In Fergie's Shoes, Who Makes Manchester United's Starting XI?

The mood of United fans, usually a bullish bunch, had been economical to the point of depressing for the last month and a half. Which is really surprising, considering that the period coincided with the post-season of a famous "double."

What with the tiresome Ronaldo saga and no fresh signings, the European champions entered the current season far from buoyed by last season. On the contrary, a patched up Man Utd team struggled to amass four points from their first two outings, no frills included!

Worse was to follow at Monaco, as the champions of Europe tamely lost to Zenit St. Petersburg in the UEFA Super Cup.

All in all, humble beginnings for the defending champions—even as rivals for the throne Chelsea kick-started their season with aplomb.

Now, both Chelsea and Liverpool have dropped their first points over the third Premiership weekend and neither got the man they wanted by September 1st.

And to top it all, the Red Devils got the man they have been after for the last few seasons—Dimitar Berbatov.

A much appreciated break for two weeks, most of their players getting back to peak fitness in time for the "Battle at Anfield", a new assistant manager,and the Bulgarian prowler donning the No. 9 shirt—the picture certainly looks a lot rosier now for United fans.

So, with Berbatov in the frame and two huge matches to be played away from home in the coming weekends, what must Fergie do in terms of team composition and strategy?

Without a doubt the gaffer is the best man to make these decisions, but here is my take on this:

The easiest task while choosing a Man Utd XI is clearly picking the back five. Edwin Van der Sar's excellent form ensures that Ben Foster will have to wait a while to be first team material.

At left back, Patrice Evra starts as a very competent defender with excellent attacking attributes. The centre backs Rio Ferdinand And Nemanja Vidic are as much the cornerstones to United's triumphs as anyone else, and will be depended on to provide solid performances at both Anfield and Stamford Bridge.

Probably the only slightly contentious position here is that of the right back. But, Wes Brown is almost certain to get the nod here mainly owing to Gary Neville's lack of match fitness.

Now for the tougher positions. In tough away games like these, the midfield is where most matches are played—and won. So, I'll opt for a solid 4-3-2-1 formation which can yield itself to be a 4-5-1 or a 4-3-3 as the situation demands.

Also vital is the choice of men, as the combination becomes more important than the individuals as such. As a result, I choose to bench all three of Scholes, Giggs and Nani.

As my central midield anchor, I choose the versatile Michael Carrick. It's not a coincidence that United play better when he is playing. The watchdog Anderson is my left central midfielder, and the tidy Darren Fletcher tips Owen Hargreaves (even if fully fit) to play as a conventional right winger with good defensive attributes.

Playing in a two-man hole, with a lot of interchanging and switching, are going to be a fresh-again Wayne Rooney (remember he was rushed back from a viral infection) and the improved and forever bustling Carlos Tevez.

Upfront and playing as a lone striker (though he will take liberties with position too) will be the intelligent and classy Dimitar Berbatov. The thing about Berba is that he is not only a conventional poacher—his predatory instincts in the box notwithstanding—the Bulgarian can also set up a fair share of chances with his vision and instinct.

And if more options are needed in the form of a bench, then the reassuring presence of Scholes, the energy and flair of Nani, the composure of Giggsy (if fit) and the business-like clinicality of Hargreaves will definitely be a boost. At least, for starters.

Because, not far away is the return of the "slave" from Madeira, Cristiano Ronaldo, and also the Angolan striker, Manucho.

In all likelihood, come October, a full strength Manchester United squad will be in action and the Theatre of Dreams will be buzzing again.