There is absolutely no denying that the reigning champions are a serious force to be reckoned with. A star-studded roster radiates with one of the Premierships most disciplined work ethics and with the ability to snatch goals when they count, playing against the Red Devils is probably the most daunting fixture for every team. Considerable reinforcements have been brought in by Sir Alex to ensure United pick up where they left off and defend their title in the 2011/12 season. The likes of Ashley Young furthers the formidable pace United’s wingers possess and Phil Jones begins his journey to become an eventual defensive starter for United and potentially England. The most important purchase without a doubt however, is the acquisition of Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea.
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| The man, the legend. |
Manchester United have a prolific strike partnership supported by astonishing pace and depth from the bench, which includes last year’s Premier League top goal scorer Dimitar Berbatov. They also have a very solid back line and with the emergence of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, losing Rio Ferdinand due to injury isn’t as catastrophic as it once was. Last season pundits would argue that Manchester United’s central midfield was suspect and now that Paul Scholes has retired there is an even bigger void to fill; yet with the emergence of Tom Cleverly as a hot prospect, a potential move on the cards for Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder and depth in the squad, the issue does not seem to concern Sir Alex.
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| There is a lot of pressure on De Gea's shoulders. |
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| Why was Stekelenburg not purchased? |
The biggest issue I have is the young Spanish goalkeeper – arriving for £17 million, the exhilarating shot stopper has no English under his belt, two years in the Spanish league and 13 games for the Spanish U21 side. I simply cannot understand why Maarten Stekelenburg was not the preferred option for Sir Alex – at 28 years old the shot stopper has proven at domestic level with Ajax and foreign level with Holland that he is vastly experienced between the sticks. His age should not be a deterrent as van der Sar played till an astonishing age of 40 and Stekelenburg’s transfer fee to Roma was a bargain price of €6 million. For me it’s very simple; if David De Gea settles then Manchester United have a strong opportunity to seek all the success from last season and more, if he does not, then this opens the door for the other Premier League contenders to carve their way to the top. I think there’s a lot of pressure on the Spaniard’s shoulders, pressure that a more experienced goalkeeper like Stekelenburg could have handled better. De Gea’s suspect performance against Manchester City in the Community Cup were the first signs of nerves and Sir Alex needs to get that out of the young goalie’s mind before the Premier League begins for United.
What I hope to see –
| New boys Young and Jones enjoying success. |
Continual squad rotation; Manchester United’s unique ability to play a different starting XI week in week out is perhaps their strongest asset. The signing of Ashley Young this summer allows Sir Alex to operate an exciting rotation on his wings between the aforementioned, Nani and Antonio Valencia. Valencia’s directness to the bi-line and ability to produce service directly contrasts to Nani’s need to cut inside and test the goalkeeper. Ashley Young sits nicely in the middle of his team mates, being able to cut inside when playing on the left wing to use his favored right foot, or hug the touchline on the right wing and produce crosses for United’s strikers to latch on to. Having three incredibly talented wide players will allow Sir Alex to keep them fresh, thus making them that much more deadly as the season progresses.
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| Does Sir Alex need the Dutch playmaker? |
Sign Wesley Sneijder; Ryan Giggs isn’t getting any younger and while players like Anderson and Carrick are showing promising signs of still being able to play in top contention, the goal for Sir Alex is to build a squad that can beat Barcelona. What better way to continue towards that target than buying one of the most feared central midfielders in the entire world. Sneijder has been hit by an inflated price tag thanks to the state of the transfer market, but he is worth every penny. I am still slightly bewildered why Samir Nasri and even Luka Modric aren’t linked with the Red Devils anymore but if they have left the domestic players alone to keep Chelsea and Manchester City preoccupied while they hunt for Sneijder, than kudos to them for a fine move.
Give Tom Cleverly first-team football; Cleverly has emerged as a bright spark in United’s midfield and could be the reason why United forgoes the signing of Wesley Sneijder. His performance and contribution during the Community Cup was sublime so let’s hope his form continues to spiral upwards giving United more options in the centre of the park.
Keep David De Gea protected; the first few games in the season can make or break the Spanish goalkeeper’s confidence. United have never had a problem putting in that little bit extra but this is certainly the right time to make sure De Gea is troubled as little as possible. Let the lad get a feel for the Premier League and hopefully he will settle in quickly and make the whole team’s job easier.
Proposed Line-up –
GK – De Gea
DR – Rafael / Fabio
DL – Evra
DC – Vidic
DC – Ferdinand
CM – Anderson / Carrick
CM – Park
LW – Nani
RW – Young / Valencia
FW – Rooney
ST – Hernandez
| Ashley Young has incredible ability and pace. |
As I mentioned before, Manchester United’s squad rotation is unparalleled but this is probably what they will be looking like come the beginning of the season. The defensive line will be rotated between the youngsters and come the end of last season Fabio claimed right back for himself, so it will be interesting to see the twins fight it out for that role. The centre of midfield is fortunate to be able to call upon the vast experience of Ryan Giggs, who will be used sparingly this season one would assume. Park signing a new contract extension is fantastic news for Manchester United fans as he is one of the best players in that squad, being able to play so many positions with that unbelievable work ethic of his. Perhaps Park will be used as rotation for a wing player like last season, but I love to see him hound players in the centre and hope he get’s a chance to do so. The attacking options on the wings are simply terrifying; continual rotation of Nani, Young and Valencia will ensure danger lurks from both wings at all given times. Finally, it certainly says something when the Premier League’s top goal scorer supports your strikers from the bench. Hernandez had a terrific opening season and is hoping to replicate his 20 goal tally, while Rooney is long over that horrific dip in the form and now reemerged playing deep where he can score goals and accumulate a large amount of assists.
Predicted place in table –
As I mentioned in my Chelsea article, what makes Manchester United so deadly is their ability to transition from defense to attack at such a lightning speed; their pace is ridiculous. No matter how good you are offensively, if your goalkeeper has issues, the entire team will suffer. That is the core of my debate; David De Gea must settle or Manchester United will have a bumpy season. If the keeper performs, then the Premier League title and the Champions League final are both in reach, if he blunders however, Manchester United could fall short.
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