Fergie made a post Ronaldo plan, he damn well needs to stick to it.

IF Saturday's extremely fortuitous victory was any sort of reliable indicator then it seems Ferguson's post Ronaldo plans are in tatters, because for far too long against Arsenal the United manager persisted with just Wayne Rooney up front that was until the 85th minute when he belatedly sent on Dimitar Berbatov. It actually took the champions until the 92 minute to create their first genuine goal-scoring opportunity, only for the cruel bounce of the ball to make United's Bulgarian striker look a bit stupid as he fluffed his lines.

In the wake of Saturday's lucky victory Mike Phelan has said 'there's work to be done', we don't quite know what that means given the club have so far failed to take advantage of the opportunity to bring in reliable genuine proven quality where new signings are concerned this summer. Owen is injury prone and Valencia is very much unproven at the very highest level. One is left to assume that Fergie's assistant is referring to the current squad, but it's questionable if those tasked with taking the club forward post Ronaldo and Tevez are good enough to do the job.

Rival fans and pundits alike had claimed that if you took Ronaldo out then Ferguson's team would be very average and going off United's early season performances they are right.

Ferguson had promised that we would see United playing 'differently' this season, when quizzed what that actually meant the Scot said that Berbatov would play alongside Rooney up top. It was a simple solution to a not so simple problem and one that will continue to be questioned.

On Saturday, and no doubt fearing a midfield mauling by Wenger's young guns, Ferguson abandoned the idea of playing two strikers and instead he opted to flood the midfield. It was a decision that very nearly backfired spectacularly.

United's five man midfield didn't stop Arshavin from nearly bursting the rigging and but for mistakes by Almunia and Diaby which led to the visitors eventually gifting United the points the champions would have lost two games out of just four.

Playing Rooney on his own as the main striker is never going to work, not when the manager is relying on players like Valencia, Fletcher, Nani and Carrick to score goals. Clearly and despite fears that United's midfield isn't strong enough, the manager needs to stick to his initial plan of starting with two strikers - any other option is doomed to failure - that is unless United continue to be extremely lucky, but as everyone knows in football, good luck and the decisions, both good and bad tend to even themselves out over the season.

Fergie made a plan he needs to stick to it, if he doesn't and he continues to play Rooney as the lone striker, United's attacks will continue to break down and the ball will keep on coming back which will eventually lead to the midfield and defence being over-worked, and that in turn leads to mistakes.

The merits of Rooney and Berbatov partnership is another huge talking point, what is beyond doubt is the fact that neither one of them is capable of consistently providing the goal-scoring solution on their own and therefore two strikers playing together has to be better than just one.

On a weekend of good fortune there was however yet more good news to report, because United's next opponents have been rocked with the news that Modric has suffered a serious injury and he will miss the clash with the champions. Despite the loss of Modric, Spurs will still give United a thorough examination and there's no doubt that Fergie and his players will have to rise to the occasion which didn't really happen against Arsenal.

Arsenal gift wrap United points as champions get lucky....

Arsene Wenger will wake up this morning knowing that his team should have won at Old Trafford yesterday, the fact that they didn't was down to two poor errors of judgement by his goalkeeper and the burgeoning young French midfield star that is Diaby.

Arsenal hadn't lost a game this season prior to Saturday's 2-1 reverse, the Gunners have been in scintillating form, in contrast Ferguson's team have been struggling following the loss of Ronaldo and Tevez and in the wake of those big name departures the United manager stated that his team would have to play 'differently'.

The clash with Arsenal was the first big test of the season for both managers. As things turned out, despite the defeat and being sent-off, Wenger should be the more satisfied of the two managers, because without any shadow of doubt the Gunners' were by far the better of the two teams.

Going in this clash of the titans, Arsenal were without arguably their best player in Fabregas who is out injured. For his part, Ferguson was denied the services of his first-choice 'keeper and Rio Ferdinand. The team that Ferguson sent out to battle consisted of just one striker, Wayne Rooney. Ferguson is seemingly reverting back to his bad old tinkerman days when playing one striker, on this occasion against a team that is probably the best at retaining the ball, which raises many questions.

