Five Things Ryan Giggs Must Change In Manchester United

Manchester United’s interim manager Ryan Giggs is on the threshold of history. With the sacking of David Moyes earlier this week, it is expected that Giggs would make a number of changes to the way things were done at the club. Here are five things Giggs would need to overhaul:

1. Style of play

Moyes foisted on United a very defensive and weak attacking style of play.  Any close observer of United in the past would agree that we operated from the flanks and played an aggressively attacking football. As a matter of urgency, we need to return to our traditional style of play that has seen us win so many titles and trophies. And good enough, Giggs has been a part of it all and to me, is the best person to bring back what can be regarded as Manchester United’s traditional way of playing the beautiful game of football.

2. Bring back the champions mentality

"We don't see ourselves as underdogs. We see ourselves as Manchester United, playing at home in the Champions League." The words of Ryan Giggs in their first leg encounter with Bayern Munich at Old Trafford.

The interim coach should ingrain in the consciousness of the players a winning mentality. That drive that saw us come from behind on several occasions and win matches even when all hopes appeared to be lost. The never-say-die spirit. ‘It’s never over till United wins’. We’re still ‘the come back kings’. This season, when the opposing team are leading, they most often feel they are leading and going to win the match. This is was never the case in the past. We need to go back to create fears in the minds of the opposing players even when we are 2-0 down.

3. Be adaptable

Unlike his predecessor, Giggs should learn to be pliant. In his ten months reign at Old Trafford, Moyes showed very little signs of been adaptable. His much disliked training methods, his poorly managed disagreements with his players and his gaffes in public all give him away as someone that is not adaptable. This is one thing Giggs should by all means avoid.

4. Play himself a little more often

While I agree that Giggs is not the best solution to United midfield worries, but I feel strongly that the Welsh was grossly underutilized by Moyes. Fellaini has turned out to be a big flop and a huge fraud ( talking in football terms), Tom Cleverly’s performance is abysmally poor and Michael Carrick stretched thin, it becomes necessary to bring in experienced legs. And hey, why not Giggs himself?

5. Player management

Under David Moyes, it was quite rare to see United’s players were a happy, cheerful face. From Van Persie’s outbourst team-mates are "occupying the spaces I want", to the alleged complaint by two players of lack of playing time, there had been several cases of dissatisfaction and near disaffection.

This is one area Giggs must address and help to put smiles on the faces of everyone at Old Trafford.
As he starts his first match in charge as interim boss this weekend, we’ll be watching out. Let’s see if things would really change.