Manchester United delivered one key objection in securing qualification for the group stages of the Champions League this season. Aside from that there has been mixed results domestically, as the Red Devils have struggled breaking teams down in the final-third.
First Four Games
United’s first four games have not been performances for the highlight reel. Time and time again an enormous statistical dominance in possession has failed to translate into ascendancy on the scoreboard. Scratchy 1-0 wins at home to Tottenham and away at Aston Villa were followed by a 0-0 draw at home to Newcastle and a disastrous 2-1 loss away at Swansea. With Adnan Januzaj out on loan, Juan Mata is the only current member of Louis van Gaal’s squad to have scored a league goal in the first month of the season.
Transfer Window Performance
The Red Devils once again underwent a massive squad overhaul during the offseason. Unsurprisingly, the signings delivered were again a mixed bag. The arrivals of Matteo Darmian, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger all look to be astute dealings and should all play key roles within the team.
By far the most exciting and debated signings were the young duo of Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial. Memphis has already demonstrated enough to suggest he is capable of living up to his £25m transfer fee, while Martial, on the other hand, is a totally unproven commodity and has his work cut out proving he is worth a £36m price tag. These two young men will have to contribute immediately to a squad short on options in the front third.
Conversely, the goalkeeper position remains a mess following David De Gea’s fluffed transfer to Madrid. De Gea is clearly a superior talent to Sergio Romero, but has been deemed ‘mentally unfit’ to play the first month of the season. His immediate future is still in limbo. Romero has rarely been tested in goal, but when called upon has failed to instil the same confidence that De Gea provided last season.
The departure list is again lengthy, with Robin van Persie, Angel Di Maria, Rafael, Radamel Falcao, Javier Hernandez, Anders Lindegaard and Jonny Evans all allowed to leave, while Adnan Januzaj has been sent out to Dortmund on loan. Surplus players from last season Nani, Anderson and Tom Cleverley were all offloaded to new clubs.
Key Player – Matteo Darmian
The Italian defender from Torino has slotted seamlessly into United’s right-back slot and has looked perfectly at home since day one, demonstrating the ideal balance of attacking movement and defensive accountability. Comfortable in possession and in the air, Darmian looks to be the complete package in his position and possibly a key feature of the back four for years to come.
What has gone right?
Widely tipped to be an area of concern in the preseason, United’s backline has been rock solid through their first four games. Chris Smalling is quickly developing into one of the division’s finest defenders and his partnership with Daley Blind has gone from strength-to-strength. Blind, for his part, has dealt admirably with the predicted weekly aerial bombardment and has offered his characteristic precision when passing out of defence. Luke Shaw and Darmian have been United’s most consistent performers and look to have the makings of the club’s best fullback pairing in a decade. The defence has been so solid that Romero has rarely been tested in the United goal.
Where to improve?
Simply speaking, the team needs more goals. United’s lack of scoring power is a massive concern, only three goals in four games simply is not good enough, especially with one coming via a the other team and another through a deflection. To improve, van Gaal’s men will have to get better at converting their domination of possession into genuine scoring chances and their forwards will have to become more ruthless in taking those opportunities. All hope is not lost though, the 7-1 aggregate thrashing of Club Brugge in the Champions League is a good indicator that the goals are there, even if they are yet to flow in the league.
Next four games
United’s next four fixtures will provide a far better indicator of how the side is tracking. Next up is a huge home clash with Liverpool, which could have knock-on implications for either club. It is difficult to overstate the importance of the imminent showdown to managers Louis van Gaal and Brendan Rodgers.
Following that they return to the Champions League group stages with a trip to PSV Eindhoven and then a trip to Southampton. The Red Devils then face Ipswich Town in the third round of the League Cup. After their 4-0 humiliation at the hands of MK Dons at the same stage last season, United will be desperate to make amends this time around.
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Two wins, a draw and a loss is not an ideal start, but not a disaster either. The team will have to improve considerably if they are to challenge for the title and keep their top four spot this season.
Grade – B
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