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It may seem a bit bold or few a bit cocky to suggest so early on in the summer that Manchester United will be strong contenders for the Premier League crown come May next year. Many would feel there is no way United would be challenging the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal or even Liverpool for the title next season and I am just being biased as a Manchester United fan, but there is a reason behind it.
At Manchester United’s end of season awards in May, Louis van Gaal did that crazy but oddly rousing speech. A lot of the Dutchman’s comments were about how good the support of the fans was in his first season at Old Trafford, promising them that he and the club would be doing their utmost best next season and of course praising the wonderful woman who played the saxophone.
But there was one thing that stood out the most and that was when he claimed “we are very close” when talking about winning the Premier League title. He noted that the defeat away at Chelsea as the turning point in the last few weeks where the Blues won the title, stating:
“When we win that game count the numbers of points we could have won because after that we lost three games in a row. But when you see that we have 13 points and Chelsea have 83 points and we could have been champions.”
Good record against big clubs
Whilst that statement does hide some of the poor performances and failings of last season, but a closer look does reveal that Van Gaal was right and they aren’t too far away. If you have a look at their record or the results against the top six of last season then it is pretty impressive.
They won five (Liverpool (3-0 & 1-2), Arsenal (1-2), Spurs (3-0), City (4-2), drew three (Chelsea, Arsenal (both 1-1), Spurs (0-0)) and lost only twice (Chelsea, City (both 1-0), which is a major improvement from the previous season under David Moyes, when they were able to win just one (1-0 Arsenal) in ten attempts. What they failed to do last season is scoring goals and winning games against the smaller teams.
This doesn’t prove at all that they will be right there at the top challenging for the title but only shows that there has been a massive improvement over the last twelve months and with the right signings this summer they could quite easily close the gap on Chelsea.
Not just the signings, but also the return to form of record signing Angel Di Maria will be the key and make a huge difference next season alongside new recruit Memphis Depay, who had an excellent season in the Eredivisie scoring 22 goals in 30 league appearances and was named as the Player of the Year.
It is rightly said ‘attack wins you games, defence wins you titles’, as a discipline, reliable and solid defence is one of the most important elements of a title winning side and despite receiving a lot of criticism last season, United’s defence was pretty good.
It wasn’t as impressive as Chelsea’s who conceded just 32 goals in the league compared to Manchester United’s 37 goals, but it wasn’t far behind and in fact was the fourth best in the league ahead of Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
It is fair to say that Jose Mourinho’s side had a far more settled defence with captain John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta playing most of the matches. While, on the other hand, United’s defence was regularly troubled by injuries and was more of a makeshift back four, with wingers like Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young playing lots of games as wing backs or as full backs and that didn’t help in keeping those important clean sheets.
The coming and going of players
Buying new players in this area is key for Manchester United, and it does look quite likely that David De Gea will leave for Real Madrid this summer as the Spanish giants look to replace veteran keeper Iker Casillas.
Losing De Gea will be a huge loss for United as he single-handedly won them around 18 points last season with his world class saves and so it could be an area Van Gaal may look to fill, but it remains to be seen if Victor Valdes will become United’s new number one or will they dip into the market and sign someone like Hugo Lloris, who has been linked with a €25million move from Tottenham (as per Daily Star), or Ajax’s and Netherlands’ number one Jasper Cillissen. For me the task for the United boss is not to find another De Gea, it is to make sure that whoever is in goal next season is protected by a defence worthy of the name.
Two areas in United’s defence that Van Gaal needs to strengthen are centre back and right back. If it were not for De Gea, United would be facing another campaign without Champions League football and so bolstering the heart of the defence is very important this summer.
Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have shown promising signs of forming a solid partnership but haven’t stayed fit enough to keep a partnership, Marcos Rojo has been impressive in his first season at Old Trafford but only in patches.
Jonny Evans has spent most of the season out with injuries or suspended for spitting, while youngsters Paddy McNair and Tyler Blackett have been good when called upon but are far from the finished article. What United needs is experience at the back and a leader who would organise the defence.
Mats Hummels has been linked with a move for a while now but it remains unclear whether he will stay at Borussia Dortmund or leave, and it keeps on changing every week. Nicolas Otamendi has had a phenomenal season in Spain with Valencia, helping them secure Champions League football and according to some reports, the Argentina international wants to leave with Old Trafford being one of the possible destinations.
Sergio Ramos has also been linked in past couple of days with the Spaniard reportedly unhappy at Real Madrid for various reasons and would be a massive signing for the club if it happened, or maybe he is just using the interest from United to get a new lucrative deal at the Bernabeu.
However, any one of these could well be playing for the Red Devils next season, and should they settle in the Premier League quickly, then they could be formidable signings. Another really troublesome area for Manchester United in their defence is at right back.
Rafael continues to frustrate with his performances on the pitch and with his injury problems off it, while Valencia has done well enough in that position but makes too many individual mistakes to be a credible long-term option.
