Manchester United Robin Van Persie Won’t Be Disciplined For Calling Out Teammates

Manchester United is having a dismal season, that is apparent, but when one of their biggest stars Robin Van Persie openly criticized his teammates calling them “inept” following the crushing 2-0 defeat at the hands of Olympiakos in the Champions League, it shows how deep the problems the club faces truly are.

The Dutch player went on a rant following yet another defeat for Old Trafford, which comes after weeks of sub par performances and the devastating loss to the Greek club that almost ended any hopes the club had of advancing.

The Sun quoted the former Arsenal striker as saying:

“We are lousy — in a lousy position in the league, out of the cups and this (the Champions League) looks a difficult one also.”

“We are very disappointed. It’s a tough season. Sometimes we play good but not always. And we are not lucky. That’s no excuse, though. We need to turn it around.”

The frustration is understandable as pressure from all side mounts for something, anything to happen to bring Manchester United a win.

Speaking particularly of the game against Olympiakos, who surprised Old Trafford with their fast paced play, Van Persie suggests his team did not keep up and create enough opportunities to score.

“We are able to play in a high tempo with massive power but in Greece it was all too slow.”

“Olympiakos didn’t create a lot either. The first goal was lucky, the second goal was a great one and for the rest of the game they didn’t have any good chances.”

Even after his harsh criticism of the Manchester United, Van Persie insists that manager David Moyes needs to be given more time to do his job and turn things around as the pressure mounts to let him go.

“He is new and needs time,” the 30-year-old added. “He’s working hard and so are we. It’s easy to point at the manager but that’s not who I am. We need to do it on the pitch.”

Van Persie also criticized teammates for “occupying spaces I want to play in” and making it difficult for him to come into those spaces at the same time.

“So that forces me to adjust my runs, based on the position of my fellow players. And unfortunately, they’re often playing in my zones. I think that’s a shame.”

During Manchester United’s latest defeat, the Dutch star wasn’t given many opportunities to score and missed probably the best chance Old Trafford had at the end of the game.

But despite hitting hard at his own team and questioning Moyes’ tactics, it is reported Van Persie will not be disciplined as Moyes is not willing to create more problems for himself by fining one of his stars.

This is just another indication of how deep the divide is at Manchester United right now, compared to when former boss Sir Alex Ferguson did not tolerate anyone criticizing the team or club.

[photo credit: Ronnie Macdonald via photopin cc]