 Complete the following phrase:  Several players were sent away for surgery in this period, a minor gamble Ferguson took in the hope they would return energised. Defeats, such as the one to Manchester City at Maine Road in November 2002, forced United to change their playing style. The team moved the ball forward more and quicker rather than concentrating on possession ratios, and the coaching staff tried accommodating Diego Forlán with Ruud van Nistelrooy, before settling with Paul Scholes. Uniteds league form improved as the season went on despite defeat by Liverpool in the 