Premier League title will stay in Manchester this season
stronger than ever...
With few weeks remaining in the transfer window, the media were eager to write off the current English and European Champions from retaining their Premiership crown.
The logic behind it was that Chelsea now had a better manager than last season and they had signed Deco. As they had finished so close to United the season before, the argument was that with a better manager and another World class player thrown in to the mix, they would win the league.
Of course, as a United fan, I’d argue against this until I was blue in the face, with the main point being that our most effective players last season weren’t even 24 years old yet, whereas Chelsea’s were in their 30s, meaning our best players were a year closer to their peak whilst Chelsea’s were a year further away. Another point being no South American World Cup winner has ever made a success of their career with a European club.
Really though, this is all by the by. One of the major arguments against United was we hadn’t signed a new striker. The fact we hadn’t signed a new striker since Ruud van Nistelrooy left in 2006 was seemingly forgotten. The fact that we’d won two league titles and the European Cup in the two seasons without him was as well.
As Louis Saha was still registered with the club, nobody seemed to take in to consideration he only had a couple of 90 minute stints under his belt last season. When it appeared as though he would be off, the press rang the alarm bells, on United’s fans’ behalf.
When reading the season preview in The Guardian, I couldn’t quite get to grips with what was being said about us. Was it because it was nonsense, or because I had my red tinted specs on?
There are problems on the pitch too. The absence of an orthodox central striker, which seemed like an oddity or even a tactical innovation last season, could be a real problem this time around - it was certainly dreadfully apparent during the Community Shield.
I read another write up in preparation for the season from The Times:
Without Dimitar Berbatov, I am convinced that Manchester United would watch Chelsea cruise to the Barclays Premier League title by a good ten points.
Would Chelsea honestly be 10 points better than United if we didn’t sign an out-and-out striker? Am I the only one who hasn’t seen the decline in United over the summer and missed out on this apparent resurgent vision of Chelsea as champions?
What worked so well last season suddenly couldn’t work this season? Whilst I’m not expecting a repeat performance from Cristiano Ronaldo this season, I certainly wouldn’t fancy ruling it out either. I remember all too well back in January how Ferguson laughed off the idea of Ronaldo scoring 30 league goals.
This season he’s had his injury, but it’s important to note that if predictions are accurate, and he does return at the end of September, he’ll have missed just four league games. Last season he missed three because of his red card and Portsmouth, and before October started had just one Premiership goal to his name.
Wayne Rooney played in just 27 of the 38 games last season, missing close to 1/3 of the Premiership campaign through injury, yet he was still the highest scoring Englishman, the 11th highest scorer in the league, with only two players assisting more goals than him.
Carlos Tevez in his first season at United, starting the season lacking fitness and match practice, was the 9th highest scorer in the league. The fact that he has since shown obvious signs of improvement, proving himself to be our Man of the Match in every game so far this season, only adds to that.
If Cristiano Ronaldo was not in the Premiership last season, United would have had two players in the top 10 scorers in the league. It’s telling how much Ronaldo’s blinding season has overshadowed the contribution of our other strikers, but that’s the tunnel-vision of the media for you.
Former Juventus star and 1982 World Cup winner Paolo Rossi has sung United’s praises, saying, “the Red Devils are ahead of everyone in terms of their attacking line up.” He claims that on a World scale, it is Inter who follow, boasting the talents of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ricardo Quaresma, Adriano, Mancini and Hernan Crespo, then Barcelona, with Samuel Eto’o, Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry, in 3rd.
Whilst I still am firmly of the view United would compete for top honours again next season without Dimitar Berbatov, I can also agree that we look a far stronger squad with his inclusion. The problem now is not the mythical “where are the goals going to come from?” Rather, it’s “how on earth can Fergie pick a team of just eleven men?”
To include Rooney, Tevez and Berbatov would mean just picking just three players from Paul Scholes, Owen Hargreaves, Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs, Anderson, Nani, Park Ji-Sung and Darren Fletcher. Whilst some of those names are easier to cross out than others, United with a fully fit squad is quite frankly terrifying. Our attacking options are by far superior to any season a United fan has seen.
The fact our defence outshone any in England, Spain, Italy or Germany last season only adds to our attacking strength, making it hard to bet against us.
To think that Berbatov has scored more than 20 goals a season for the past 4 years, with clubs who provided him with nowhere near the quality of service he will get at United, you have to imagine that with his adjustment to the Premiership in no doubt, he will be an excellent signing for us.
We scored 80 goals in the league last season, 110 in all competitions, with 15 different players getting on the score sheet. Even for those who don’t believe Ronaldo will match his goal tally of last season, the potential for United to score even more goals than last season is pretty strong.
It has to be said though, I’m not Berbatov’s biggest fan. He seems a bit too mardy for my liking so for now I just have to imagine he’ll be happier and less stroppy when pulling on the United shirt. He has to be.
So whilst I won’t be rushing out to get his name on the back of my shirt, when the goals start pouring in, I’m sure he will change my opinion of him!
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Good article. And I firmly agree. Although a system without a out-and-out striker seemed to work for the majority of last season, and looking a little threadbare compared to the likes of Chelsea in these areas, Berbatov adds the numbers and the quality to place them ahead of any side in the world.
I am most definitely not Berbatov’s fan, in a similar way that I am not Cristiano Ronaldo’s fan. I acknowledge that they are sensational players, and admirable in that regard, but in terms of personality, they do not appeal to me. But in the new dog-eat-dog Premiership, allowing for these factors does not have a place any more, and thats why I’m glad I decided to (with much difficulty) remove my allegiance to United. You may find me at some local lower division club instead in the near future.
Good article. Thoroughly agree.
As for Bob, if you knew what is was like to be a true fan you would understand that deciding to remove your allegiance is not an option.
