Manchester United: Can They Return To Winning Ways With Much Criticized 4-4-2 ?

Manchester United has always been a team which has done things on its own terms, from the purchase of a player against conventional logic, to the way the game itself is played.

At Wembley, against Chelsea in the battle for the Community Shield, United were at it again.

Last season had United playing Wayne Rooney as a lone striker, either in a 4-5-1 or a 4-3-3 formation, whichever way you look at it. The same thing was done by a lot of other teams as well, and it seemed to be the "in" thing for the future. England's failings at the World Cup were also heavily attributed to Fabio Capello's insistance on using the 4-4-2, which had apparently become outdated.

The scoreline at Wembley, 3-1 in favour of a United perpetually deployed in a 4-4-2, tends to state otherwise.

United may have decided to reinvent the wheel, Sir Alex Ferguson apparently believing that by acquiring Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, he has brought perhaps one major missing piece of a successful United jigsaw - after more than a decade, United can again boast of four major, senior strikers in their ranks (Macheda, at 18, is not a senior striker, despite claims to the contrary).

The last time this had happened, United had won the historic 1999 Treble. United were playing in the 4-4-2, and the strikers were operating in pairs. The Dwight Yorke-Andy Cole pairing was naturally top notch, but the Teddy Sheringham-Ole Gunnar Solskjaer combo was efficiently devastating as well.

The backdrop to its success was a supremely special squad, gifted with talent and hunger throughout. The current squad is stunningly similar to that legendary one.

If Peter Schmeichel is regarded as United's best ever keeper, Edwin van der Sar is a strong contender for the No. 2 spot. A commanding, agile shot-stopper, van der Sar proved yesterday again that despite the challenges of Petr Cech, Pepe Reina, and Shay Given, he remains the best in England.

The right-back position is a tricky one, for Gary Neville was at his peak in 1999. He remains in the squad, a mentor more than a player, but United can now count upon an ever reliable John O'Shea, an England-free Wes Brown, and a rapidly improving Rafael Da Silva to take the reigns. The position is seemingly well covered.

At centre back, Nemanja Vidic comes closest to the commanding figure of Jaap Stam, while Rio Ferdinand and Johnny Evans' more cultured style compares favourably with Roony Johnsen. While Ferdinand remains susceptible to injury (he's still recovering from one), Evans has struck up a very good partnership with Vidic. Even the new signing, Chris Smalling, seems to have a good understanding with Vidic.

At left back, there are no real problems. United boast Patrice Evra right now, who is the best left back in the world, though not on the evidence of the World Cup. His understudy, Fabio Da Silva, neutralized Chelsea's threat down the left flank well enough last night. Again, a favourable comparison with Denis Irwin in that position.

The midfield is where the current United side are said to be lacking. True, they still boast Paul Scholes (who was at his vintage best yesterday) and Ryan Giggs, but both are more than a decade older, and closer to retirement. However, things are not as bad as they seem to be.

Roy Keane's commanding replacement has been found in the tireless Darren Fletcher, recognised among the premier midfield enforcers across Europe. Scholes continues to play as only he can, and Giggs keeps putting in good contributions.

In Michael Carrick and the ever-improving Tom Cleverley, United have two very different, yet very useful players who can easily slot into midfield as and when required.

Should Carrick regain his form, fitness, and most importantly, confidence, he has it in him to be one of the best passers of the football in England right now. A deft, intelligent player, Carrick, on song, is an amazing holding midfielder and an exceptional attacking one. For proof, look no further than United's 7-1 demolition of Roma at Old Trafford three seasons ago.

Cleverley is not put on the same page as Jack Wilshire (of Arsenal) in terms of outright talent, but then, he has never aspired to have a meteoric rise to greatness, unlike his slightly-egoistic counterpart (Wilshire has reportedly demanded to be played in the first team or be sent out on loan - shades of Mario Balotelli, maybe ?). But then, being named the Player of the Year for a club, while on loan, in an injury curtailed campaign, does point to greatness, doesn't it ?

