Michael Carrick aside, this is one of the poorest Manchester United midfields I have ever seen. New signing Marouane Fellaini has thus far failed to replicate the form he enjoyed at Everton last season, where he was the club's top goalscorer, while Tom Cleverley has taken a giant step backwards. Once heralded as the future of both United, and England's midfield, there are very few who hold such optimism for the 24-year-old these days. With Paul Scholes gone and Ryan Giggs surely in his final season as a player, this is a United midfield that has been stripped down to the bones and one that is finding itself too ruthlessly exposed. Against Manchester City, United were swept away with consummate ease in the middle of the park, batted away like an annoying fly by the marauding Yaya Toure. And, creatively, there's no spark, with Moyes's men finding it increasingly difficult to unpick opposition's defences. Top of the table as things stand are Arsenal, boasting arguably the best Premier League midfielder in their ranks in Mesut Ozil. And that's the difference between the two sides right now.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
