Season Recap/Preview: Manchester United
Take a look at Manchester United’s season, what’s gone right, gone wrong and what can be improved?
The Background
2012-13.
That is the last season in which Manchester United were crowned Premier League champions. It is also the last time the Red Devils won a major trophy (Premier League, FA Cup, Capital One Cup, Champions League).
Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s last triumph, Manchester United have finished seventh under David Moyes and fourth under Louis van Gaal.
Aiming to rectify the trophy drought, Manchester United injected millions upon millions of pounds into refreshing the squad.
This summer saw Manchester United buy French defensive midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin from Southampton, promising Dutch winger Memphis Depay from PSV, German defensive midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and
Italian full back Matteo Darmian from Torino.
Despite the summer spending, very few pundits believed Manchester United were ready to mount a serious title challenge. Most viewed the title race as involving two or three teams — Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal — with United facing a fight for fourth place.
The Season
The Red Devils began their season with a home showdown against Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur. Louis van Gaal’s side left Old Trafford with three points — albeit because of a Kyle Walker own goal — but could count themselves fortunate to not drop points.
Manchester United had a get-right game on the road against Aston Villa, a rare Friday night fixture, which saw the Red Devils pick up a 1-0 victory thanks to an Adnan Januzaj shot which went in from a deflection.
Next up, Manchester United took on Club Brugge in the first leg of the Champions League and won 3-1 at Old Trafford. Memphis flashed his full potential during this one as he scored two goals to put United ahead at halftime after falling behind.
The Red Devil’s perfect start to the season was spoiled during a scoreless draw at Old Trafford against Newcastle,
though the game was a bit controversial. Wayne Rooney scored a goal early during the match, but was wrongly ruled offside.
Club Brugge took the brunt of Manchester United’s frustrations as they endured a 4-0 home defeat which saw Rooney break his duck to start the season.
Manchester United’s match against Swansea City would be their last before the end of the summer transfer window and it may have been an early turning point in their season.
The Red Devils played a good match — their best of the season to that point — but self-destructed during a five minute stretch which saw the Swans score twice to end Manchester United’s clean sheet streak and undefeated start to the season.
The Great Panic Buy
The supporters were not happy with Manchester United’s start to the season and wanted to see a forward added to the squad before the end of the transfer window.
Their wish was granted when Ed Woodward, van Gaal and co. decided to splash the cash on A.S. Monaco striker Anthony Martial, aged just 19 years.
Many labeled it a panic buy, and even those in France who believed in his immense potential thought the Red Devils paid too much for the raw, but athletic striker.
Then came the Liverpool match at Old Trafford.
Martial started on the bench as van Gaal did not want to rush his debut, feeling he needed time to acclimate to the Premier League.
The Red Devils held a 2-0 lead on their arch-rivals before Christian Benteke scored a sensational volley to pull one back for the Reds.
Enter Martial, who makes a brilliant run into the left wing space and makes a run at two Liverpool defenders before finishing his shot at the far post. Old Trafford went into pandemonium and United won the match 3-1.
Martial mania subsided for a few days when Manchester United dropped its first Champions League group stage
match away to PSV.
Luke Shaw’s broken leg, caused by a brutal Hector Moreno tackle, captured the headlines.
Martial brought the good feelings back, though, with a two goal performance during Manchester United’s 3-2 away victory against Southampton.
The Weird Part of the Season
There was a stretch of the season which saw an uptick in scoring during Manchester United’s matches, which started with their 3-2 victory against Southampton.
The Red Devils beat Ipswich Town 3-0 in their first Capital One Cup match before smashing Sunderland 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Manchester United got their Champions League campaign off of the ground with a 2-1 home victory against Wolfsburg.
The Red Devils endured a nightmare trip to Emirates Stadium as they were annihilated by Arsenal 3-0. It was the team’s worst performance of the season by a country mile.
The next match was a big one for van Gaal’s team. They faced an Everton side which had been a severe thorn in the side for the last several years and eviscerated them. United played one of their very best matches and responded well to their disappointing defeat against Arsenal.
Defense, Defense and More Defense
Manchester United fought for a 1-1 draw away against CSKA in the Champions League group stage. Martial was the man of the moment once again. His diving header during the later moments of the match made all the difference.The interesting bit about this game is that it would be the last goal the Red Devils would concede for one month.
The Manchester Derby presented United with a chance to make a statement against their noisy neighbors, but the Red Devils failed to break through Manchester City’s parked bus that match and it ended scoreless.
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A Derby to forget, for sure.
Manchester United were then stunned by Middlesbrough at Old Trafford, losing 3-1 on penalties after a scoreless match.
Crystal Palace then thoroughly outplayed Manchester United, but could not penetrate the seemingly impenetrable Manchester United defense in yet another scoreless draw.
United HAD to rebound with a win at home against CSKA and did so with their 1-0 win to get the season back on track.
The Red Devils welcomed West Brom to Old Trafford next and managed a 2-0 win. Then, this past weekend, they defeated Watford with a 90th minute winner which hearkened back to the Fergie days when there was always a sense that Manchester United would grab the late goal to win or tie a match when they needed it the most.
What’s Next?
Who would have guessed that this weekend’s fixture between Leicester City and Manchester United would be a meeting between the top two sides in the Premier League?
Manchester United’s greatest strength this season has been their ability to limit opposition chances and convert their own chances at a high rate.
If they want to win the Premier League then this will have to continue.
According to whoscored.com, eight Manchester United players are averaging a match rating of 7.0 or above in Premier League matches this season. Only two of them are attackers: Juan Mata (7.00) and Martial (7.51).
The rest of the players above a 7.0 match rating this season are Chris Smalling (7.37), Luke Shaw (7.36), Morgan Schneiderlin (7.21), Marcos Rojo (7.15), Daley Blind (7.12) and Phil Jones (7.12).
Among those players only Smalling and Jones were with the Red Devils while Ferguson was still managing, Mata was brought in by Moyes and the rest were all acquired since van Gaal became the manager.
Say what you will about the style of play, but it has Manchester United leading their Champions League group and second in the Premier League with a chance to take over sole possession of first place this Saturday.
Also, the Red Devils have conceded just nine Premier League goals this season through 13 matches — the best record in the league.
As long as that continues then Manchester United has a chance to win the league.
Rest of Season Prediction:
Manchester United are legitimate title contenders boasting the league’s best defense in front of the league’s best goalkeeper.
Featuring an opportunistic attack which keeps possession of the ball at a great clip, thus reducing opposition chances, this is a recipe for a potential title return to Old Trafford.
Call me crazy, but I think that Watford goal was huge. It is going to give this young Manchester United side the confidence and belief that they can win the title.
With Manchester City showing chinks in the armor after a devastating home loss to Liverpool, and Arsenal losing Francis Coquelin, their only young and mobile defensive midfielder, I think the opportunity is there for United to win the title.
My prediction is that the title comes back to the red half of Manchester.