Cleverley is similar to a young Scholes in his ability to play attacking midfield, with good vision for teammates as well as the confidence to make dribbling runs himself. His most useful point, however, is his goal-scoring ability, and its almost Lampard-esque in the way that the ball inevitably goes in when he takes a shot, whether directly, or off a deflection.

Both Carrick and Cleverley are, again, good counterparts to Nicky Butt and Jesper Blomqvist.

However, United fans who seemed to keenly feel the loss of first David Beckham and then Christiano Ronaldo, have been in for a pleasant surprise.

In Antonio Valencia and Nani, United have two wingers, who, on their day, are easily the best in Europe. In fact, Valencia's performance yesterday against Ashley Cole was perhaps the first time the Chelsea left back had been bested by a United winger, and by a fair margin. Not even Ronaldo had achieved that.

Valencia combines Ronaldo's speed with Beckham's ball delivery, as seen in the consistency of his crosses last season and even yesterday. His pace and acceleration are to be admired, his work ethic and team commitment to be lauded. Nani brings Ronaldo's acceleration and unqualified trickery to the table, along with an innate ability to score goals when on form.

Add Gabriel Obertan to the mix, and United are certainly well stocked to compare with the legendary duo of Beckham and Giggs.

The forward line cannot be compared directly, since among United's current four forwards, only Hernandez bears a direct comparison with Solskjaer, due to his innate ability to be a natural goal scorer. Yet, United's other three are not exactly lacking in any way to the triumvirate of Yorke, Cole, and Sheringham.

Rooney is a force of nature when truly unleashed, Owen retains his ability to score goals, and Berbatov is so enigmatic that he has yet to score a simple goal since joining United (his simplest tap-in till date has been an arrogant outside-of-the-boot-pass of the ball into the net).

Fans hoped for the Rooney-Berbatov combination to click in the same way as Yorke-Cole did, as a first choice pairing, yet, it never happened. However, on yesterday's evidence, it seems Hernandez has struck up an immediate understanding with Berbatov, and the two of them, given time together, can be as devastating a pairing as Yorke-Cole.

The Mexican's pace and movement compliments the speed of thought of the Bulgarian, giving Berbatov the attacking outlet his creative, yet laid-back style never could. Their combined ability is greater than the sum of its parts, and it can be immediately apocalyptic for a lot of opponents at the start of the season, as defences will look to gain match fitness. Those two are already spun up and ready to go.

Similarly, Owen and Rooney can be a good combination, even though both prefer to drop deep. However, Rooney's ability to pull opponents and Owen's intelligence of movements can create enough gaps in opposition backlines to be exploited. As both near match fitness and play together for longer, their understanding and chemistry will only broaden.

The question remains which pairing to deploy first ? Currently, Hernandez and Berbatov are match fit and raring to go. Their combination of pace and guile can help kill off opponents, still recovering from the off-season hangover, quite early in a game, primarily due to the fact that both seem to be having their shooting boots on. This would allow both to be substituted early in the second half to allow Rooney and Owen ample time to work together as well as regain match sharpness as the season progresses into the third or fourth week, the period which United traditionally start slowly.

As the season progresses, Rooney and Owen can start, and if nothing else, wear opponents down while scoring a few goals in the process. Then, the pacy Mexican and the tricky Bulgarian can come off the bench together and hunt down the tired opposition.

With United being match fit and suitably refreshed compared to the rest of the league 
(except Arsenal and maybe Liverpool), the Red Devils, barring unavoidable injury lay-offs and with an enviable strike force to call upon, can indeed bring the 4-4-2 back in vogue. With Anderson and Ferdinand poised to return in a month or two, the squad will only be strengthened, the only concern being the lack of a true midfield enforcer as a suitable replacement of Fletcher and an experienced attacking midfielder similar to a younger Scholes.

However, should Carrick and Cleverley play their roles to perfection this season in the 4-4-2, reinforcements won't really be imperative at Old Trafford this season, except of the trophy cabinet, which might be suitably weighed down come the end of the season.

As most people grudgingly acknowledge, you write off Manchester United only at your own peril, and with your own reputation at stake. The club just might reinvent the proverbial football wheel, after all.