Dani Alves looked set to be on his way to the Premier League but elected to sign a new contract with Barcelona after their historic treble win – much to United’s disappointment. Matteo Darmain, who was Serie A’s right-back of year, has been linked with a move to Europe’s top clubs and would be a fine addition to any side, while Seamus Coleman would not represent a star signing yet he has been one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League for several years now.
Nathaniel Clyne would be a costly addition but the England international has expressed his desire to play at the highest level and has proven Premier League quality, however Liverpool seem to be the favourites to sign him after agreeing a £12.5million deal with Southampton.
AS Monaco’s Fabinho, who had a brilliant season in Ligue 1 this year, is another one to be liked and if reports in France are to be believed then United are preparing a €14million bid for the Brazilian international. Finally, there have been plenty of rumours about Gregory van der Wiel with the Dutch full-back having fallen out of favour at Paris Saint-Germain and Van Gaal is thought to be keen to sign his compatriot for a cut-price deal.
Any one of the above five would surely be an upgrade over the two right backs United have got, and would strengthen one of the weakest areas in the team.
Other areas that need strengthening
Two other key areas that United need to strengthen to take them to the next level is defensive midfield and up front. Whilst Michael Carrick did superbly well just in front of the back four last season, the 33-year-old England international was for too injury prone and can’t be relied on for the whole campaign to stay injury free.
Ander Herrera was played there in his absence and did well, but it is not his specialty, Wayne Rooney was also deployed there but didn’t have much effect on the game and it is not his favoured position, while with Daley Blind in that role the team looked a bit cautious or defensive and lacked that creativity from midfield.
United need is a quality midfielder in that role who could stop the opposition attacks and create chances for his side. A move to bring Paul Pogba back home was the priority this summer but with him likely to join either Manchester City or Barcelona, the club has started pursuing different targets.
Ilkay Gundogan has been linked with a move for some time now but with just one year left on his contract it’s unclear whether the German international will sign a new deal and stay at Dortmund or move away for a new beginning.
Bastian Schweinsteiger also has one year left on his contract at the Allianz Arena but is said to be tempted with a move to Old Trafford and various reports claim that a £7.5million deal is on the cards. Van Gaal has worked with the German international during his time in charge of Bayern Munich and the player has often spoken of the influence the Dutchman has had on his career.
However, Morgan Schneiderlin looks the most likely arrival. The French international said on Wednesday that he hoped his future would be resolved by next week, when Southampton return for pre-season training, and according to many reports, United are in pole position and closing in on the £24million capture of the midfielder. Either one of the above or even Roma’s Radja Nainggolan will be a major signing for the club and make a real difference to United’s midfield.
Solving the striker’s conundrum
Up front, Robin van Persie could well leave for pastures new after having his least prolific season since his injury-ravaged 2009-10 campaign, while Falcao is on the verge of joining Chelsea on season-long loan after United opted against signing him on a permanent deal.
Javier Hernandez is back from his loan spell at Real Madrid but the Mexican is also expected to leave as Van Gaal doesn’t rate him. That leaves them with just Rooney and the young James Wilson as their first team striking options and so signing a top goalscorer this summer is a must.
They were linked with the likes of Roberto Firmino, Mario Mandzukic and Jackson Martinez but have failed in their pursuit with the trio joining Liverpool, Juventus and Atletico Madrid respectively.
If the Reds wants to go down the Colombian road again then Carlos Bacca could be an option. The 28-year-old led Sevilla to Europa League glory this year and has regularly scored goals in every league he has played in, so it may not be too much of an adjustment to come to the Premier League. However, Liverpool remains the favourites to activate his €30million release clause.
Karin Benzema could be an attractive option but wants to stay at Real Madrid and is not keen on a move to Old Trafford, Edinson Cavani is thought to be interested in a switch to the Premier League but with the future of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the air at PSG, the Uruguayan might end up staying in France, while Alexandre Lacazette, who was the star in the Ligue 1 this season, has left himself open to offer, although Lyon want at least £35million to see him leave.
United are also keen on Germany international striker Thomas Muller, a player long admired by Van Gaal, but Bayern Munich are reluctant to do any deal. Finally, Harry Kane is reportedly on United’s radar and is their number one summer target for this position.
The England forward had an outstanding season scoring 31 goals in all competitions, but United would be taking the risk that one good season could be backed up by the 21-year-old. He is one of the hottest prospects in English football at present and if United are able to get him to Old Trafford then he could well be the difference between a runners-up spot and their 21st league title.
Overall, Manchester United do need at least three-four top quality players and they have the spending power to attract players of such calibre. Last summer’s acquisition of Di Maria is enough to tell anyone that and with signings of that calibre, the whole team will look a lot more like one that’s capable of not only challenging but also winning the title.
Van Gaal said; “we are very close” and with the right signings in the right areas this summer, they will be even close next season. No one really knows what is the Dutchman’s philosophy, but one thing that everyone knows is that he has won the league title everywhere he has been to and will do the same at Old Trafford.