Had the United manager forgotten the champions were playing at home?

Was this his definition of playing differently?

Does Ferguson have any faith in Berbatov and Owen to play in the big games?

Will the United manager continue to play 4-5-1 at home in the toughest looking fixtures?

Does Ferguson have any faith in his midfield?

Are United's current midfield options so lacking that the manger feels he has to flood it every time we face title contenders?

Notwithstanding unanswered questions, it was a tactic that was doomed to failure given that Rooney is 5'8" and therefore totally unsuitable to playing the lone striker role. It was a tactic that was bound to gift possession back to the visitors and predictably it did, eventually. However, despite the handicap of playing with just one striker, United did manage to somehow have the greater share of possession in the opening period; this was largely down to sheer effort rather than class and use of the ball.

Ryan Giggs had been selected in preference to Anderson, but the Welshman's first -half performance was woeful, more or less every time he came into contact with the ball he either gifted it back to Arsenal or else he simply played it to no one in particular.

Nani wasn't much better on the left; it was noticeable that the Portuguese winger was given an earful on more than one occasion after taking the wrong option and losing the ball. New signing Valencia simply wasn't in the game and apart from one good cross to the back stick; Clichy kept the Ecuadorian in check.

United huffed, puffed and harried Arsenal, but much of the champions attacking play was disjointed. Despite edging the first half possession stats, it was United who went behind five minutes before the break when Arshavin escaped the attention of United's five-man midfield who invited the Russian to shoot and there's no one better from thirty yards. The resulting thunderbolt flew beyond the flailing arms of Ben Foster who perhaps should have done better, though nothing should be taken away from Arshavin's fine effort.

The opening goal rocked United and from that point on it looked like there'd only be one winner and it wasn't going to be the champions. The first-half came to a close and United hadn't managed to register a direct effort on Almunia's goal.

Those United fans expecting positive half-time changes would have been disappointed as Ferguson elected to retain his starting eleven for the second period; quite how Giggs hadn't been withdrawn was to say the least baffling.

The fact that Ferguson chose to retain the same system with the same players was damning, because the balance of this game had clearly swung the visitors’ way and something needed to be done by the United manager, but he did nothing.

Arsenal could easily have extended their lead early in the second-half, but they were denied by Ben Foster who redeemed his first-half error when saving Van Persie's effort who must have thought he'd scored from just six yards out.

Then against the odds and following a rare moment of inspiration from Ryan Giggs, the Welshman slotted an incisive pass through the heart of the Arsenal centre-backs, and United were rescued by Almunia who brought down Rooney inside the penalty area. Rooney was actually running away from the goal, even if he'd managed to control the ball there was an awful lot still to do, but thankfully the champions were given a get-out-of-jail-card with the award of a penalty which Rooney converted in style.

Despite drawing level, it was Arsenal who were still the dominant side. All too often United reverted to simply lumping the ball in the air from back to front in a vain attempt to find Wayne Rooney, inevitably the ball ended up back in the possession of the visitors'. The net result of Ferguson's hit and hope tactics was sadly predictable; at times it was like watching a lower division team play.

United had another narrow escape when only the woodwork denied Van Persie whose curling left foot drive looked to have beaten Foster all ends up, that effort came about following the award of a free-kick which been given after Diaby had been fouled by Evra.

Ferguson's tactics did not deserve anything from this game, but on 64 minutes and for the second time on what turned out to be United's day, the champions somehow escaped from jail again when a Giggs free-kick was inexplicably headed into his own net by Diaby.

Ferguson eventually made the belated decision to actually try to redress the balance of play; he replaced the ineffective Valencia with the equally ineffective Park, who contributed little of note.

Then on 85 minutes Ferguson finally brought on Berbatov in exchange for Giggs. United fans might well reflect that it actually took the champions until the 92 second minute before they created a genuine goal scoring opportunity, this came about when Arsenal were pressing for an equaliser and Nani played a superb ball to the feet of Berbatov, who surely would have scored but ironically on what turned out to be a day of extreme good fortune the ball bobbled unkindly and the Bulgarian totally miss hit his shot.

