20 Sep 2016 17:44:59
United fan in peace. I visit regularly and post from time to time as some may notice.

So anyway, I was wondering what's people thought now on where United and yourselves will finish this season. Appreciate its early days, but the reason I ask is, after a couple of games when we played fairly well and recorded 3 straight wins, and you had just been beaten at Burnley, there was a lot of posters on here saying United would push city, and that yourselves would be lucky to finish 6th. 2 games later and I see a lot of people believing you will be champions. Funny how much can change in a week isn't it?

I personally think you will challenge, and without the disruption of a management change this summer, plus no midweek European football, I think you really should be challenging at the very least. However I still feel city have a superior squad and will win the league comfortably. How many team can be missing aguero and still bang in 4 goals in consecutive games?

As for United, I think we have a good squad, in fact the best squad we've had in a long time. But with yet another managerial change, new players, etc I think it will be after Christmas before we see a good solid side, and that's why I don't believe we're in the title race. We have imo, the best keeper in the world, very good fullbacks, Bailly looks a great prospect, but we need a partner for him, plenty of potential in Pogba, Mikhatarian, Hererra, Rashford, Martial, Ibra etc, I feel with so much quality it's a question of when not if it clicks. Rooney has held us back for 2/ 3 years now and it's time to move on from him.

If I was picking a side from both squads I'd probably have fairly even numbers in the 11 I imagine.

Anyway, I was just wondering what people's views on where we both finish this season and if you think you will win the league?

Eds feel free to air your opinions

Thanks.

1.) 20 Sep 2016
20 Sep 2016 18:36:53
Your squad doesn't look balanced, doesn't look like a team at all, just a load of individuals thrown together, good ones yes but they are not playing anywhere near to thier potential. mourinho needs to get them playing as a unit to get the most of them or he will be lucky to get top 4 in my opinion. He also needs to drop Rooney until he can get fit again or sell him, he's taking up a space.

We might not have the world class individuals like you but we seem to be playing as a team, almost the opposite to yourselves.

Still too early to judge, United have the players to win the league if you can sort out your issues quickly, Liverpool need to show consistency, can't really tell if we have yet or not, if we do manage to beat the lower half teams more regulary then we could challenge as well.
I wouldn't be gifting man city the league yet either.

2.) 20 Sep 2016
20 Sep 2016 18:45:30
You have Mourinho. You won't play pretty football that's for sure but you will grind out those vital wins. Imo United will prob come 3rd or 4th.

3.) 20 Sep 2016
20 Sep 2016 18:48:20
I expect us to challenge if karius is an improvement over mignolet and james milner is fit for the majority of the season. He's turned into a much needed solid left back. It really depends on injuries to much needed and key players. Henderson especially as I've mentioneda numerous times his importance to midfield defensively.
On united I expect mourinho to get the results. Zlatlan was a great buy. If he drops rooney and gets them playing decently they have the players to do damage. De gea imo guarentees top 4 so its how united perform consistanly and keeping ztlatlan fit as to were they finish.
I think city will win it. Top defenders there and some magnificent players going forward.
Liverpool in my mind to finish 3rd. Weaknesses will get exposed too often. Heart says we will win it.

4.) 20 Sep 2016
20 Sep 2016 18:50:46
Forgot to add. If Mourinho was allowed to put out the team he wanted, then you would probably challenge. Unfortunately he has to play politics and not upset the team ethos considering Rooney is a big influence. If he can find a way to drop Rooney asap then you could challenge, but it might be a bit to late if he is still shoehorning Rooney into the side post-christmas.

5.) 20 Sep 2016
20 Sep 2016 18:53:04
You lot will be lucky to finish top half after the meltdown.

6.) 20 Sep 2016
20 Sep 2016 19:25:43
I agree with mikey, you need a settled team playing as a unit. Brilliant almost embarrassingly good squad of individuals to pick from, but with that comes it's own problems. Rest assured you will be challenging, but for top 4 I think, not the title this year. Liverpool will be too 4. 😉.

