United Corner- New Season, New Hopes (August 19th 2019)

United Corner- New Season, New Hopes

At the start of the 2019/20 season it feels like the three of the top four places in the Premier League are going to be taken by Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, but Manchester United fans have to believe there have been enough changes at clubs below those three that can give them the edge to earn their way back into the Champions League.

Like the 2016/17 season, Manchester United have two paths back into the Champions League in front of them and I do think a similar approach should be taken to this season as United had under Jose Mourinho to that season. Simply put United have to make sure both avenues through to the Champions League remain alive going into the final couple of months of the season.

Finding the balance between the Premier League and Europa League won't be easy, but it should not be lost on the fans that two of the last three editions of this competition have been won by English clubs. With a battle expected for a top four spot, Manchester United have to make sure they have every opportunity available to them for a return to the Champions League.

The 4-0 win over Chelsea to open the season will definitely have given the whole squad a shot of belief as well as the fans who were not used to seeing clean sheets at Old Trafford, but no one wants to get too carried away about a single game. On another day Chelsea would have got plenty out of that fixture with the way the game was developing up until Anthony Martial scored Manchester United's second goal, and I think most will know United have to be much improved going forward to find the consistency they will need to move back into the top four.

The top four- there was a time when that was a given for Manchester United and the only concerns at the start of a season would have been regarding a title challenge.

Under the current ownership United couldn't be much further away from the last days of Sir Alex Ferguson and it can't be ignored that their finishing positions in the six seasons since he retired have been 7th, 4th, 5th, 6th, 2nd and 6th.

Let's be honest for a second- Sir Alex was extracting every last bit of magic he had to keep United punching way above their weight during a period when there was apparently 'no value in the market'. David Moyes came in and things began to fall apart pretty quickly as a overachieving squad didn't appreciate the new voice in the dressing room who had removed most links to the Ferguson era in terms of his backroom staff, but the focus should not only be on the manager.

Another big change that summer was the departure of David Gill and the incoming Dick 'Ed Woodward who as proved a disaster as far as the footballing side of the club is concerned. For some unknown reason Woodward has not only considered him a master negotiator, despite the clear evidence to the contrary over the last six years, but he always seems to believe he knows more about football than those he is appointing to manage the club.

David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho have all come and gone and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the fourth manager of this club in the six seasons that have been completed since Sir Alex retired. The one overarching feature has been Woodward and most owners would have recognised the problem at the club, but the Glazer family are not like most owners.

Manchester United has long been seen as an investment in which they have spent very little of their own money and been able to take out fortunes to the detriment of the Stadium and the playing staff. Twelve months ago the master tactician Woodward didn't want to invest in the playing squad for Jose Mourinho because he didn't believe there were better defenders on the list given to him than those already at the club.

Yet twelve months later he buys the player that Mourinho had requested? It all points back to finding the cheapest way to get into the top four while a title challenge is clearly not something that the club are going to chase, but more hope that is something that may fall into their laps. Otherwise it makes no sense to not back your manager after he has guided the team to 2nd place in the Premier League, but clearly with a significant gap to the Champions Manchester City at the end of the 2017/18 season.

Too often those who don't have a deeper look talk about the money United have spent under the Glazers, but it is only a tiny fraction of what those people have taken out of the club through their debt management or dividends they feel they are entitled to at the end of the season. This off-season a club that finished over 30 points off the top four invested around 70 million pounds when you include the money that came back into the club and only a fool would believe that is designed to get closer to Liverpool and Manchester City rather than trying to close the gap to those chasing the top four places.

We have seen 'Glazers Out' and 'Woodward Out' trending at times on social media, but the former aren't going anywhere until they receive a huge bid and even then the new owners would likely come from backgrounds that won't impress everybody. And Dick 'Ed Woodward is very secure in his role considering he is making the Glazers money hand over fist and ultimately that is all they really care about rather than the level of performances Manchester United are producing week to week. With that in mind, it does point to a tough road to return to the top of English Football unless there is a touch of luck involved.

You would hope the fans will be able to do something about the ownership of the club and the clown that seems to be running the football side, but as I have said above I do feel both are very secure in their positions at the moment. The time came in 2005 when things may have been changed, but it has been too long now and I think we have to accept the way it is.

