Tasker's Sporting Fix: United Continue to Falter

Tasker's Sporting Fix: United Continue to Falter: After another weekend of managing to score just one goal, the seventh League match in succession to do so starting with that 1 -1 draw with ...

United Continue to Falter

After another weekend of managing to score just one goal, the seventh League match in succession to do so starting with that 1 -1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield on the 15th October followed by defeat to Manchester City. Is it accurate to state that Manchester United's season has began to falter. Their is a lack of flair and excitement about this current Ferguson side which at the beginning of the season were setting everyone's televisions alight with their pace and easy on the eye football. Long ago it now seems United played Arsenal of the park so embarrassingly for Mr Wenger and his then dysfunctional team. Parallel's with Barcelona have since been forgotten and United are gradually losing site of the new threat to their Premier league dominance, the 'noisy neighbor' Manchester City.

United fans will no doubt look to the niggling injuries picked up by important members of their squad to explain the teams loss in form. Saturdays 1-0 victory against Villa came at a price with Hernandez seemingly now out of action for 4 weeks with suspected ankle ligament damage. Rooney is currently United's only fit striker for the upcoming match against Basel,with Berbatov and Danny Welbeck just returning to match fitness. You would think this would be of some comfort to Manchester United that their star man remains fit yet he has failed to score in his last 7 competitive outings for the club. This is in no doubt down to Ferguson sacrificing Rooney's goal scoring threat and instead trying to use him as short term cover for the departed genius of Paul Scholes in the centre of midfield. Rooney has since returned to the forward line but has yet to regain his early season goal scoring form.

United desperately need a creative figure in midfield. Perhaps it is time for Fergie to dip into the coffers and produce a sum capable of obtaining a player who can make his side tick again, cue rumours linking the red side of Manchester with Wesley Sneijder, from his conveniently underachieving Internazionale in the January transfer window. If only he would drop his wage demands. Tom Cleverly seemed to slot perfectly into the centre of United's midfield, the player returning from a season on loan at Wigan was playing without fear and was involved in the thick of united's play, he is not expected back from injury until after Christmas.

United need to find their form quickly, starting with their next premier league fixture at home to struggling Wolves or free scoring Manchester city will race out of sight. This would be a perfect match for United to flex there goal scoring prowess once again. Followed by a succession of what to many will be seen as an easier run of fixtures through the Christmas period. QPR and Fulham away before home fixtures against the leaking defenses of Wigan and Blackburn. Although the defence has improved greatly since the return of  the fortress Nemanja Vidic, good victories are needed to restore confidence and to wipe clear the memory of that harrowing 6-1 defeat to their most hated of rivals.