Two wins in six Premier League games have
left anxious Manchester United fans wondering
if manager David Moyes is up to the job
although the man himself is refusing to push
the panic button.
The English champions have endured their
worst start to the season since 1989 and are in
the bottom half of the table in 12th with seven
points after back-to-back league defeats
against Manchester City and, more surprisingly,
West Bromwich Albion.
"I have been in situations very similar to this
at my old clubs Everton and also at Preston.
You get on and you do the right things," Moyes
told reporters before his side secured a
creditable 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk
in the Champions League on Wednesday.
"I haven't changed what I have done. I will
continue to do that. The results will come. I
have no doubt about that.
"It is always the thing at Manchester United -
everyone is interested in them. It is a talking
point for everybody throughout the world,"
added the Scot who has not been far from the
back pages of British newspapers since taking
over from Alex Ferguson.
With boos heard around Old Trafford at the
end of the West Brom defeat, United fans may
think they have got it bad but next up for
Moyes's men is a trip to bottom club
Sunderland, who sacked coach Paolo Di Canio
last month following a string of poor results.
Whatever the result on Saturday, Moyes is
unlikely to suffer the same fate any time soon,
according to former United defender Gary
Neville, now a pundit for Sky Sports.
"David Moyes will be given time over three or
four years to build a football club and learn
the ropes. It takes time and he'll be given
time, just as Arsenal have done with Arsene
Wenger," said Neville, who retired as a player
in 2011 after almost 20 years at the club.
"If you think about the early years of Sir Alex
Ferguson, he was allowed to develop into a
presence. In the first three or four years he
was at the club he was coming under intense
pressure.
"David Moyes, there's no doubt about it, is still
learning to come to terms with his squad and
getting to know his players and the culture of
the club," he added.
On Sunday, West Brom host league leaders
Arsenal, who have been rejuvenated since the
arrival of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid on
transfer deadline day.
Arsenal are unbeaten in 10 games in all
competitions and the Germany playmaker was
central to the Gunners' 2-0 win over Napoli in
the Champions League on Tuesday, scoring his
first goal for the club.
"He enjoys playing football, he enjoys playing
with his partners," said Wenger. "Of course he
has given everyone at the club a lift and belief,
and belief is a part of the success of football."
Liverpool, two points behind the leaders, host
struggling Crystal Palace on Saturday boosted
by last weekend's goalscoring return of striker
Luis Suarez against Sunderland after a 10-
match ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav
Ivanovic.
"He's just given us more confidence,"
teammate Lucas Leiva told the club website
(www.liverpoolfc.com).
"The squad that we had without him was a
good one, but with him back in it, we'll be
even better. He's one of the best in the world."
Seventh-placed Manchester City, who have yet
to win in the league away from home after
losing 3-2 at Aston Villa last time out, return
to the Etihad Stadium to face Everton on
Saturday.
City will be looking to rebound after suffering
a humbling 3-1 defeat at home to Bayern
Munich on Wednesday as last season's
Champions League winners handed out a
masterclass in possession football.
Chelsea travel to Norwich City on Sunday
without striker Fernando Torres, who was
already suspended for the match but limped
off with a knee injury during the 4-0 win over
Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League
midweek, and Tottenham Hotspur, in third,
take on London rivals West Ham United.
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