WHEN TEVEZ first arrived at Old Trafford from West Ham (or whoever actually owns his Argentinean legs) he exploded onto the scene, proving that he and Rooney had the intuition to link up effectively – Tevez ended his first season with a respectable nineteen goals in all competitions. Fast forward to this season and United had claimed the capture of long-term target Dimitar Berbatov. Many fans are still itching to find out if Ferguson can bring together possibly the most hell-raising four-pronged attack in Europe: Rooney, Ronaldo, Berbatov and Tevez. Only a fleeting moment against Blackburn saw all four players on the field at the same time.
So far this season, Ferguson has predominantly favoured a 4-4-2 formation, with Rooney dropping in behind Berbatov. The pair have now notched ten goals in eight appearances - in this form, it is no surprise that Tevez’s chances of breaking the partnership are modest at most. Last season, Ferguson regularly used a 4-3-3 formation, with the three front players – Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez – freely interchanging positions. With the introduction of Berbatov, Ferguson has preferred to play with a central target man. The Bulgarian striker is capable of holding a disciplined, if at times lethargic-looking, position in the centre, allowing him the time and space to stroke the ball in his exquisite manner to runners in behind him. Such crucial link-up play in the hole between midfield and forwards has been missing in the United team since the days of Van Nistelrooy (despite the efforts of Louis Saha and Henrik Larson). Last season, United relied heavily on Ronaldo to score goals, but Ferguson cannot ride on Cristiano’s coattails alone. Berbatov’s movement drags defenders out of position and allows players – especially, Rooney – to make forward runs into the space that has been created. It has become apparent that Rooney benefits hugely from playing with a target man. In his first season, alongside Ruud – a similar player in a lot of respects to Berbatov – he profited from the Dutchman’s disciplined positioning in the centre, and netted nineteen goals. Rather than Rooney constantly dropping deep to collect the ball, he now plays further forward, knowing that Berbatov is around to act as a link with the midfielders – only when legs begin to tire in the second half of games has Rooney happened to drop deeper, Berbatov still lurking in that central hole.
Ferguson’s tactics are very exciting for United’s attacking prowess and equally as daunting for their opposition. The problem for Tevez is that Rooney has arguably hit his most consistent and lethal form since the 06/07 season, hence it would be impractical to separate him from Berbatov. Naturally, Tevez may feel like an afterthought in Ferguson’s mind, but there is one position that remains unclaimed on the United team sheet – the left wing. Tevez’s energetic and go-get-the-ball style of play has moulded him into a powerful attacker. Along with his sharp vision and ability to cross, Tevez might also suit a position on the left. He is the type of attacker to come deep to collect the ball and he is more than capable of hustling players out of possession. At this point, it would seem that for Tevez to play on a regular basis in the current United team he needs to make the left wing position his own. Recently, when asked how he has dealt with the fierce competition for places, he responded modestly: “I copied Rooney’s movement”. Let’s not forget, Ferguson took Rooney from Everton as a hugely talented but unperfected striker. He nurtured the boy-wonder and within two seasons Rooney’s overall play had improved to such a level that he could play effectively anywhere in attack, often starting games on the left wing – as he has also done in an England shirt. The question remains whether Tevez can make a similar transition as Rooney has, adapting his game so that he has the awareness and discipline to play on the left of a midfield four. If Tevez can remain loyal to Ferguson and establish that he, like Rooney, is prepared to play in any position for the benefit of the team, then perhaps he can slot in on the left, Ronaldo on the right, and Rooney and Berbatov up front. Failing this, Tevez could prove to be the new Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – and what a prospect that could be.
