Ferguson in a difficult period

PREMIER LEAGUE:MANCHESTER UNITED'S defeat at Stamford Bridge was not a great surprise. It is the effectiveness of Alex Ferguson's side in this campaign that ought really to take us aback.

They remain leaders of the Premier League, even if there is now rough terrain to be covered, with trips ahead to Anfield on Sunday and the Emirates in May. There might easily have been a satisfactory draw with Chelsea.

The penalty that cost United the game did not seem justified since it was difficult to discern a foul when the contact between Chris Smalling and Yuri Zhirkov verged on the unavoidable. Any blame that attaches to the centre half lay in his decision, a moment before, to try to take a touch on the ball instead of clearing it. This defender has still had an outstanding debut campaign with United.

He and others may have been overachieving until now. The quality of the results has seldom been questioned even while the standard of the side is doubted. For all the acclaim Ferguson has received, there is still a delay in recognising how adroit he has been in a time of restricted options. He must take more care of the use he makes of veterans who have to be nursed through the campaign.

Scholes and Ryan Giggs last started a Premier League away match together at Bolton in September. Injuries have been a factor, but that too reflects the vulnerability of age. Ferguson’s deployment of his assets continues to be a tour de force. There was no prospect there would be signings in January to compare with Chelsea’s of Fernando Torres and David Luiz.

That expenditure reflected Chelsea’s needs as much as their funds. Roman Abramovich’s club are still in an intense struggle to ensure Champions League football next season. The immediate outlook is rosier for United and Arsenal, beaten five times in 27 league fixtures, are not the most indefatigable of rivals to Ferguson’s team.

Any strain on the Scot lies in the need to reshape his side for the long term.

A player such as Dimitar Berbatov was the subject of rightful acclaim not so long ago, but that approval is receding a little. He is without a goal since January 25th. While Ferguson’s assessment of the Chelsea defence would have been a notable factor, the preference to start with Javier Hernandez at Stamford Bridge should remind Berbatov he has not convinced the manager of his reliability as a spearhead for the attack.

It takes constant readjustment for Ferguson to nudge the side through the programme. Rafael da Silva lost his place following the defeat at Wolves in the middle of last month and the right back post was taken by John O’Shea, a more stolid type who will not be exuberant on the overlap. Managerial finesse conceals the truth that Ferguson is in a difficult period.

Since the 2009 Champions League final, Ferguson does not appear to have had the funds for radical updating of the squad. Of the 14 men used in that 2-0 defeat to Barcelona, only two have left. They, however, were Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo. There has been no attempt to make acquisitions of that calibre and cost.

Nothing has gone gravely wrong for United yet. Indeed, they had not won at Stamford Bridge since 2002. The main thought really should be of the impact Ferguson might have with a budget even a little closer to that of City or to the one that Abramovich seems to be authorising once more.