10 position. Mata's wonderful flick assists against Wolfsburg came from a central position. His perfectly weighted ball for Januzaj winner against Aston Villa also came from one of his darting infield runs. Where was this brilliant fellow when he made that gorgeous square pass for Depay's goal against Sunderland? In the middle of the attacking third, where he thrives. I could go on and on but I guess by now you see the point I am driving at.

Mata exquisite flick for Smalling's goal against Wolfsburg.

Mata might be displaying an enviable work-rate down the wing, one that has surely impressed Van Gaal, but the point is Mata's ability to influence a game is restricted on the wings. The fact that the Spaniard has to defend on the wings is one of the limiting factors. It's well documented that Mata has defensive frailties, something which caused him to lose his starting berth at Chelsea. As a winger, he was the has to cover for Darmian, a task he doesn't quite well because of darting runs to the middle and slow ability to track back, leaving the Italian international horribly exposed. Alexis Sanchez took full advantage of this fact and fully decimated Darmian at the Emirates stadium on Sunday. But the effects of Mata in-wards runs is another topic that I will address on another day. But imagine how Mata would stretch defences to breaking point with his exquisite vision and great passing ability in a position where he has limited defensive responsibilities.

It has become worrisome to say that many Manchester United supporters globally are worried about the LvG’s refusal to play one of his most priceless assets in his natural habitat especially when Rooney is performing poorly. Some have also remarked how you will get the best out of someone if you keep twitching and playing them out of position. Others sighted the failure of a certain Angel DI Maria, who couldn’t adapt under the tutelage of LvG because he was continually played out of position. For Juan Mata, a player who will most definitely like to play on a more regular basis, he wouldn’t care if it means he has to play out his favorite position. But that will come at a cost to the club and coach who will not get the desired results expected from Mata. 

Where does this gem fit, is his talent wasted or he needs to adapt to a new trend?