Arsenal had been by far the better side throughout the second period and they thought they'd equalised deep into added time through Van Persie, but his effort was ruled out for offside, which resulted in Arsene Wenger being sent to the stands.

In turned out to be a very strange day. Wenger had received his marching orders, which was quite amusing. United had won, but hadn’t deserved to, but nonetheless the performance of Ferguson and his team left many unanswered questions because on the evidence of this performance the champions look more or less totally devoid of ideas both on and off the pitch. It's doubtful United will be so lucky against Spurs and City.

Arsenal will provide ultimate test for 'new look' United ..

Later today United take on Arsenal in what will be an intriguing contest. The Gunners' recently sold Adebayor and Toure to big-spending neighbours Manchester City, but despite predictions of doom, Wenger's young team have so far confounded their many critics’.

In contrast to Arsenal and following the loss of Ronaldo and Tevez, the champions have looked short of ideas in front of goal. United's early season form has been mixed, last weekend they hammered Wigan when scoring five second-half goals, but prior to that they suffered one of the most embarrassing defeats in the last thirty years when losing one-nil to Burnley.

Many United fans are asking if the manager actually knows what his strongest team is and they have concerns about midfield amidst talk of dressing-room unrest, this follows on from a highly publicised 'spat' with Anderson. The Brazilian subsequently issued a statement saying he didn't want to leave following reports linking Anderson with a summer transfer. Ferguson has also denied those bust-up claims when describing them as "rubbish".

Michael Carrick has also fallen under the spotlight with reports linking him with a move; the former Spurs player was omitted from the squad that narrowly won against Birmingham and again for the trip to Wigan last weekend.

According to Ferguson, both Carrick and Anderson have been "rested" in the name of squad rotation. But the fans will be asking why on earth the manager feels the need to rest players after just three games...

Rotation issues aside, the manager's early season selection policy of chopping and changing adds weight to the theory that Ferguson doesn't know what his strongest team is. Fergie says he wants to give Darron Gibson as many games as possible, but despite this assertion his actions will only serve to inflame the speculation given expensive signings like Carrick and Anderson appear to have been axed in preference to a youngster.

Many pundits expect Ferguson to make at least one more signing, but you wonder if the champions could be about to off-load more big name players before the window closes. As ever a lot will depend on any offers the club receives; Anderson and Carrick are not officially up for sale so it will be interesting to see if either takes part in today's game.

Arsenal could be without Fabregas which could be a blessing; the Spaniard has been in superb form, but he's been given a 50/50 chance of playing at Old Trafford. No one is actually certain about the United line-up, as the manager could be about to spin his lottery selection wheel once more, but we know that Ferdinand and Van der Sarr are both injured and so they will miss-out.

United to slip up in Champions League Banana skin group?...

So then the Champions League draw proper has taken place, Arsenal have been drawn in a relatively easy looking group H. United face difficult looking away trips to Moscow, Wolfsburg and Besiktas. No doubting Fergie and the Glazer family were desperate to avoid being drawn against Real Madrid for very obvious reasons - at least the potential for great embarrassment for all concerned has for the time being been delayed.

Wolfsburg are the Bundesliga champions and United have struggled against German, Turkish and Russian opposition in the not too past and surely Ferguson will not need reminding that United failed to qualify for the knock-out phase after being drawn against very modest looking opposition in 2006 in a Group D that consisted of Benfica, Lille and Villarreal.

On paper United should progress into the first knockout round, but of course it's rarely as simple as that and with so many questions being asked about the forward-line and exactly who will score the goals this campaign, it won't be that surprising if the champions have a really tough time in the Group phase of the competition.

Barcelona along with Real Madrid will be the favourites to lift the trophy and it certainly looks as though La Liga has the two strongest teams in the competition following the big money moves this summer at the Santiago Bernabeu and the Camp Nou. This year's final is in Madrid and if either of the big two Spanish sides progress through to the final it could be a real cracker.

Ferguson set to gamble on 'The Glass Man’ in last chance saloon as duo exit talk surfaces...