Great Article. I think this current United squad (Berbatov included) is by far the strongest squad we’ve had since 1999 or maybe even since Fergie’s reign began. Obviously the only proof of this would be in silverware and it’s obviously too early to say which team will win the league, fa cup or champions league.
The thing is that the media will always write United off. They did it at the beginning of the 95/96 season and they did it at the beginning of the 06/07 season and they’ll be doing it again at the beginning of the 15/16 season although I must admit after the first 3 games of last season, I was literally freaking out.
I won’t say that United WILL win the league, Fa cup or Champs Lge this season but I will say that if they end the season without any of those 3 trophies, they’ve failed themselves.
BD Condell, with all due respect, yes, perhaps by some definitions I’m not a ‘true fan’ (in fact, in my opinion, you have to be born and raised in the area to be one). However, the fact remains that I was in love with the club Manchester United for the majority of my life so far. I would be the first to acknowledge that it was a childish attraction that first led me there… but as it tends to happen, it grew. I’ve seen a few matches at Old Trafford and been in the away section at a lot of European games. Last year, however, having grown up in my views of the world in general, the stories of a ‘overseas match’, the foreign ownership problems, the insane ticket prices removing clubs from the local communities has changed the way I think about top level football and with great regret, I decided I cannot, without appearing hypocritical in my beliefs, continue to actively support United. Surely, this season, I continue to watch them and my heart gives a little leap when I hear them being talked about, but I’m trying to forget it. My favourite player of all time is Ryan Giggs though, so I still follow his game a lot. I’m moving to the UK this year for university, so we’ll see which club gets my fancy in the long run.
Also, do not mistake my love for Manchester United as a typical case of ‘glory hunting’. Yes, I may not be a true fan, but I consider myself as someone who has a rather deep knowledge of football. I’ve played it at a local Dutch club for the majority of my life, and go and watch their games sometimes on Saturday afternoons. The club never really captured my imagination though.
My apologies for the long response, it just irks me to hear that, although I’ve heard it in the past, and to be honest, I can’t blame you for jumping to a few conclusions when I said that.
Your forgetting about Manucho who finally got a work permit.
But good article. The media at times had me thinking we had no chance to fight for the title. Deco, Deco, Deco was all I heard. Deco will lead Chelsea to glory and Man Utd had no chance. Well I had rather have C Ronaldo that most of the Chelsea squad including Deco. Hopefully this year with an even stronger squad, Man Utd will take the drama out of the Prem early and can really push for the Treble that should have happened last season.
I like the way you have titled your post, so that on the remote chance that City spend £500 mil on players in January and win the league, you can post back saying “look I told you the title would stay in Manchester!”
hahahaha UNitedOnFire nice comment… lloooll
altough i don’t think manchester city will be able to win the league any time soon…
after much pondering, I found a way to deal with the inclusion of star players. Just take out VDS with Berbatov and put Berba ahead of Rooney and Tevez
i think chelsea will win the league this season. Alot of people are buying into the fact that the star players are all 30+ but of them deco, lampard, ballack, carvalho and drogba are the wrong side of 30. None of those players are known for their pace or out and out physical ability except maybe drogba. The team is mainly in their peak and ones that require pace our wingers and fullbacks are easily some of the best. Uniteds back 4 is also nothing special with only evra and vidic that stand outs, rio is overrated just like terry. That said carvalho is easily the best defender in the PL and chelsea’s fullbacks are equal to arsenals. United’s attack is scary but its very easy to control their weak midfield.
I expect chelsea to win but it will be based solely on one or two wins here or there. Chelsea wins with 83 points and manU second at 78
Great article, and I completely agree. And even though Berbatov is now on the picture, I think Tevez is going to be this season’s best player for ManU, or second only to CR. Plus, if by some Sir Alex’s genius idea he gets Tevez, Rooney, Berba, and CR playing on the same game, I feel really sorry for that poor keeper on the other side.
Well written
And I hope c.Ronaldo will stay in ManU forever, Berbatov will shine, Tevez to keep up the good work
And we shall win the Premiere League+Champions League
oh btw
Rooney can play Right Wing right?
van Der saar
Brown Vidic Rio Evra
Owen Hargreaves
Nani Giggs
Rooney Tevez
Berbatov
4-3-3
Anfield should be an interesting test of how Rooney / Tevez / Berbatov play together, I’d expect at least two of them to start, with Rooney on the right and Tevez on the bench.
Still, if Gerrard and Torres are missing Fergie could go for the kill and push forward with a 4-4-2. Who knows?
Berba’s going to get plenty of goals, balances the side out, says this is his last move (or last move before retirement in Madrid or Milan, that is), so all’s good as long as he stays fit and keeps banging them in.
If Tevez have national commitments and cannot come back on time then Dimi will start with Rooney otherwise i think Berba will have to settle for the bench first, that is for Liverpool. So you guys are going to play Giggs ahead of Ronaldo?
If the team can adopt to a 4-3-2-1 then we can play Dimi with Rooney and Tevez.
VDS- Brown Ferdinand Vidic Evra - Ronaldo Carrick Scholes - Tevez Rooney - Berbatov
wheather they start with Berba(a proper ST) or stick to their current formation is for Fergie to know and for us(and the opposition) to find out. if they are a direct/top 4/ european team then maybe Berba might be needed to unlock with a bit of magic. but if it is Blackburn then maybe Rooney and Tevez might be better.
Manager Tevez is coming back. He was red carded in the last match. I think that SAF will put Berba on the bench and bring him depending on the game. I don’t think he will start him, but then again, it will depend on the training too.
I was about to write an argument……….
but then saw this
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/chelsea/article4716083.ece
Ouch