As a season ticket holder at Old Trafford I am not that impressed by people being critical of those who go to games- my love for United far outweighs my dislike of the Glazers and Woodward and I refuse to let those people force me to do something else with my weekends.

I do want to see United restored to their past glories and at the moment the only thing that can really be done is getting behind Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and hoping he can find the right formula to start turning the club back around.

I am not going to revise history though, I did not think Solskjaer was the right choice. His managerial career to this point has been below average at best and the only real claim he had to being manager was that he was a former player of the club, but Sir Matt Busby, Tommy Doherty and Sir Alex Ferguson didn't have those connections and all managed to turn United around when they came in during difficult periods.

Ultimately you need to be the right manager so I am hoping more than believing in Solskjaer at the moment, although I would love to be very wrong and will stick behind the manager for as long as he is in charge at Old Trafford. The poor run to end last season has to be a concern and I do think the remainder of August and early September will give us a real indication of what Solskjaer can achieve at the club.

Some will say he needs to be given a couple of years to really put his stamp on the squad, but I do feel Solskjaer will only be given that if Manchester United return to the Champions League at the end of this season. Over the next few weeks trips to Wolves, Southampton and West Ham United will be a real test for the manager and the club, especially considering United earned just a single point from those away games last season.

Home games against Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Arsenal round out the next six weeks and United only managed 5 points from those corresponding fixtures last season so we will learn plenty about the management team United have. Last weekend United did beat Chelsea, who earned a point at Old Trafford back in April, so that is a positive start, but I do feel Solskjaer needs to oversee at least 14 points from those six games coming up to make sure Manchester United remain on track for their ambitions to be achieved this season.

Even if United manage less than that, at this stage of the campaign the fans will stick behind the manager and rightly so. No matter our personal feelings about whether a player or manager is right for the club, I do think it is important to back them as United fans as we have done throughout our history.

There are going to be some obvious frustrations at times, but those should be focused on the board and above, even if ultimately the sword will fall on Solskjaer if things don't go as we would like. He might not have been my choice, but Solskjaer is our manager and I hope in nine months time I will regret ever doubting him.

The next few weeks are going to be very important for all United fans as the League settles down and we can really analyse where the team stands. I wasn't as happy as many that Romelu Lukaku was moved on, but we have to respect the fact that Solskjaer did not see a place for the Belgian in the way he wants his team to play and so it was better for both Lukaku and the club that he was sold.

It is a shame that money was not reinvested into a midfield that has lost Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera in recent months and I do think United look light there. There is going to be a sharp focus on the attackers to score enough goals to help United as I do think the midfield is going to struggle in plenty of games, especially when they come up against clever midfields that the likes of Wolves and Leicester City will employ.

Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka will help defensively, but Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof are yet to convince and I am not sure Manchester United are going to be vastly improved at the back. On another day Chelsea score two or three goals last week and games in the next few weeks will tell us a lot about where United stand as I have said a few times now.

I am hopeful that a top four place can be earned- I don't think Arsenal have improved significantly from a defensive point of view and Chelsea's loss of Eden Hazard will hurt. Even if the next few weeks don't go as well as I would hope, I think it will be a season long battle for the top four as all those teams chasing those places have some inconsistent moments and I could even include Tottenham Hotspur in that.

It does mean United will have their chances, but much depends on whether they can score enough goals and I would not get carried away by the capitulation Chelsea had last week. I feel United have been left short of numbers when it comes to attacking areas on the pitch and the midfield- there are some very promising youngsters coming through, but I am not sure they can be relied upon to carry the club just yet.

Comparison to the 'Class of '92' feel wide of the mark as those players came in to play alongside established, proven Premier League winners in Peter Schmeichel, Roy Keane and Eric Cantona and I am not sure the United current squad has those kind of winning personalities. It will make it harder for young players to make the impact they would want and I also think it would be harsh on them to be asked to fill in the obvious gaps in the squad if they are not suited to those positions.

