As Bayern Munich charged up the pitch following Patrice Evra’s unlikely 20-yard screamer that had put Manchester United ahead in their Champions League quarter-final, something was wrong.
Having braced volley after volley of German fire over the course of 135 minutes to emerge from the Allianz Arena tunnel at 1-1 halfway into the second leg, United had exceeded expectations – so far.
One of the basic principles of football is that in the event of scoring, a team must retain its composure and formation while being prepared for an immediate counterthrust.
Yet, as they have done with so many of the fundamentals of the game this season, United neglected to put these lessons into practice.
There was an unusual inevitability about Mario Mandzukic’s equaliser – unusual in historical terms, but unfortunately much in keeping with the theme of David Moyes’ blighted tenure.
By the time the final whistle blew to confirm the Bavarian club’s place in the semi-finals, despite United’s initial dogged resistance, there had been a ruthless illustration of an unmistakeable gulf in class.
So abrupt was the home side’s gear-change after conceding, it was hard to fathom that they were playing the reigning English champions – especially considering Arsenal and Manchester City’s recent victories in Munich.
It was a stark contrast that gave credence to the oft-espoused claims that the United side that strolled to their 20th league title last year were merely capitalising on the shortcomings of others.
Now United supporters are asking themselves how the same set of players, bolstered by the addition of Juan Mata and emergence of Adnan Januzaj can fall so short of the heights reached last year.
For an easy sacrificial lamb most look no further than Moyes, and though they are right to, some blame must be laid at the door of his predecessor.
But not for the so-called offence of leaving Moyes an ‘inferior’ squad – in a world where everything is relative, those claims are ludicrous.
Sir Alex Ferguson, or the board at the very least, must take responsibility for appointing a manager who could not possibly be expected to live up to his moniker of ‘continuity candidate’.
Fortunately for Moyes – or unfortunately depending on how you look at it – an ironic side-effect of the calamitous nature of his tenure is that expectations at Old Trafford have fallen dramatically.
Gone are the days when a Manchester derby meant a win-or-die attitude among players and fans alike – the 3-0 defeat during City’s last visit was met with sighs of relief that it wasn’t more.
Similarly, in the same way that beating Aston Villa 4-1 at home a couple of weeks ago felt like far less of a routine than under Sir Alex, holding Bayern 1-1 three days later smelled almost like victory.
Some may point to City’s 6-1 Old Trafford mauling of United a few years ago, but that was and will remain as a freak occurrence – single results do not count for much.
What grates with a large part of the fanbase is Moyes’ tendency to use words such as ‘try’ and ‘attempt’, and when he is not doing that he is citing Liverpool as favourites at Old Trafford and aspiring to be like City – a cardinal sin on both counts.
For example, Moyes managed to get through two-and-a-half minutes of his pre-Bayern interview without saying ‘try’ or something similar.
But true to form, with ten seconds remaining he ushered in the defeatist’s proverb: ‘we will try and hit them on the counter’.
Would Sir Alex have opted for a counter-attacking game away against Bayern Munich?
Absolutely, but he would have also made it clear that the game was United’s for the taking, even with his players facing what is probably the best side in history, and woe betide any reporter that dared to question that.
Moyes’ lack of conviction in his press conferences re-manifests itself in his squad – how can the players go out with the confidence that is so lacking in their anointed figure of inspiration?
There is also a marked difference between the fans that he is trying to appease.
At Everton Moyes thrived on being the underdog – when Goodison Park was in the mood for an upset, looking at the Scot on the touchline it was clear he was in his element.
At United, as far as the supporters’ view goes, when teams come to Old Trafford there is only ever one underdog, whether at kick-off or 2-0 down with three minutes to play.
Now, plucked out of his fortress on the northern edge of Stanley Park to carry on the work of arguably the greatest manager in history, Moyes is in a position that he may have never desired, but having taken an opportunity he could not pass up.
What must be so alarming for United fans is the way that Moyes’ lack of spirit has transferred itself not only onto the players, but up into the rafters of Old Trafford.
It is the negativity that leads many to doubt that the Glazers – so ruthless and impersonal when it comes to their business, which is exactly how they view the club – will entrust £150 million to a man who may well be gone by Christmas.
However business-minded they are, they are surely not so obtuse as to realise that a trophy drought will have a similar effect on the tourist money they are so dependent on.
It is a sad indictment of the Premier League’s bloated clubs that their futures can be so readily decided by the whim of people who may just as easily go and watch their cross-town rivals for entertainment.
But the short of it is that those tourists want to see victories and consequently trophies – the latter of which Moyes is hardly a virtuoso – and, as the club have said, they will make the ultimate judgement.
And whatever decision the owners come to, they must at least shoulder the blame for allowing Ferguson to choose someone so dangerously under-qualified as his successor.
Because no matter what the outcome, for all of Moyes’ shortcomings, when Sir Alex bestowed one of the most sought after jobs in football upon him, he could not be expected to say no.
Image courtesy of Carl Recine/Action Images, with thanks.
