EPL Season Preview and Prediction - Manchester United
MANCHESTER UNITED
Last season - 6th (69 points, 18 wins, 15 draws, 5 losses)
Manager - Jose Mourinho
Notable Gains - Romelu Lukaku (Everton), Namanja Matic (Chelsea), Victor Lindelof (Benfica)
Notable Losses - Wayne Rooney (Everton) Zlatan Ibrahimovic (unsigned)
Prediction - 2nd
Having a look back to last season, Manchester United never really got going, eventually finishing in 6th place in what was an extremely underwhelming Premier League campaign. Mourinho, perhaps scarred from his disastrous campaign in charge of Chelsea, didn't carry the same swagger or charisma, as his side fumbled and bumbled their way to a damaging 15 draws, many against inferior opponents, at Old Trafford in games they dominated. Outside of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Manchester United lacked goal scorers and attacking fluency, scoring only 54 goals throughout 38 games. Defensively the side did well conceding just 29 goals which was just 3 more than the best defence in the league in Spurs with 26 goals.
Last season was indeed a year of transition for a Club that has really struggled since Sir Alex Ferguson retired four seasons ago. In those four ensuing years, the highest they have finished is 4th and they have never really once looked like genuine title contenders or have that swagger that Manchester United teams of the past have had. Mourinho ended up salvaging their season last year by winning both the League Cup and the Europa League which got the Club back into the Champions League through the back door so to speak.
This year, I believe, will be a lot better for United, given they have added to their squad again and Mourinho has closer to the side that he wants in his image as a Manager. Mourinho looks to be building a side in the same character as his first Chelsea side back in 2004/05 which is tall, powerful and physical, with a target man up front and twin towers in the middle of the park and at the back. This is the sort of side that is really well equipped for a 38-game battle, that can wins games in different ways including playing long balls and grinding out wins. I think both Lukaku and Matic are excellent signings with Lukaku a proven Premier League goal scorer and Matic doing a lot of the donkey work in two of Chelsea’s title winning campaigns. I think United look strong at the back with plenty of depth in central defence, and I'm sure Paul Pogba will be better this year with Matic behind him doing plenty of the clean-up work. Perhaps the concern for United is getting enough productivity and ultimately goals out of some of their inconsistent wide players. Even if Lukaku manages close to 30 goals, which would be a great effort, he will be only matching what Ibrahimovic did, and still that was not enough for United. United need 2 or 3 of their wide players to chip in with 10 goals, as well as getting more out of Pogba, if they are going to get back into the winner’s circles.
An ominous stat for rival Clubs is Jose Mourinho has won the league with every side he has had in his 2nd season. That includes two stints at Chelsea, and 2nd year triumphs with Porto, Inter and Real Madrid, making him a perfect 5 from 5 in his second season. Mourinho has looked like a lot more contented man in this pre-season, displaying a quiet confidence that was not there 12 months ago. I think ideally he is 1 or 2 players short of what he wants, however he has now had 12 months to build a squad in his profile and this is usually when he is at his best. The only concern I have is Mourinho is not the sure bet he was going back 5-10 years. He doesn't carry the same arrogance or cocksureness as he has been burned and scarred by recent failures at Madrid and Chelsea. Whilst it’s tough to say he lacks the belief he had in himself in the past, I think he knows now that opposition managers and squads are not intimidated by his sides as they have been in the past.
Overall, without the distraction of the Europa League and with a stronger squad and Mourinho having settled somewhat at the Club, I think United are going to be a force in the Premier League this season. Last season they had number of unfortunate draws and I see them turning lots of those games into wins this year. They only lost 5 games last season, which was as many as the Champions Chelsea so it’s a matter of being more ruthless this year. I think overall this is the team that will improve the most. However I think they are one key signing off being Champions, so I have them in 2nd place and I expect them to grab between 80 and 85 points this season.