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Manchester United earned their first victory of the 2022-23 Premier League season by beating Liverpool in rather convincing fashion on Monday (August 22). If that's a teaser of things to come, the Red Devils could be in for a very good season.
There were plenty of encouraging signs in their performance against Liverpool. More importantly, the Red Devils were ready to outrun and outfight their opponents. Their inability to do so in earlier games has been one of the major causes of their poor form in recent times.
Erik ten Hag will want his players to build on their performances against Liverpool as they travel to the St. Mary's to take on Southampton this weekend.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five reasons why Manchester United can easily finish in the top four this season.
#5 Chelsea and Liverpool are nowhere near their best
Chelsea and Liverpool have got off to ordinary starts to the new Premier League campaign. The Blues beat a haphazard Everton side by a slim 1-0 scoreline in the opening gameweek. They settled for a 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur the following weekend before being beaten 3-0 by Leeds United in their latest outing.
Meanwhile, Liverpool were held to draws by Fulham and Crystal Palace in their first two matches of the season. The Merseysiders then fell to a 2-1 loss to United at Old Trafford and now find themselves sitting 16th in the Premier League table.
The Merseysiders are navigating an injury crisis and a deficient midfield and unsettled defense could greatly curb their chances of success this season. The Blues have an aging core and manager Thomas Tuchel is still struggling to find the right combinations in attack and midfield.
This could really work out in Manchester United's favor as surprisingly, they look to be a more settled unit at this point with most of their players fit and raring to go.
#4 Midfield balanced with the additions of Casemiro and Eriksen
Manchester United went into this summer's transfer window desperate to bolster their midfield. Their midfield was often easily bypassed last term as the existing players fared poorly in defensive transitions. The fact that United did not have a proper replacement for Bruno Fernandes was also detrimental to their cause.
Having lost Paul Pogba on a free transfer this summer, United needed to sign a midfielder who was creative and efficient. As such, signing Christian Eriksen as a free agent was a solid move. Ten Hag also realized shortly after the season started that United needed steel and not silk at the base of midfield.
They immediately shifted their focus from Frenkie de Jong to Casemiro and managed to rope in the five-time Champions League winner. The midfield department, which has proven to be United's biggest weakness, looks quite sorted right now.
#3 Anthony Martial-Marcus Rashford-Jadon Sancho trio in attack
Anthony Martial was arguably United's best player in pre-season. The Frenchman fared poorly in the last two seasons but looked hungrier than ever in the lead up to the 2022-23 campaign.
Martial was at his best in the 2019-20 season, operating as a centre-forward who would drop deep, win the ball back and kickstart counter attacks. His absence due to a hamstring injury hurt United greatly in their first two Premier League matches of the season, as they lost to Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford.
Marcus Rashford has been nowhere near his best in recent times but there were sparks in his performance against Liverpool. Rashford and Martial have proven to be an incredible strike partnership in the past. United now have Jadon Sancho to assist them and he can be a world-class player when he turns it on.
All three are excellent dribblers and pack plenty of pace as well. The Manchester United frontline could be a force to be reckoned with and they will be a difficult proposition for any defense they come up against.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo as a backup striker
Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to stay at Manchester United after trying to engineer an exit from the club this summer. But he is unlikely to retain his status as an automatic starter in the team like he did under the previous coaches.
Ten Hag benched Ronaldo in the game against Liverpool and justified his decision by saying that he needed players who could press high against Jurgen Klopp's team. It's clear that Ten Hag is going to put the team first when it comes to selecting the starting XI.
It's also clear that Martial is a much better fit for the centre-forward's role than the legendary Portuguese forward. That's not a bad thing for the club, even though Ronaldo is unlikely to be pleased. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is likely to be Manchester United's backup striker this term.
Having the option of bringing on one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of the game when your team is facing adversity can be quite a difference maker.
#1 Manchester United have a very serious football coach in Erik ten Hag
It was clear from the way Manchester United responded against Liverpool after two humiliating losses that Ten Hag is not going to accept mediocrity from his players. As per reports, Ten Hag punished the players after their 4-0 loss to Brentford by asking them to do a 13.8 kilometer run.
Assuming part of the responsibility for the defeat, Ten Hag reportedly joined the players on the run. It shows us that the Dutch coach definitely knows a thing or two about leadership. He has proven his coaching credentials at Ajax and has already managed to tactically outclass Jurgen Klopp in his third game in charge.
The losses against Brighton and Brentford were a rude wake-up call. But Ten Hag made minor changes immediately. He stopped insisting on playing out from the back as that was simply not helping the side and was instead inviting pressure onto the players.
Ten Hag's signings Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia have added a lot of bite to the United defense. With Casemiro coming in, Ten Hag can focus on getting the most out of his creative players. Under the 52-year-old, the Manchester United team are certain to end up being a well-drilled unit at the very least.
