'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#2 Manchester United
Last season: Runners-up
Trending
Transfer activity:
Ins:
Fred (£52.4m)
Diogo Dalot (£19.5m)
Lee Grant (£1.5m)
Outs:
Michael Carrick, Daly Blind, Sam Johnstone, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson
Pre-season preparation games:
20th July, drew 1-1 against Club America.
22 July, drew 0-0 against San Jose Earthquakes
26th July, drew 1-1 against Milan, but went on to win 9-8 on penalties.
28th July, lost 4-1 to Liverpool
1st August, won 2-1 against Real Madrid
5th August, play Bayern Munich
Manchester United finished last season without winning a single trophy. Jose Mourinho got stick from a number of pundits, fans and United legends alike for his defensive brand of football.
They scored 68 league goals, the lowest by any of the top 6 teams in the Premier League. That was a slight upgrade on the tally they registered the season before when they found the back of the net a miserly 54 times.
Anthony Martial, who started the season in blistering form, fell off the rails, especially following the arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January this year.
The Portuguese tactician's tactics completely discombobulated many who couldn't understand why he wasn't unleashing his attacking army to bulldoze teams, especially at home. Martial, Marcus Rashford, Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan found themselves warming the substitutes' bench more often than not.
The Armenian was finally jettisoned to Arsenal in a deal that saw Sanchez move the opposite direction. Such an approach devoid the Red Devils of enough goals to win football matches.
Their top scorer, Romelu Lukaku, scored only 16 league goals, with Rashford and Jesse Lingard trailing him on 13 apiece. Considering that City scored 106, United's goals were clearly not enough to enable then genuinely challenge for the title.
In terms of the transfers, Mourinho moved fast to bring in Fred and Diogo Dalot before the World Cup, with Lee Grant coming in a little later. But the Portuguese is clearly not happy with his club's transfer dealings, telling the press how he submitted his 5-player shortlist weeks ago, but nothing was happening.
He, however, remains hopeful that he will be able to bring in at least one player before the start of the season.
United's pre-season has not been very good, drawing 3, losing 1 and winning 1 of the 5 games they've played to date, although their situation is also very similar to City's, with a majority of players still away on holiday.
Anthony Martial left to attend to his pregnant wife, albeit unceremoniously, with stories surrounding his possible departure emanating from his decreased minutes on the pitch that even denied him a place on the plane to Russia where his nation became world champions.
Mourinho surely needs to put his act together, build around Alexis Sanchez, who has looked lethal following his visa issues, to offer a better challenge for the title next season.