7.) 20 Sep 2016
20 Sep 2016 19:26:32
IMO mouriniho will not get the best out of this team and will not last at United. And I said this before the season started. Even before Fergie United play fast fluid football with wingers and like to entertain. JM will never entertain and seems to have lost his charm that made him so likeable to media, fans and his players. Maybe it's just old now. But he will never be loved like he was at Chelsea that first spell. I think u may well scrape 4th just because Everton, Chelsea and Spurs are going to have off spells and you guys still grind out results better than most. I think if we start to kill teams off starting at hull we won't challenge because city will be outta sight but we'll get 3rd. Gunners 2nd.

8.) 20 Sep 2016
20 Sep 2016 19:33:38
realistically i believe liverpool will finnish 2nd or 3rd and united 3,4 or 5th.

9.) 20 Sep 2016
20 Sep 2016 19:42:36
Hard to say really, much as I don't want you to think 2nd or third. Alternatively mourinho could have a melt down and go mid table.

Have some great individual players but as another poster said a very unbalanced squad. Top keeper but Bailey looks to be your only good CB, fullbacks are good compared to the rest of the league, pogba is a great midfielder and zlatan is a proven scorer. Just need mourinho to find a way to make it work. Also depends on Rooney, as think he needs to be dropped.

Personally think mkhitaryan rashford and martial should play behind zlatan to try speed up play with pogba and schnerderlin in midfield.

10.) 20 Sep 2016
20 Sep 2016 22:44:37
Cheers for the replies. Seems we're almost all in agreeance we have a good squad. But needs tweaking to say the least.

Well done Mattaldinho. There always one village idiot with a crap response to genuine posts. Why not out your money where your mouth is. I'll bet you ten grand we finish top half?

11.) 21 Sep 2016
21 Sep 2016 02:12:59
I agree with most of the above - United have a good squad of players but understandably lack cohesion with a new manager. I said before the start of season liverpool will benefit from having had Klopp on ground for extra 6 months while Utd, City (wrong there! ), Chelsea etc. may struggle at first, so I still think top 4 will be City, Liverpool then a scrap between Arsenal, Utd an Chelsea.

I also agree Mou should play Carrick or Schneiderlin at DM with Pogba and Mkhitaryan in the middle. A front line of Ibra, Martial and Rashford with maybe Antonio. Still looks like you miss true wingers though and should have bought someone like Mane. No way Fellaini should be near a Utd squad and Rooney is not good enough for midfield IMO and not a wide player either. We had same problem with Gerard coming to end of his career, but time to move on.

P. s. One risk I do also see is if Mou implodes again. He's a great coach but clearly when things are tough he doesn't handle it well and blames everyone else making things toxic. I thought Chelsea was a once-off, and I also think Utd has stronger characters in the dressing room, but not so sure after recent headlines. Needs to turn things around quickly after recent losses or Utd could miss top 4.

12.) 21 Sep 2016
21 Sep 2016 08:23:38
I always think we'll win the league so no point in elaborating there 🙂.

As for Man Utd. You do have some good players, I'm not convinced you know how to integrate them all in to a cohesive team. It won't be this season. I think you'll finish 5th behind ourselves, City, Arsenal and Spurs. Chelsea - 6th.
You have a great keeper, a decent midfield and some exciting pacey strikers, the problem is in defence and as I said integrating these players into a team.
Jose will probably survive 1 bad season but he'll need to get it right next season.

13.) 21 Sep 2016
21 Sep 2016 08:47:43
A lot depends on how Mourinho deals with things this season, tactically he should be good enough to ensure top 4 but football is constantly changing and I think the biggest challenge now is to see if he can adapt his man-management to motivate the team. The public slating of players and blaming everyone else when things go wrong is something I think is turning off players against him and causing disharmony in general. It will be interesting to see how he deals with a poor run of form, and is he willing to make the big calls like dropping Rooney if it is for the good of the team. For me, he just doesn't seem to fit the club in his style of play or management.

For ourselves I honestly think we will be top 4, the biggest challenge is can we grind out the wins against the so-called smaller teams, if we can then I can honestly see us winning the league though Man City will be favourites, if we don't I still think with our attacking talent that we will be top 4 especially if our main focus is the league and not the cups. Much will also depend on how we are defensively. It will definitely help that Klopp has more time to work with the squad with no europe it should help.

Head says Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Utd. Then again I prefer listening to the heart, which says we are guaranteed to romp it with a record number of goals :)