The 2015-2016 season was a dull campaign for Manchester United with the FA Cup victory providing the lone bright spot. Another season of hope and expectations of a title fight ended in despair and Jose Mourinho replacing Louis van Gaal as manager. With a number of changes in personnel both on and off the pitch, United fans cannot wait for the season to begin as they wish for the club to succeed and return back to where they belong.
As the start of the season nears, we take a look at 5 reasons that make Manchester United title contenders for the upcoming season.
1) Jose Mourinho
The “Special One” took over the United hot seat this summer with a point to prove. After winning the league title with Chelsea in 2014-15, the team started last season in a disastrous fashion which left them very close to the relegation zone and led to Mourinho’s departure from the club.
This is added incentive to a man who has been a serial winner throughout his managerial career, winning leagues with FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid and won the highly coveted Champions League with Porto and Inter Milan. In fact, between 2003-2012, there was not even a single season where his team did not win a trophy.
One of the best tactical minds in the game, Mourinho’s winning mentality is the top attribute United need right now. His style of play may not be attractive always, his comments range from witty to controversial and his teams tend to disintegrate during their third seasons. But he can build a team that can fight for the title from the beginning and he has the experience of winning the EPL with Chelsea.
This, combined with his track record of being one of the world’s best managers makes Manchester United instant contenders for the title.
2) The Zlatan effect
If there is one sportsman who symbolises the great Muhammad Ali in both the talk and the walk, it is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. A truly unique player who has lit up every league he has played in through not just his insane footballing ability and words, but also because of the fact that he has won the league every year since the 2003-2004 season with Ajax till last season with Paris Saint-Germain, barring the 2011-2012 season with AC Milan. During this time, he played for Juventus, Inter Milan and Barcelona as well.
One of the best forwards of all time, he has scored over 350 goals in his career and is a player who can lead the line for the Red Devils while young strikers, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, grow and mature playing off the big Swede.
His winning attitude and dislike for mediocrity meshes well with that of Mourinho which is an important factor for achieving greatness. Also, he will provide the United team with a personality which can be contagious and inspire the team around to step up and perform. These aspects along with the ‘lucky charm’ factor could drive United to the title.
3) Summer signings
Manchester United’s unsuccessful attempts at building a team with the ability to fight for the title means, more money is being spent every summer since the past 3 seasons to achieve success. However, so far, the money spent on signings has not truly translated into results on the pitch. Yet again, this summer, big money has been splashed so far to strengthen the team with Mourinho being backed to the hilt by the club.
Eric Bailly was signed from Villarreal to strengthen the defence, Ibrahimovic joined on a free transfer to provide the winning mentality and then Henrikh Mkhitaryan was prised out from Borussia Dortmund to provide a creative spark to the side.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s failure to find a replacement for Paul Scholes is termed by many as the reason for a lot of United’s struggles. Ironically, the player whom United deemed surplus at that time is the player the Red Devils have been trying to sign the whole summer to finally fill that spot – Paul Pogba. Tipped to become the first ever €100 million player, it would be a huge statement of intent from the red half of Manchester if they land him. These signings automatically bring Manchester United into ‘the conversation’.
4) Squad Depth
A major requirement for a team to win the title is squad depth. Having players who can come off the bench to win matches is a valuable asset to the team. Further, the availability of a deep squad allows for the manager to rotate players so that players can remain fresh for European as well as domestic matches. United definitely need a good squad to compete in the Europa League apart from the EPL. And with the aforementioned signings, United have solid enough depth.
Sergio Romero is a decent backup for the outstanding David de Gea in goal. Eric Bailly adds steel to the defence. The presence of Michael Carrick provides experienced cover at midfield, with Morgan Schneiderlin, Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini, Bastian Schweinsteiger and possibly Paul Pogba make a strong central midfield.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata, Ashley Young, Jesse Lingard, Memphis Depay available to play in more advanced positions. Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford are the right combination of pace, age, experience, skill and versatility for a team to have. This squad combined with the managerial guile of Jose Mourinho gives United a genuine shot at the title.
5) United’s EPL record
Manchester United are the most successful club in the history of the English Premier League by a long mile. Ever since its inception in 1992, United have won the league a record 13 times out of the 24 times the title has been contested so far with Chelsea coming in second having won the PL 4 times. Further, Manchester United have never been outside the top 3 in the Premier League except the last 3 years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. This shows the utter domination of United in the EPL on one side, while highlighting the impact of Ferguson on the other.
The last 3 years have been unfamiliar territory for both the club and its fans as the struggles continue to get back to the top of the pedestal. The recent history of United means top players and managers are always going to prefer United but if the decline is not stopped soon, things can become difficult soon as was seen with Liverpool in the past two decades.
However, their EPL record coupled with the arrival of Jose Mourinho provides United with a huge chance this season and given their penchant for making remarkable comebacks, this season could become the one where they become serious contenders for the title again.
