Manchester United Blog
What a season this could be for Manchester United, having signed the likes of Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin, they have catapulted themselves into the running for Premier League glory. The other bit of the transfer scale sees them lose out on Falcao, who didn’t really set the goal scoring charts on fire and they could be losing Angel Di Maria for a loss.
The Argentine didn’t do much to justify his price tag in the first place and seemed to be out of touch during his first season at United. Another player that could be on his way out is David de Gea, the lengthy transfer situation could come to an end pretty soon with Real Madrid wanting to sign the player and could be willing to provide United with a player and cash deal for the Spanish goalkeeper.
Either way, the onus to perform is on the team and on Louis van Gaal, Manchester United were pragmatic last season. The need to return to the holy land of the Champions League was more important than playing silky, attacking football. United fans would have forgiven the club for that approach last season but they would expect better football this season, especially with the capture of the highly rated Memphis Depay.
Van Gaal certainly would be under a bit of pressure to do well but he has a great track record and should look to take United to the next level in their time under him. Van Gaal might even have to play with just one attacker upfront, Wayne Rooney being the battering and goal scoring ram that he is. The defence could be the biggest problem for the club, they have brought in no reinforcements and injuries to any defender in the team could be the downfall for the team.
Coming to the league, Manchester United should be able to get into the top 4 quite easily. They could face a bit of a battle against Liverpool and Tottenham but the experience of Van Gaal should be enough to keep them in the top 4, can they win the league? That would be a tough question, Arsenal seem favourites for the first time in a long time to do just that.
The cup competitions could be the saving grace for Manchester United, last season was a disaster for them in both the FA Cup and League cup but Van Gaal would have learned not to take any of these competitions lightly. United could actually win one of these trophies, maybe the League cup if Van Gaal plays his cards right. The Champions League should see them progress easily into the knock-out round but who they face could decide how far they go, if they get a lucky draw, the club could even make it into the semis but the fact that they have a small squad could jeopardise their quest for Premier League and Champions League glory, this season.