Last week some suggested Mason Greenwood should start on the right of the team- while I agree that is a problem position, asking a 17 year old to play there when he is clearly a centre forward that likes scoring goals is not going to be good for his development.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is going to be judged on all of these decisions though, I just hope he gets them right.

This is a new season though and over the last couple of months the stench of the poor ending to the 2018/19 campaign has been washed off. Like many fans, I do come into this one with renewed optimism despite a sub-par off-season when United did not come close to making the kind of investment they had been suggesting at the end of last season.

I do think Maguire and Wan-Bissaka will improve the team and Daniel James can learn and develop, but the midfield conundrum continues to be on that the club either can't, or refuse to, address. I am hoping Fred can come good after a season becoming accustomed to the League and Scott McTominay can hopefully kick on, but United look short in there as well as failing to address the right side of the attack.

Deep down I feel it is going to be an inconsistent year in front of Manchester United, but I do think the top four is a fairly open battle and I expect United to be there or thereabouts. The Europa League should offer the club a long run in a major European competition and Chelsea proved you can finish in the top four of the Premier League and win that trophy too.

There will be moments of frustration and there will be ups and downs, but that's part of the journey of being a football fan. Manchester United's road to recovery and bridging the gap to two of their biggest rivals is not going to be a short one, and it will be rocky at times, but the hope is that there is finally a plan in place as to how United will get there.

With the Glazer family and Woodward around, I wouldn't count on it and we can only hope Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can help this squad achieve their full potential.

United Corner- A Stunning September (October 4th 2017)

United Corner- A Stunning September (October 4th)

Prior to the start of the season I mentioned that I thought the fixture list had given Manchester United a real chance to make a very strong start to the Premier League season. It was also a test for the squad to show how much they have learned in Jose Mourinho's first season as manager as Manchester United wanted to show they could put some of the weaker teams to the sword.

I asked for at least 19 points from the first 21 available if Manchester United were genuinely a title contender and that is exactly what has been produced.

But it is the manner of the points secured that has to be pleasing all Manchester United fans with some special performances rewarded with plenty of goals scored. All of the attention has been given to Manchester City for the fives and sixes they scored in September, yet United have only scored a single goal fewer after hitting four against Crystal Palace, the fourth time in seven League games that Manchester United have hit that number.

They've managed to do the same in the Champions League and also in the League Cup, but the result I am perhaps most proud of is the 0-1 win at Southampton.

Manchester United were not at their best that day and really had to batten down the hatches, but those are the kinds of performances and results which really do have players and management believing they can go all the way. It is something Manchester City have not had to to yet, but there will be moments in a long season when teams struggle to find their best and they have to find a way to win and Manchester United have shown they can do that.

The absence of Paul Pogba has not been the major problem I felt it may be, although it would be nice to have the Frenchman back sooner rather than later. While the team is not 'better' without him, Jose Mourinho has found the right formula to keep them ticking forward even if I do miss the presence of a footballer who is willing to carry the ball forward much more than Nemanja Matic and Marouane Fellaini who had made up the two without Pogba.

Fellaini has been in fine form covering for the Frenchman, but there are bigger tests ahead for both the midfielder and Manchester United in general, although I will come back to that.

With the Premier League in a good place, we can only be positive about the start made in the Champions League with Manchester United looking like they could have the Group won before the start of November. A move through to the League Cup Fourth Round is another positive in what has been a very strong August and September for Manchester United.

However I do feel that for all the positive feelings Manchester United are giving me at the moment that the points earned are still only a 'par' score for a club looking for a title challenge.

Some will point out that Manchester United have earned 8 more points from those games compared with the corresponding fixtures last season, but United finished twenty-four points from the top in the 2016/17 season so I am not sure that doesn't prove my point as to 19/21 points being a par from the fixtures United have faced.

Against those same teams United have faced this time around, Chelsea earned 16 points from a possible 21 last season and so I don't think I am being harsh to suggest United are on track and not exceeding expectations just yet.

The next month is certainly going to tell us a lot more about where Manchester United are as they face trips to Liverpool, Huddersfield Town and Chelsea in the Premier League as well as a home fixture against Tottenham Hotspur. Those are a tough set of fixtures with the Champions League double header against Benfica and the League Cup tie at Swansea City also to come between the international break in October and the one in November.

