Louis Van Gaal the Manchester United manager has claimed this week “We have made a statement that we shall compete for the title,” to the BBC after a win against Southampton on the twentieth of September at the St. Mary’s Stadium. I am going to determine if this a fact or rather Van Gaal’s warped idea of reality. Manchester United spent 111 million in the summer on six players but has this summer spending seen them make the step up to title challengers for the first time since 2013?
Manchester United: A title challenge three years in the making?
Since Manchester United last won the league title they have gone through three managers and have spent 324 million pound on players including Angel Di Maria for 59.7 million last summer. This has, up to now, transpired in a humdrum seventh place finish in 2014 and a stumbling fourth place finish in 2015.
What has changed?
What has changed in 2015/16 season is the question because after six league games United sit two points short of their city rivals Manchester City at the top of the table, six in front of Chelsea FC and three in front of Arsenal FC who the media and fans would have considered the pre-season favourites for the title.
Manchester United weren’t mentioned due to their lack of strikers after Van Persie left for Fenerbahce leaving United, at the time, with only three recognised strikers in Wayne Rooney, James Wilson and Memphis Depay. Since then they have added a young striker from Monaco in Anthony Martial on transfer deadline day. The young nineteen year old hasn’t needed any time to settle as since his transfer he has made his senior French national debut and scored three goals in three games for Manchester United one against Liverpool and two against Southampton on Sunday.
I feel Manchester United are a world class centre back away from doing anything in the title race but it seems their rivals are giving them every opportunity to dream. Chelsea have struggled with three defeats this season – already the same number as last season. Arsenal have struggled with the weight of expectation on them to challenge for league titles rather than Champions League places. Manchester City had begun like a runaway train with five wins from six.
It seems like it’s Man Utd’s ambition to keep up with their noisy neighbours as they have a home match against Sunderland before away games against Arsenal and Everton and then the derby. Their next three fixtures are much more difficult on paper than City’s so it seems we will see if Manchester United and City are the real deal in this season’s title race.
United will have to find ways to win at Arsenal and Everton to show their steel and strength in depth and the same could be said for City as they will be expected to have three wins against teams that Champions should beat and beat well at that. Of course after the twenty fifth of October there will still be two thirds of the season left to play and a lot more twists and turns. If City can win the next four games and others drop points it could be game, set and match as City have the squad and the quality in all areas of the field to cope with the demands of a title race. I believe Van Gaal has put his team under more pressure than is needed at this stage of the season when being under the radar is always better than being in the centre of it.
Strength and depth in midfield
Van Gaal has a hunger for the media and loves the attention it brings to his ego and his team. When it is going well he speaks in a light hearted and joking manner but when it becomes difficult he is stubborn, unresponsive and twisted. This love affair is the very reason he has made these comments after the Southampton win to keep the focus on him and his team rather than the Sir Alex Ferguson style of keeping the focus on everyone else.
In my opinion this Manchester United team aren’t capable of winning the league for the simple fact that I don’t see where the goals will come from. Wayne Rooney hasn’t scored in the league this season so far and goals are being burdened on Martial at the minute. But will he go through a blip and loss of form? When this happens where will the goals come from?
So far in the nine competitive games they have played, they have scored seventeen goals but taking away their champions league qualifiers they have ten goals in seven games. Their defence has to be strong all season to be a force but De Gea can’t do it all on his own and with Luke Shaw out for the year this leaves a gap in the left back department and one that won’t be filled easily. Chris Smalling is a good player but he can’t do it all on his own without some help.
United have three regular centre backs and that includes Phil Jones who is always injury prone and cannot be relied on for a full season. The other one is Marcus Rojo who has been shaky since a wonderful World Cup last year for Argentina and is yet to find that form in a Manchester United jersey. United in defence and attack are underpopulated whereas in midfield they are saturated with twelve players vying for four starting places. If Manchester United can hold on to City’s coat tails until January then who knows what quality they could add to make the difference. We will see by the end of the October if the picture is any clearer and who are the actual challengers to Chelsea’s crown in May.
The blue side of Manchester might make their neighbours see red if I’m correct.
