With the FIFA World Cup a week away from kick off, the Premier League takes a 6 week break before resuming on boxing day. Manchester United beat Fulham with a last gasp winner despite being second best for a vast majority of the first half. They were saved thanks to rising star Alejandro Garnacho who is slowly showing the world he could be the next big thing. They currently sit fifth on the points table, 3 points behind fourth place Tottenham Hotspurs albeit with a game in hand. Their record stands as 14 Games played, 8 Wins, 2 Draws, and 4 Losses. They also finished second in their Europa League group to set up a Round of 16 Qualifier against Barcelona.
However it has hardly been smooth sailing (it never is) and despite the progress, there have also been a few hiccups and issues to resolve. Here are the 10 major talking points of their season so far –
- Erik Ten Hag is slowly setting an identity – One of the major criticism of previous managers was an inability to set an identity that fans could get behind. It always felt like the red devils were one loss away from a complete reset. Player power reigned supreme and the club in general went from one strategy to another since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. Ten Hag is the latest manager to try and change all that. Despite some embarrassing losses and the problems at the club, Man Utd slowly look to be building an identity which involves playing out from the back and an organized counter press. He also seems to value unity and teamwork over anything else. When making the players run an extra 14 miles after that loss to Brentford he reportedly joined them in this grueling ordeal to show unity and take on the responsibility for that performance. Whatever the truth, the club and players have been united like never before. He seems to have gained the unflinching support of the club and most of the players (more on that later).
- Chaos still reigns at the management level – The club strategy since Sir Alex retired has been chaotic to put it kindly. Under Ed Woodward, Man Utd became toxic with his incompetence at that level showing coupled with his enabling of the Glazers to suck out even more money. While his successor Richard Arnold has shown intent to turn things around, the damage is too big to undo in just a year. A quick fix was never expected but it is disappointing to see the same mistakes being repeated. However, things are looking up for fans with a roadmap finally being put in place to modernize the club in every aspect.
- Transfer Strategy – The club started the summer making it known they would only invest in young talents along with a refusal to pay exorbitant amounts of money for players. By the end of the transfer window, they had thrown out that playbook. From a failed bid for Frenkie De Jong to spending around £180m for Casemiro and Antony, the club made a 180 degree turn on their new strategy. While the signings are excellent, their timing reeked of panic – after all it was the 4-0 loss to Brentford which sparked the club to take Ten Hag’s demands seriously. To be fair, Man Utd started the window with some shrewd signings. Tyrell Malacia from Feynoord and Christian Eriksen on a free transfer are some of the best decisions the club has made in a long time. The signings have all made an instant impact with Argentine Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro in particular standing out. However, Utd will have to get their act together if they seek to compete with Liverpool and Man City at the top.
- Ruthless Erik – The manager has made it clear that he is not here just for the paycheck. He has made some ruthless decisions which have payed off. Star players like Ronaldo and Maguire have been dropped in favor of quicker players more suited to his style. Players who play bad in one match are dropped for the next. The rule is simple – you play well or you are on the bench. No player is bigger than the club. He has even diplomatically handled the tantrums of Ronaldo even though nobody would have blamed him for wanting him out.
- Big things come in small packages – When Utd signed Lisandro Martinez from Ajax, the first thing everyone (including me) asked was whether he was too short to be a centre back. We are used to the traditional image of a centre back being above 6 foot tall. Standing at 5’9, he is a bit on the shorter side, but Martinez has proved that is not a problem. Since joining the club no other player has managed more defensive actions and no other player has won as many aerial duels. He is also progressive with the ball at his feet, making the most number of progressive passes among defenders for the club. He has proven all his doubters wrong and the best part is he can still get better. He has the added benefit of being a left footed centre back – a rarity in football.
- Midfield dynamics – What a transfer Eriksen has been. He has single handedly transformed the way United progress up the field. Coupled with the presence of Casemiro and Bruno, the Utd midfield engine is purring like never before. Casemiro is already making his mark by topping defensive actions by a midfielder metric and is getting better with the ball. The full backs Shaw/Malacia and Dalot playing as inverted full backs also help them get numbers in midfield to gain control. The days of McFred seem like such a long time ago. There is still a requirement for a dominant box to box midfielder, but for now this works.
- Wing play – With a resurgent Rashford and a left footed Right Winger in Antony, United finally look threatening on the wings. The Brazilian has had an excellent start to life at man utd with his tricks, flicks, and dribbling ability. Reliable backups in the form of Sancho, Garnacho, and Elanga have ensured the club doesn’t need to invest in a winger for a while.
