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United's early season form has been forgettable to say the least. After losing against the likes of Brighton and West Ham, United seemed to be on the road to recovery with key results against Chelsea and Juventus. However, a huge loss against City and a drab draw against Crystal Palace has seen United lose all its momentum.
The first couple of months of this season were the worst for United since 1989. The results were worse on goal difference than the results David Moyes' team provided back in the 2013-14 Premier League season.
Few would have thought that United would be in such a predicament, and fewer yet would have believed that it would be Jose Mourinho, The Special One, at the helm when this does happen.
Currently trying to hang on to the top half of the table, is Manchester United's season as doomed as the one they had under Moyes? Here we look at key similarities between the 2013-14 Manchester United season and the current season.
#4 Shaky start followed by a string of semi-confident results
David Moyes started his campaign positively against Swansea, with a 4-1 win which was followed by a rather abysmal set of results. At the end of September, with 3 losses and 1 draw out of 6 matches, United were 12th place on the Premier League table.
In comparison, Mourinho's United were 10th at the end of September, also with 3 losses and 1 draw out of 7 matches.
While a slight surge in form was seen this season, with 4 wins and a draw away at Stamford Bridge, the same was seen in the 2013-14 season. In both seasons, during the start of December, United were 8th on the Premier League table.
In terms of Europe, Moyes was successful enough to take The Red Devils to the quarterfinals in the Champions League. While the result cannot be considered bad, it was not a domineering performance. It has been similar this season, as United did win away at Juventus, but not in a commanding fashion.
#3 News of issues between players and manager
When David Moyes took the helm at United, he was already having issues with key players. Wayne Rooney, the main man at the time, had reportedly asked the club for a transfer.
With Moyes changing the playing style, he preferred Robin Van Persie to play upfront and made comments on playing Rooney as a second fiddle to the Dutchman. A lot of Moyes' strength was diverted to making Rooney stay. Van Persie himself was not satisfied, as he had joined just a season earlier to play under Sir Alex.
Mourinho reportedly faced similar issues with Paul Pogba - arguably the main man at United this season. There have been reports and videos of issues between the United coach and Pogba.
Both coaches had issues with youngsters. Moyes had discipline issues with Zaha, not playing him, although the player did impress in a couple of fixtures.
Mourinho has had more drawn out issues with the likes of Martial and Shaw. Although both players have seen a recent surge in form, the public comments continue from Mourinho, and the jury is still out on where they fit in the long term United puzzle.
#2 Toothless attack
United's top three goal scoring forwards in the 2013-14 season remained Van Persie, Rooney, and Chicharito. While Moyes played a lot less attacking style as compared to Sir Alex (Sir Alex drew his last match 5-5 against West Ham), he also suffered from an apparent loss of form from key players.
Van Persie had scored 26 goals just a season ago, almost handing United the Premier League all on his own. He could only come up with 12 in the 2013-14 season. Chicharito was almost never played by Moyes, and he scored only 4 (as compared to 10). Rooney came up with the most goals (17), forcing Moyes to play him as the main striker.
Mourinho's team is faring no better. Having dropped Sanchez and Lukaku (both have had 30 goal seasons previously) at different times this season, he has found refuge in Martial who he has now started playing more regularly, and sometimes also as a central striker.
#1 Shaky defense
In 2013-14, after Sir Alex retired, the United squad was aging. Although United were defending champions, change in coaching, playing style, along with a defense which had three players above 30, led to various fitness issues, and Moyes could seldom keep a stable back four.
In the end, Vidic, Ferdinand, and Evra soon left. Even among the back-ups, Jonny Evans left soon after. United clearly were not stable at the back. De Gea rose to prominence around this time.
Little has changed in the years that have gone by. Van Gaal tried to bring the best out of Chris Smalling, but United could never get a great defensive pairing. Luke Shaw was seen as a very positive signing, but he is yet to stamp his authority outright.
Mourinho signed Bailly and Lindelof, which led supporters to believe that he might finally have the answers to United's troubles. Bailly has recently lost the support of Jose, and Lindelof is still struggling. Chris Smalling somehow always finds himself in the team, and Young is still a preferred full back.
United have conceded more goals and scored less this season. This is a worse situation as compared to what United faced in the 2013-14 season, as The Red Devils conceded 43 goals in 38 games in the league.
Mourinho may still do better than Moyes' 2013-14 season, but the similarities are chilling for a United fan. Many believed that United may have turned a corner last season with the team finishing second.
Before the City match, supporters were still positive, but the recent form was stopped by the local rivals and defending champions who are one of the three unbeaten teams in the Premier League. The draw against Crystal Palace would hurt more. United were 7 points away from the top 4, and the gap is only widening with each match week.
Arguably, Mourinho is also dealing with tougher opponents as compared to Moyes. The top 4 has been changed to top 6, and United will have to pull up their socks if they are to compete this season for anything worthwhile. Given the current form, it would not be a surprise if Manchester United end this season in a worse position as compared to their 2013-14 season.
