Blog : Time for perspective

I heard a multitude of reasons, from various people – ex-players, journalists, fans – as to why United lost in Rome on Wednesday. The natural reaction to defeat in such a big game is to go overboard with analysis, hence why today’s newspapers are filled with tales of another rebuilding job.

Three months ago United were the greatest team on the planet, an unstoppable force. Everyone thinks they know best when the team loses. My take, for what it’s worth, was that United were a bit unlucky to concede after dominating the first ten minutes, but once Barcelona were in front, they were excellent with the ball, we weren’t. They performed on the night, we didn’t.

I don’t believe mass changes are needed this summer – let’s not forget that United were a poor penalty decision in the FA Cup (and then of course a final with Chelsea) and one good Champions League display away from a potential quintuple. This is far from a disaster, even though the in-depth post-mortems would have you think it was.

There were two points keenly debated on the plane home from Rome that got me thinking about next season and whether United’s approach could change. The first, was United’s midfield. One journalist I was sat next talked about the midfielders we could – or rather could not – sign this summer, saying that he thought our midfield was the third best in England behind Liverpool’s and Chelsea’s.

But looking at the constituent parts, United have excellent players; Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Owen Hargreaves, Anderson, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. But we need a fit Hargreaves, and Anderson, who will be a

wonderful player, to add the maturity and consistency that comes with age. I don’t think United need to add anyone in the middle, but that brings me to my second point: Wayne Rooney’s position.

There have been times when playing Rooney out wide on the left has worked a treat this season – the interchanging front three against Arsenal in Europe were a prime example – and it’s still an option. Don’t get me wrong, when I chose the team I wanted to play against Barcelona, I had Rooney wide left. But as we saw with Liverpool, their positional experimentation with Steven Gerrard eventually led to bringing him infield, and I think Rooney will eventually follow suit and play behind the main striker.

Cristiano Ronaldo gets the individual accolades – deservedly so – because he’s capable of match-winning moments of magic, but I think Rooney is the key man for United. The team can play badly and Ronaldo can get a goal to win a game; but when Rooney plays well, United play well. He is the player I would build my team around. So, if United were to dip into the transfer market this summer, I’d rather see us go for a left winger.

You could take the media’s speculation about rebuilding as a mark of respect for United’s high standards, but it strikes me as a knee-jerk reaction; I bow to Sir Alex’s superiority. He knows better than anyone what's needed, I just hope that includes bringing Rooney into a central position where he can cause maximum devastation.

The views expressed in this blog are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester United FC.