- Finishing problems – While the team has started to understand the basics of creating chances – putting more balls into the box, they seem to struggle to finish them. Ronaldo has been in atrocious form and Martial has spent more time injured than on the pitch. Rashford has been used in that position but there is an understanding that he is not suited for that role. Man Utd desperately need a dominant striker who works hard, holds the ball well, and most importantly can score more than 20 goals in a season.
- Lack of depth – While Man Utd have a deep squad, most of the replacements are not of the standards required to play for the club. Even a single injury in midfield or to players like Dalot and Martinez would create a crisis for the club. There is need to let some players go and improve the quality of the squad. The club should ideally have started working on this but given that it is Man Utd, it is best not to get your hopes up.
- Cristiano Ronaldo – As a lifelong Ronaldo fan, it feels weird to say that I have saved the biggest problem for the last. Arguably the greatest player in history, Ronaldo has done a fabulous job in ruining his legacy at the club. Publicly seeking a move away, skipping pre season, refusing to come on as a substitute, and overall ego clashes were still not enough for the fans to turn on him. However, his unsanctioned interview with Piers Morgan (who looks ready to start a religion around him) should be the final straw. While the full interview is yet to be released, the snippets show some explosive statements (some known and some delusional) where he takes aim at Ten Hag, previous manager Ralf Rangnick, and even Wayne Rooney. This comes immediately after an emphatic last minute win against Fulham. The club and manager have smartly refused to comment so far – the focus should be on the performance and player alone. Ronaldo seems to think he is bigger than football, that the game will not survive without him. No wonder the top clubs in Europe want nothing to do with him. Man City will be thanking the heavens they dodged a bullet when Ronaldo change his mind on his way to Manchester in August 2021. He wasn’t the problem last season. He is the biggest problem now. The club has to sell him right away or banish him from the first team.
A lot of problems still persist at Man Utd but the club finally has a coach who knows what he is doing and refused to compromise on his principles. Despite the problems surrounding Ronaldo and the transfer issues, the club is moving in the right direction. Now they need to make sure there are no U-turns and work on the long term plan. Given the recent history of the club, it seems counterproductive to term this as a revival of fortunes or term it as another false dawn. Only time will tell whether the club can stick to the current path.
Whatever the critics might say, Manchester United are still the most interesting club.
Very very detailed analysis and very well written. The author has very good knowledge about the subject. Appreciate the posts.
Very nicely analysed!!
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Very nice article on the chances of Manchaster United in premier league,that covers all aspects of the tournament. This club has enormous strength to bounce back and they have done the same in the past. My congratulations for writing such a nice article. Thanks.
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Very well written.. Detailed breakdown of current trajectory of Manchester United with a holistic and unbiased approach. Keep up the good work…
Excellent analysis reflecting the deep knowledge! Informative and interesting read!!!
Good read. Useful pointers outside of football too.
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Great analysis. Very interesting, insightful and well articulated too.
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Excellent Analysis. Exhibits in depth knowledge of the matter.
Well appreciated !!!
Very very detailed analysis and very well written.
Very good analysis ,
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Nicely articulated and a good read. Continue the great work👍
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Highly informative and a critical analysis of the standings today and it’s likely trajectory. Well appreciated.
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Excellent research on Man-United. A real information galore.
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What a thorough analysis of Man U, Superb ! interesting to see now, how things unfold with ErikTen Hag and the STAR player.
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Vivid coverage of the situation and quite an interesting read.
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Gosh !! What a read and meticulously written analysis by dissecting the performance points. I hope Menchaster management will read this detailed article to get a 360 degree view on current situation as narrated in these 10 problems to keep up the performance before the FIFA WC.
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Strong content and covers all aspects of the situation well. Well written
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Very detailed and well analysis and very well written.
Very detailed and well analysis and very well written.
Very informative.
A good read, which summarises everything in 5 mins about Man U, which is helpful even for soccar nonaficionado ….
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Exciting times ahead, the build up couldnt have been any better,well putforth.
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It’s an article for an ardent fan of Man U. Understanding of the dynamics so well explained. Very insightful and refreshing style of writing. Loved this.
Great piece of writing! You presented your thoughts really well on the paper. Loved reading it….
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Excellent 0iece of information with candid analysis
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Excellently written . It shows , you have put lot of efforts to gather and provide this detailed analysis. It creates interest to read . Best wishes for writing many more such articles..
Thank you!