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Manchester United stutter as Fergie’s gamble falls flat

FERGUSON MAKES TEN CHANGES BEFORE SEEING UNITED HELD TO GOALLESS DRAW WITH RANGERS

Manchester United were tonight held by a well drilled Rangers outfit in a game that produced little to get excited about. Alex Ferguson, made no less than ten changes to the side that drew at Everton on Saturday. After the performance the English outfit displayed there will be many arguing that Ferguson got it wrong.

Darren Fletcher was the only player that survived Fergie’s somewhat surprising squad rotation. From the outset Rangers made it clear they had little or no intent of scoring in a game that meandered to a drab goalless draw. Darren Gibson fired in a number of long range efforts, some from well outside the box, which rarely tested McGregor’s goal. These aside, the game lacked any clear cut chances and Rangers battled through to a deserved, if not memorable point.

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (R) challenges Rangers' Steven Naismith (L) during their Champions League Group C soccer match at Old Trafford in Manchester, northern England, September 14, 2010.   REUTERS/Darren Staples (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT SOCCER ENTERTAINMENT)

The efforts of the boys in Blue clearly frustrated United, whose fans will no doubt criticise the tactics of Rangers for parking a proverbial bus in front of their goal. However the same fans may also bring into question their usually reliable and trustworthy manager. Sir Alex Ferguson’s decision to make ten changes from the previous starting eleven proved a bad one.

Boasting youth and pace through choices such as Fabio, Hernandez and Gibson, he would have expected his side of the future to overcome a comparably poorer opposition in the form of Rangers. However, with no clear chances created in 96 minutes of football such decisions are sure to leave Ferguson vulnerable to criticism. Seeing his side leak two injury-time goals on Saturday and then fall flat tonight will no doubt anger him more than his passionate supporters. Wayne Rooney played the whole game but looked lacklustre when on the ball, with his flicks and short passes often missing their intended targets. With his omission from the squad that faced his former side Everton and an off-colour display here it is clear allegations about his life off the pitch are affecting his play. It remains to be seen how quickly he can shake off the allegations, but they are an obvious concern for his manager and fellow players.

Manchester United will know that although they only drew tonight, a point is a point. They travel to Valencia next and it’s very likely he will sport his strongest eleven in order to assure his side qualify for the next stage of the competition; a standard he and the board have viewed as compulsory in years gone by. Rangers will take great confidence from such a result, but Smith and McCoist will know a much greater effort needs to be made to qualify for the Europa league spot, let alone finishing as one of the top two sides.

The game was overshadowed by a nasty injury to United’s winger Antonio Valencia. Kirk Broadfoot put in what seemed an innocuous challenge on the midfielder, followed by a look of anguish from Valencia and shock and sympathy from Broadfoot. Stretched off after the interval with a suspected broken ankle, Valencia is likely to spend at least a month on the sidelines, summarising a night of frustration and tactical woe for Ferguson and United.

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