It is in those games against three of the top four from last season where Manchester United are likely to miss Pogba's presence the most. That makes it a big challenge for Mourinho to find the right tactics to win earn results from those fixtures especially with the likes of Phil Jones and Romelu Lukaku also carrying knocks.

Those fixtures are the kind where you can really begin to see if a team is the real deal as a title challenger or not and Manchester United come straight out of the international break into a trip to Anfield to show what they have. I'd be happy if United can produce 8 points from a possible 12 and just stay with Manchester City who look to have a much more manageable set of fixtures at the same time and the clear rival for the Premier League crown.

Earning those points will be far from easy, but I actually do believe in this Manchester United squad. The loss of Pogba is a pain, but Mourinho should be able to pick a strong enough team to earn some positive results even if the games at Anfield and Stamford Bridge will be tense for the players and the fans.

Both Liverpool and Chelsea have issues of their own to contend with and I do think Manchester United have played well enough to earn a result, but it is the big test that the club have yet to face in the 2017/18 campaign. Win these games and the belief will increase tenfold that this is a special season in the making, but defeats and there will be questions for Mourinho and the players to answer as to how much they have improved from last season.

Earning 8 from 12 will be far from easy, but making a positive start at Anfield will give United the momentum to do that, especially if they can expose a vulnerable defence and win there in the big game out of the international break.

Overall we all have to be very happy with what we have seen from Manchester United and it really has been a lot more positive leaving Old Trafford than for much of the last four years. That is testament already to the work being done by Mourinho and there is an excitement from fans heading into the ground and leaving after another really strong performance.

That has been missing under the poor David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal years, while last season it was more frustration as so many teams were able to hold on for draws at Old Trafford. Now this looks a team who can wear down opponents, but importantly take advantage of the chances being created, and we all have to be pleased with how things have panned out.

I am more confident about this squad than I have been for many years, but I also appreciate that the games between the next two international breaks are going to be telling. While quietly confident about Manchester United's chances in those games, I know it won't be easy and will be a real test for the squad, but if we want to be Champions we have to start showing it hasn't just been a kind fixture list which has sparked the positive run.

It's a big month ahead, and one I am looking forward to.

There was one other piece of news about Manchester United which took a few headlines over the last month and that was regarding the chant about Romelu Lukaku.

Let's face facts, it was a pretty crappy chant and I am not one who is going to singing about another man's penis, but I guess that's just me.

The question was about whether it was a 'racist' chant- while I don't think anyone singing it thought that way, it is based on a stereotype which would offend and so it wasn't appropriate. That is not to say fans can't sing about edgy things, but this was over a line.

It actually reminded me of The Office from over fifteen years ago when David Brent is telling a joke that is using the same stereotype the Lukaku song was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOO0l2r3uJ4

David Brent couldn't understand why the joke was seen as offensive, and I really wouldn't want to be in the same boat as Brent and almost twenty years later.

I do think most fans would not have really been keen on the song if the headlines hadn't made such a fuss and the chant would have disappeared fairly quickly. However that gave it new life for a week or so, although I didn't hear any airing of it on Saturday in the win over Crystal Palace which hopefully means this simply crap chant is put away for good.

I don't really want to finish on that negative when it has been such a superb September overall.

I will be keeping my fingers crossed the United players can all return from their international duty fit and ready for another busy month of football and hopefully Manchester United can get their next set of fixtures going with a positive result at Anfield. It's ten more days before United are back and I will be counting down the days for what has always been the one game I circle when the fixtures list come out in June.

United Corner- Manchester United, New Season, Increased Expectations (August 11th)

United Corner- Manchester United, New Season, Increased Expectations (August 11th 2017)

If you were going to grade the 2016/17 season, the first under Jose Mourinho, I think a 'B' would be about right.

While most of us would have hoped for a top four finish and a place back in the Champions League, winning the Europa League does feel a more positive way to do that. Adding the League Cup to the Community Shield won earlier in the season and seeing the likes of Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan improve over the course of the campaign means there is an even better spirit going into the new season.