If the rumours are true then it seems Carrick and Anderson could soon be looking for new clubs, because according to the media both players have been involved in spats with the manager following his decision to axe the pair of them.

Anderson was reportedly unhappy about being omitted from the United team that faced Chelsea in the Community Shield, while Carrick was dropped for the home game with Birmingham.

The fact that two players are reportedly questioning Fergie's decision-making isn’t anything new as it must happen all of the time, but in the past this sort of dispute has been kept behind closed doors, so the fans will be wondering to what extent the manager's authority has been questioned.

If Anderson and Carrick push their luck too much they will soon be editing their CVs in pursuit of work elsewhere because few have seriously questioned Ferguson's authority and survived. The last high-profile player to fall foul of the manager's rules was Ruud Van Nistelrooy and before him it was Roy Keane.

If it wasn't for the fact that United's midfield is short on numbers and top quality options we might have seen the back of the star duo this transfer window, but that scenario must be unlikely given Ferguson's current squad.

While talk of possible star exits rages on the rumours linking Arjen Robben with a late move to Old Trafford are gathering pace, but you do wonder why the champions have waited so long before making their move - if indeed the rumours are true - because last summer the club's dithering nearly allowed rivals Man City to sign Berbatov.

Reports claim a number of Premier League clubs are interested in signing the former Chelsea winger, Robben, who has been dubbed ‘The Glass Man’ by the Spanish press due to his consistent injury problems. The reported fee will be around £26m which is an awful lot given the player is surplus to requirements at Real Madrid his current club. United may well be playing another game of brinksmanship but the stakes are high and Ferguson could be gambling in the last chance saloon as far his chances of retaining the title go this season because from what we have seen so far it doesn't look like the champions have enough goal scoring power up front.

Six players that Ferguson could have signed...

United banjoed a low on confidence looking Wigan side at the weekend, the five-nil score-line didn't flatter the champions, but Ferguson will know his squad's title winning credentials will be tested to the limit in the next three fixtures with United set to face Arsenal (h), Spurs (a) and then Man City (h).

Last week's embarrassing defeat against Burnley coupled with the lack of high-profile summer signings has resulted in Chelsea becoming the bookmakers favourites to win the Premier League - no great surprise there given the West London club have retained their big star names.

It also looks like good news for those who have complained that the accepted top four English clubs have dominated the League too often, because Spurs and even Man City will have a big say on where the title ends up next May - it could turn out to be one of the most competitive seasons in the relatively short history of the Premier League.

So what about United's chances of retaining the title? There's no doubting the champions are nowhere near as potent up front following the loss of Ronaldo and many pundits say Ferguson has big problems in midfield, as exposed by Barcelona in the Champions League Final.

The consensus is that Fergie needs to sign at least two quality players, a midfield player and a striker; despite a shortage of stand-out candidates for both roles there are a number of players who the United manager could have tried to sign.

Emmanuel Adebayor - City paid £25m for the former Arsenal star and already it is looking like money well spent. Fergie even admitted Adebayor or his agent contacted United and was desperate to come to Old Trafford, yet the manager failed to take advantage of the situation.

Gareth Barry - The former Villa star can play either in the back-four or in central midfield; it's partly why Liverpool wanted him. Like Adebayor he looks to be an excellent signing and his defensive qualities are arguably exactly what is missing in Fergie's existing midfield options. Fletcher has the legs, but his distribution let's him down at times and Carrick's tackling is poor.

Fergie obviously cannot sign Adebayor and Barry now, it's too late for that, but whenever anyone says there's been a shortage of candidates let us not forget United didn't even try to sign those two...

Real Madrid have four players who would add something to United's attacking options. Arjen Robben, Royston Drenthe, Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder are all available for transfer, here again Ferguson has made no move for any of the players mentioned. You do wonder if United fear having their transfer trousers pulled down after demanding and according the club "receiving" £80m cash for Ronaldo.

Whatever the reason for Ferguson's failure to move for any of the Real Madrid players it remains to be seen if the United manager will live to regret not bringing in more quality this summer. It might well be the case that Fergie doesn't rate any of the players mentioned, but I for one find that extremely hard to believe.

