Glaring failures of Moyes

Five areas in which it has all gone wrong for Manchester United manager David Moyes:

No return on signings

Moyes invested £65-million (R1.16-billion) in midfielder Marouane Fellaini and manager Juan Mata but has been unable to get the best from either. Fellaini is too slow and one-dimensional, and Mata's seven games have generated nothing.

Predictable tactics

Under Moyes, United have become predictable. Midfielders stay behind the ball, which is usually then played to the flanks for the fullbacks to cross into the penalty area. Despite the talents of Mata, Wayne Rooney and Adnan Januzaj, hardly anything goes through the middle of the pitch.

Touchline body language

The manager rarely looks calm and composed on the touchline, and his agitated presence offers little but an expression of panic to his players.

Wrong to overlook Giggs

United lack composure on the ball, which makes it surprising that Ryan Giggs has now mustered just 81 minutes on the pitch in the last 10 weeks. Giggs may be 40, but his performances early this season showed little sign of ageing legs. Moyes needs to trust the Welshman just as Alex Ferguson did, especially in important games.

Corners

The tactic of refusing to leave a forward up-front when defending corners is bewildering. When the ball is cleared, two spare defenders have time to play it back into danger.