The summer transfer window work has been solid enough with a central defender, central midfielder and number nine being brought in to add to the squad that has mainly been kept together from last season.

Victor Lindelof may need some time to settle, as the likes of Nemanja Vidic needed when they first arrived at Old Trafford into a position where mistakes are highlighted tenfold compared to most other positions on the pitch. I love the signing of Nemanja Matic which should free up Paul Pogba and increase his influence further up the pitch while Romelu Lukaku is a proven Premier League striker who should be able to help turn a number of Old Trafford draws into Old Trafford wins.

Mourinho would love for one more left sided player to be brought in to give Manchester United more balance and that continues to be a position they are targeting before the end of August.

All in all, it feels a good time to be a Manchester United fan.

Mourinho's history in the second season of previous clubs will only increase the expectations from twelve months ago when most would have accepted a top four finish. This time around, with the money being spent in the last two summer transfer windows, Manchester United fans are hoping they can make a significant leap like Leicester City and Chelsea have in the last couple of seasons and win the Premier League title for the first time since 2013.

I'm not so sure Mourinho is completely happy with the squad when it comes to winning the title, and the Super Cup loss to Real Madrid has shown the even larger gap to the European elite, but I will be expecting a title challenge at least.

That simply means top four is not enough.

Instead I am looking for Manchester United to at least be playing meaningful Premier League games towards the Premier League title in April 2018 and I don't think that is asking too much. Last season the 11 League draws at Old Trafford were an absolute killer for Manchester United and even turning half of those into wins would have meant United finished above Manchester City into 3rd place.

It would have definitely see United a lot closer to Chelsea especially when you consider Mourinho put the Europa League as the priority down the stretch which saw United slip back in the Premier League. By adding Lukaku, I do think Manchester United have a player who has thrived against the weaker opposition in the Premier League and he certainly can turn those draws into wins.

Lukaku has room to improve, but he can do that at Manchester United and I think it looks  a good signing, even if I was initially a little skeptical about the move. Now I see a player who is going into his prime years with vast Premier League experience behind him and one who will score goals to help Manchester United win games.

He will need support and I would challenge the wingers and attacking midfielders to chip in with around 60 goals themselves to give Manchester United the platform to challenge for the title. That isn't asking too much of the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba as far as I am concerned.

I am looking for big things from Mikhitaryan and Pogba in their second season now they have a little more experience behind them and Manchester United also avoid the extra games that come with the Europa League by being back in the Champions League.

We are all positive at the start of the season and I think Manchester United have been given a boost by the fixture compiler by being offered up a fairly weak start to the season. Before facing Liverpool after the international break in October, Manchester United face West Ham United, Leicester City, Everton and Crystal Palace at Old Trafford, while also heading to Swansea City, Stoke City and Southampton.

From those seven League games, I would expect Manchester United to win six if they want to challenge for the Premier League title and I fully believe they can do that. In previous Championship wining seasons Mourinho has had, his teams do build an early momentum and this gives Manchester United to do that before what looks a tough October/early November when facing three of the top four.

Win the games as expected and Manchester United really could be the title challengers we are all hoping they can be, but failure to win three or more and the pressure will already be on the club.

It would be great if United can add the left sided player they are clearly looking for, but even with the current squad I am excited about the new season ahead.

I would expect the early season team to mix up four at the back and three at the back depending on the team United are facing, although I would be surprised if United do not play all three August games with the same 4-2-3-1 system that Mourinho has loved throughout his career.

Expected Team versus West Ham: De Gea, Valencia, Darmian, Bailly, Jones, Matic, Herrera, Pogba, Mkhitaryan, Martial, Lukaku.

There definitely feels an excitement at Old Trafford that may not have been there since the 2012/13 season which ended with the League title. While that may not happen this season, I do think Manchester United are building a really good squad.

A Premier League title challenge, a Quarter Final run in the Champions League and perhaps adding one of the domestic Cups would be the kind of season I would be looking for from Manchester United.

Win one of the top two competitions and it would be an 'A+' season, but there has to be at least be an improvement from last season. Matching last season would not be good enough this time around, but I am excited and ready for the new season.

Finally it is here.