Goals galore brings smiles back but Arsenal, Spurs and City will be the true test...

The smiles returned to the faces of the Manchester United players yesterday as the champions ran out five-nil winners over Wigan, it was a victory that was much needed following the midweek embarrassment at Turf Moor.

After failing to capitalise on several good goal-scoring opportunities in the previous two games and then squandering three excellent chances in the first-half yesterday the visting supporters in the DW Stadium were wondering if United would end up dropping more points against a Wigan team who looked short on confidence.

Robbie Blake scored in midweek and stunned the champions, but on this occasion it was the visitors who were creating their own problems with Gary Neville and Darren Fletcher guilty of making awful mistakes in the opening period. Neville criminally conceded possession in his own half - but for a brilliant save from Ben Foster the visitors could easily have gone into the break one down, which would have been a travesty given the chances Scholes, Rooney and Fletcher had squandered.

In truth at half-time surely no one could have predicted the second-half rout that was to follow. Wayne Rooney (56) scored with a majestic header to the relief of the travelling fans from Manchester and just two minutes later Berbatov opened his scoring account for the season. The Bulgarian's extremely well taken goal effectively killed-off Wigan who visibly wilted at that point; it also lifted the confidence of the United players.

It came as no surprise that Rooney (65) scored his second with a deflection before substitute Michael Owen (85) got on the score-sheet with a skillfully taken goal after good work by Nani. Deep into injury time Nani hammered the final nail into Wigan's coffin with an impressive free-kick from fully thirty yards as Kirkland was left rooted to his goal-line.

United's goals against Wigan were much needed, as was the win (obviously), but it's difficult put the result into any meaningful context for the remainder of the season because Wigan didn't play like a team in the second-period and if they carry playing like that they will be relegation material.

In the wake of the victory over Wigan everyone has been talking about the goals, but equally as important was the very timely return of Nemanja Vidic. The Serbian defender was immense, he barely put a foot wrong and fears that he might be rusty following a long lay-off were dispelled.

Next up United face Arsenal and that could be cracker, both teams are coming off the back of thumping wins and both are at their best when attacking.

After the home game with the Gunners, the champions have a really difficult looking away game against Spurs in North London. Tottenham are flying at present, so much so that some pundits are even talking about a top-four finish for Redknapp's team - whether this is another case of early season optimism time will tell. Then United face neighbours Manchester City at Old Trafford and after that fixture we will know a lot more about the title credentials of United, Arsenal, Spurs and moneybags City.

Ferguson set to spin lottery selection wheel again?

United take on Wigan tomorrow at the DW Stadium, a defeat will send the tabloids into overdrive because the champions surely cannot afford to lose two very winnable looking games on the bounce.

Earlier this week United were humbled by Premier League newcomers Burnley; it was arguably one of the most embarrassing results in Ferguson's reign as United manager.

Going into what will be another tricky away fixture, Ferguson has been rocked by the news that Rio Ferdinand will be out injured for up to four weeks. However, Nemaja Vidic is set to make his first appearance of the season - and the fans will be hoping the Serbian isn't being rushed back to soon having missed the whole of pre-season and having only trained for ten days.

The very fact that Vidic is being rushed back so soon smacks of a panic measure, but given Jonny Evans was withdrawn after 75 minutes at Turf Moor in midweek the manager may well claim he has no alternative.

It is hoped the return of Vidic will not backfire because United really do need to get back to winning ways, especially in the wake of the Burnley defeat, many supporters are asking why Fergie needed to make so many changes to the team that faced Birmingham at Old Trafford last Sunday, because United had only played one game.

The United manager has got away with chopping and changing his team over the last few seasons, largely because Cristiano Ronaldo was an ever-present and it was his goals that helped the champions secure six points from fixtures against many of the clubs outside of the top four last season.

The other big talking point concerns Michael Owen, the former Newcastle striker has so far failed to find his goal-scoring touch and it remains to be seen who will partner Wayne Rooney up front on Saturday. Some supporters would like to see Macheda given his chance because so far the young Italian has been completely ignored in preference to senior players who have so far failed to deliver.