Consistency is the basis of success particularly in football. When players play together they build understandings with each other and their jobs become easier as they almost kinetically know what team mates are going to do, you just have to look at partnerships like Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips, Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke or Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
Although it is not always possible to maintain this throughout a squad of 11 due to injury and fatigue certain pairings if maintained are essential, for example when United won the Premier League and Champions League in 2008, it was done with Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic at the heart of the defence for the majority of the season.
Yet when Manchester United played Leeds on the 3rd of January it was the 100th time on the trot that the team had been changed, having not kept the same starting 11 since the dying weeks on the 07-08 season. Now in that period it may not have been noticeable as United have remained succesful picking up League titles and cups along the way but recently this tweeking has become detrimental. Again I will note that injury has played a major part in Fergie's decision to chop and change but a fair amount of it has been down to Fergie himself amidst talk of him not knowing his best team as well as attempting to avoid end of season burnout.
And against Leeds especially it failed spectacularly as we were victims to a giant killing of epic proportions but there is a high point to be taken from it as our fixture list is now less congested than our main title rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.
The reduction in the fixture list as well as the returns to fitness of key players like Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans, Rio Ferdinand and possibly Owen Hargreaves in the past and coming weeks should see Fergie fielding his strongest team more consistently.
United are about to enter a tough patch of fixtures with a Carling Cup second leg against Man City, Arsenal, Aston Villa and AC Milan in the Champions League. Hopeully Fergie can and will put a team together during this spell of games that is cohesive enough to pick up the required wins that we need.