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The 2013/14 season will mark the start of a new era at Manchester United under the stewardship of David Moyes, after Sir Alex Ferguson called time on his illustrious 27 year reign at the helm at Old Trafford. It has been a renaissance period of summer at the home of the reigning Champions where further changes have taken place right across the first team coaches to the executive board.
These off the field changes have made United fans, who are wondering if this would result in few on the field changes as well, even more excited for the start of the new season. Not that a champion team would want many things to be changed, but a new manager is most likely to bring in a new ideology, which everyone is waiting to witness.
One thing, however, the new manager would not want to change at United is their relentless desire to win, and the same should be the driving force for them in the coming season again. With the new season now just a couple of weeks away, let’s have a look into what’s in store for United fans.
What went right last season which must be the foundation for coming one
Manchester United won the Premier League last season with four games to spare and a nine point difference from their nearest rival. The driving force behind that juggernaut was the motivation to exorcise the ghost of the season before, where they lost the league in the final second of the season.
The stupendous form of their marquee summer signing, Robin Van Persie, supported by the ever consistent Michael Carrick in the midfield, and the growing maturity of their young defenders and goalkeeper fueled that motivation and helped their cause of regaining the title.
The motivation, this season, should come from their new manager, who now has all the resources and the armor, to quench his thirst for a trophy after spending more than a decade in the top flight. Besides that, he needs to rotate his squad smartly to maintain the form and fitness of their key players mentioned above.
What went wrong last season that needs to be improved
Although, Manchester United won the league last season at a canter, but still, there were a number of flaws in their team play which needs resurrection. The most concerning of them all, as noticed by everyone, was their inconsistent midfield, where apart from Michael Carrick, no one really took their chance with enough consistency. There were occasions when non-midfielders like Rooney, Welbeck, Giggs and Jones had to play in the midfield in important matches, which was ably exploited by quality opposition.
Besides midfield, another disappointing aspect of United last season was their wing play. Nani, Valencia and Young – all failed to fulfill their potential and had a below par season.
The defense, too, had its problem last season, especially during the first half, where they were shipping goals for fun due to instability in the central defensive partnership.
What have they done to improve this season
It doesn’t require a mind of a genius to realize that first thing United need to work on this season is to plug that yawning gap in the midfield. David Moyes, too, seems to have identified it as his first priority by going public about his pursuit of Barcelona midfielder, Cesc Fabregas, with a club record bid.
However, the bid has been rejected, and it remains to be seen how this transfer saga finally pans out with still many days left for the transfer window to close, but in any case, arrival of a midfield player at Old Trafford seems imminent, with other players like Everton’s Fellaini also been linked.
Introduction of Wilfried Zaha, Jesse Lingard and Adnan Januzaj into the first team, as they have already displayed in pre-season tour, can be the answer to United’s dismal wing play last season. Their knocking on the door of the first team should also keep the current wingers, who took their place for granted last season, on their toes .
The defense, with with their talisman and captain, Vidic, back to full fitness at the start of the season, is also expected to improve considerably from last season.
Key Men
Van Persie – Another big season needed!
In Robin Van Persie and Michael Carrick, Manchester United have got two world class players who can make the difference again this season. David Moyes would be looking to build his side around these two players, and at the same time, focusing on how to maintain their form and fitness throughout the season, which is essential to United’s plan of winning silverware.
Another man who can have a real impact in the league for United this season is Wayne Rooney. They simply cannot afford to sell him to Chelsea, because, no matter if he had put in a transfer request or not, let’s just accept it, on his day, he is almost unplayable.
Those days were really few and far in between last season, but if you remember his performances against City away and Arsenal at home, and hope he can showcase those with consistency in the coming season, then you just cannot think of letting him go, let alone to your direct rival.
Players to look out for
Besides the star players like Van Persie, Carrick and Rooney, who are expected to have another successful campaign, all eyes must be on Shinji Kagawa, who, after showing glimpses of his talent in the injury-laden last season, is expected to showcase his real abilities this term. David Moyes has already spoken about how highly Sir Alex himself regarded the Japanese, and therefore, there is no doubting his talent.
The youngsters – Januzaj, Zaha and Lingard, who have already caught the eye of fans around the world during the pre-season tour, are also expected to have a big season ahead.
Key Aspect
Besides keeping hold of Wayne Rooney and maintaining the form and fitness of their key players, the major aspect for United’s title credentials this season is how David Moyes handles the responsibility of managing one of the biggest club in the world.
And, to make matters worse for him, the league has been harsh enough to grant United one of their toughest start to a league campaign, where they face Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool within first five matches of the season itself.
World media would act like vultures waiting to pounce on David Moyes, if United falter during their tough start. And, it is how he would handle situations like these during the course of the season that would determine United’s future.
Where would they like to finish
It’s an irrelevant question when you know that the team in question is Manchester United. There is no doubt that everyone associated with United, even after the stepping down of Sir Alex and the league getting even tougher, has only one prime target for the season – to retain the Premier League title.
Where will they actually finish
United have been fairly quiet in terms of their transfer activity as compared to their direct rivals like Manchester City and Chelsea, who have gone early this time and already got their targets, but there is still time for them to make a marquee signing for the season.
And, if they get a quality play-maker to add to an already formidable squad boasting of perfect blend of youth and experience, while keeping hold of Wayne Rooney, and maintaining the form and fitness of Robin Van Persie, there is no reason why United fans should not be looking at the start of another successful era under David Moyes.
Having said that, however, does not make their task straightforward. Beating Jose Mourinho’s rejuvenated Chelsea side, along with seeing off the challenge of their city neighbors, who themselves have been motivated by a new manager and some quality signings, would take a humongous effort on part of David Moyes’s men.
