Louis van Gaal got plenty of hope with him when he took over as Manchester United boss last season. With the signings of Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao among others, United were immediately tipped to give Chelsea and Manchester City a fight for the title. That was never a practical expectation. However, the club did achieve their primary goal to get back to the top 4 and can now look to push on from there.
With the high profile signings of Memphis Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin, United are now definitely expected to challenge for the Premier League title.
The Red Devils have more games to worry about this season. They will be participating in four competitions and the manager is rightly assembling quality in the squad which enables his side to compete on all fronts.
The summer signings have definitely shown the club’s intent for next season as well as their status as one of the world’s elite clubs.
Memphis Depay was one of the best attackers in Europe and arguably the best youngster in world football last season. With him, van Gaal has got a player who will bring plenty of pace, directness and creativity in the game for the club. Depay could also be the wing-man Rooney has been craving for, and he could play centrally alongside or without him too.
The New Signings
In Bastian Schweinsteiger, a player who has won everything, the club has got someone who can command the midfield. In Morgan Schneiderlin, United have got a player who has proved himself to belong to the top level in the last couple of seasons. Someone who could be the engine needed in the centre and a long term replacement for Michael Carrick. In Matteo Darmian, van Gaal has found the solution to his right-back needs. Darmian was said to be the best full-back in Italy and missing out on Clyne (for whatever reason) doesn’t seem bad when the replacement is as good, or maybe better. He is equipped, both in defence and attack and could form a good partnership with Juan Mata on the right flank. In Sergio Romero, United have filled the back-up goalkeeper spot aptly and signed a player who could perhaps fill in for David de Gea, were he to leave (something that doesn’t look too likely at the moment).
De Gea staying (and massive credit and respect to him for behaving so professionally) is like a new, elite signing for the club. The Spaniard is possibly one of the top 5 goalkeepers in the world at the moment and Manchester United have certainly been boosted in their quest for a Premier League title challenge, if he stays for another season. Louis van Gaal recently said that Luke Shaw will be a massive player for the club this season and because of his stop-start first season last year, he too, will seem like a brand new signing. Shaw needs to ensure he stays fit throughout the campaign and proves the money the 20 time league champions spent on him, was well worth it.
United need to sign a top central defender, someone who could organize and hold the backline together. This is a position that needs addressing, something which has been avoided over the last couple of summers. However, by signing Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin, van Gaal might feel that he has had the defence problem covered. The likes of Smalling, who recently extended his contract and Rojo need to step up and prove that van Gaal doesn’t need to look elsewhere to address this problem. The usage of Phil Jones and Daley Blind as the central defensive pairing in the preseason games may mean that van Gaal views these two as a possible centre-back duo for the upcoming campaign.
Next Gen
Young players like Andreas Pereira and James Wilson could be seen more of this season. Pereira has been very highly rated and watching him will make you understand why. In the pre-season, whenever he has been introduced, he has injected the side with pace and creativity. He can shoot, is fast and is not afraid to take on opponents. Whatever happened to Adnan Januzaj? The 20-year-old will hope he can get over his forgettable second season after making waves under David Moyes in 2013-14. It wasn’t as if he was awful last season, but he just wasn’t as good as he was expected to be.
Manchester United have plenty of playmakers – on the wings and centrally – but they don’t have that many strikers. In the pre-season, the Belgian has been used as a centre forward, and he looked lively and even scored against Barcelona. Therefore, we might see the player being used in the position as a cover to Rooney and Depay, if van Gaal doesn’t bring in the “surprise striker”.
The likes of Rooney, Mata and Fellaini are also expected to play a key role this season. Rooney is currently the third all-time leading goal scorer for Manchester United, and could end the season as the club’s highest ever scorer surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton. Mata could have his most effective time in a Red shirt this season, especially with the quality of players around him. Fellaini was considered a flop at one time but proved his critics wrong and was arguably van Gaal’s biggest success story last season. The Belgian will have more competition for a spot in the starting 11 this season but could prove to be an essential squad player along with Ander Herrera, Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia.
Van Gaal’s total spend on strengthening the squad stands at £230m in 12 months. Not just because of the sum spent by the Dutchman in the two years, but also because his philosophy in the team is/should now (be) definitely instilled, van Gaal and the United team now must deliver. With all the arrivals and the departures, the United team is now van Gaal’s and there isn’t any room for him to have a sub-par season.
PREDICTIONS
PREMIER LEAGUE
In the Premier League, a title challenge is the bare minimum. Manchester United now have the side to compete with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City for the title.
Predicted finish: 2nd
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
In the Champions League, Manchester United need to make it past the group stages. An exit without even making it to the knockout stage would be an utter disappointment after the club worked so hard to get European nights back at Old Trafford
Predicted run: Quarter-final
FA CUP, CAPITAL ONE CUP
Manchester United should be at least in the finals of either of the two domestic cups. The club was synonymous with silverware not so long ago and a cup win would be what the fans craved for, but at the bare minimum, the Red Devils should make it to Wembley for either the FA Cup final or the League Cup final.
Predicted run: Final (League Cup); Semi Final (FA Cup)
Note: The predictions are those of the author, not the website.