English Premier League: Manchester United season review – A distant runner-up

Manchester United has surprised many with their performance this season. Second place finishes in the league and FA Cup makes them a distant runner-up.

Man United Season Review

Winning the first six games at the beginning of the season, Man United had fans on the edge until the pace was lost with Manchester City. Mourinho clearly established a winning mentality and rhythm within the players. There were some grey areas in the season for this relatively young side, as Mourinho tossed a few players around in the line-up, and struggled with some losses.

Through all the criticism and mixed attitudes towards tactics and signings, Mourinho pushed forward and instilled perseverance and hunger for victory. Manchester United’s 17/18 season was a building season to establish superiority and respect and also to work with talent within the club for future prosperity.

Best Match

For me, the best match and the most influential match the Red Devils participated in was the 3-2 Derby victory on April the seventh. This derby shocked Pep’s title-winning side when the Red Devils skipped three passed Ederson.

This game established motivation and most importantly, superiority over the rivals. It was crucial on how the rest of the fixtures would turn out for United. By using the same tactics executed against the title winners, Mourinho now has a cheat code on how to outplay his opponents.

Worst Match

The worst performance Manchester United participated in was their Champions League exit. Their 2-1 loss to Sevilla blew a hole in the players and staff. United had to work hard to pick themselves up from a sloppy midfield and shaky defending.

Any Champions League exit is rough for a team, but I believe that the real challenge was focussing on their upcoming fixtures especially with the derby in sight. Nonetheless, Mourinho did a great job in ensuring his squad didn’t crumble and won the next matches.

Most Influential Players

In my opinion, Romelu Lukaku really helped kick off a strong and steady beginning to the season. He scored a team-leading 27 goals in all competitions and has the potential to be a legend at Old Trafford. The connection and flow from midfield provided tons of creativity and combination play that encompassed as much attack and support.

Another couple of players that held the team together well was Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young in the back. With the two of them surging the flanks and covering in the back, they provided much-needed support and involvement needed to start counter-attacks.

The arrival of Alexis Sanchez brought a lot of excitement and anticipation for the newly improved Red Devil squad. Although some believe that this signing was a mistake and that Alexis did not perform to his standards, I still believe that he was another piece of United’s success. He executed transitions and combination play within midfield and linked well with Paul Pogba who also had his own struggles.

Worst Players

The problems start from the back. Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling, Matteo Darmian, and Victor Lindelof all failed to impress. Their roles were to control the back line and to provide support when necessary. This wasn’t successful as Darmian was overshadowed by powerful performances from Valencia and Young.

Rojo struggled with his duels and didn’t have many successful tackles. On set pieces, players were left unmarked and left in space. Transitions across field failed and United was sometimes boxed out and had no outlets. These are the problems Mourinho has to work with in the next season.

Next: Arsenal season review

What’s to come

The future for Manchester United seems bright. Mourinho has found his reins and will continue to drive his players into the right direction. The future lies on who stays and who goes. The transfer window will be a busy one again before Mourinho’s fourth season as Man United manager.