There is no Premier League title to fight for. There is no FA Cup nor even the Capital One Cup any more. Manchester United is down to its last chance for a trophy in the Champions League.
David Moyes now needs to be more than a presence on the sidelines who tells observers what is going wrong and makes promises to fix it. His tenure will not be defined by these two fixtures but United's season will be.
David Moyes now needs to be more than a presence on the sidelines who tells observers what is going wrong and makes promises to fix it. His tenure will not be defined by these two fixtures but United's season will be.
| OLYMPIAKOS - MAN UTD |
| PREVIEW: Will Moyes' men leave Greece with a healthy first-leg advantage? |
| ROONEY WANTS SECOND CL TITLE |
| The Manchester United striker is desperate to ensure his 2008 triumph is not his last |
"All they have left is to give their all against us in the Champions
League," Olympiakos midfielder David Fuster said earlier this month.
"This game is their only chance to save the season. They have failed in
the league. They are located outside the Champions League places. And so
they will give it all."
We know the mitigating circumstances. We know that the money the Glazers have taken out of the club means similar amounts cannot be put back in to reinforce the playing ranks.
We know that Ed Woodward's background is not in closing deals for footballers. We know that United's team is aging and has been struggling with form and injuries. We know, too, that some senior players are trapped in a responsibility vacuum. All of that, though, must all be forgotten now. It's Moyes's team against Michel's. Nothing more.
It has been a season of tempering expectations for Moyes and his players. Defeats have been plentiful, hefty and damaging. To this point United's most memorable results of the campaign have been the league loss to Manchester City, the FA Cup defeat to Swansea City and the Capital One Cup elimination to Sunderland. Running through the season, though, has been the positivity of the Champions League campaign.
"Everybody wants to win it and we’ll try to do it," Moyes told the club's official website. "I never said we would or we can but we’ll be in there. Teams don’t want to play Manchester United. They know what it stands for as they have been successful. I hope we can play well enough to get through this round and see what happens next."
We know the mitigating circumstances. We know that the money the Glazers have taken out of the club means similar amounts cannot be put back in to reinforce the playing ranks.
We know that Ed Woodward's background is not in closing deals for footballers. We know that United's team is aging and has been struggling with form and injuries. We know, too, that some senior players are trapped in a responsibility vacuum. All of that, though, must all be forgotten now. It's Moyes's team against Michel's. Nothing more.
It has been a season of tempering expectations for Moyes and his players. Defeats have been plentiful, hefty and damaging. To this point United's most memorable results of the campaign have been the league loss to Manchester City, the FA Cup defeat to Swansea City and the Capital One Cup elimination to Sunderland. Running through the season, though, has been the positivity of the Champions League campaign.
"Everybody wants to win it and we’ll try to do it," Moyes told the club's official website. "I never said we would or we can but we’ll be in there. Teams don’t want to play Manchester United. They know what it stands for as they have been successful. I hope we can play well enough to get through this round and see what happens next."
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