Could Man Utd end up with a mid table finish or even in a relegation battle?

[Seagull on the wing]

Spotted in Eastbourne on Friday...the rarer Red Top...they use to be everywhere worn by plastic Mancs...think some have changed colours and others wouldn't know the outside of Old Trafford if you showed them a picture.

 

[Rich Suvner]

Hererra's been injured and Blind & Di Maria have only just signed.

None of their signings is yet to make any impact. Whereas other clubs are reaping the dividends from their early signings. Chelsea had all of it's business wrapped up before the WC.

These days I find less and less people willing admitting to being a United fan. If they do they are very quiet.

This thread is about how they will fare this season. They are simply not the same team as last season, even if you only consider players they've lost. Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Cleverley and Giggs. And likely to lose Wellbeck, Hernandez and Fellaini.

Incidentally I think they'll end up in the top 6. People forget that an appalling Moyes United squad were still challenging for a Europa League spot at the season end.

This year the rebuild is more fundamental but under a more experienced coach.

 

[Beach Hut]

This thread is about how they will fare this season. They are simply not the same team as last season, even if you only consider players they've lost. Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Cleverley and Giggs. And likely to lose Wellbeck, Hernandez and Fellaini.

Incidentally I think they'll end up in the top 6. People forget that an appalling Moyes United squad were still challenging for a Europa League spot at the season end.

This year the rebuild is more fundamental but under a more experienced coach.

Fellaini won't go surely, he has only been there a year.........

 

[Kevlar]

the argument that he plays 3 5 2 because of the players available I don't buy
yes he can have a forward pair with mata behind
but now he has bought de Maria that doesn't exactly work
and anyway playing 3 at the back has meant an unknown new defender
and Yorke as a wing back ( lindgard started as right wing back in first game)
overall for the players available even more so with the arrival of de Maria
the system does not seem the best suited.
There are a lot of good teams in the premiership
certainly enough to keep Man U out of any European competition
possibly enough to keep them out of the top half
but not enough to put them down to the championship

 

[Rich Suvner]

Fellaini won't go surely, he has only been there a year.........

Just read their intention to sell him this summer was scuppered by ankle injury. Either way he has no future at United.

 

[The Truth]

As I was rambling along the South Downs Way today, I was chatting about this as my walking companion is interested in top flight football, without having a team of his own.

They need to sign 5 or 6 'world class' players at the very least. How much would that cost? £200m?

'World class' is the new football saying for above average. If wayne Rooney is considered World class, they're going to need far more than just world class players.
I think United have just took the 'over expectation' baton from liverpool.

 

[joeinbrighton]

They won't go down. The problem seems to be that they've switched to a system that is exposing the weakest part of their team, the defence.

It's also slowing the tempo of their game down as well, which has always been a major part of their success. Their play in the opening 3 league matches this season has been far too slow and they haven't created that many chances, also not helped by the standard of crossing from their wide areas having been atrocious.

I think the 3-5-2 formation will eventually be scrapped and gradually they will pick up, but I think Juan Mata may end up being a player who will struggle to fit into the team because he is most suited to playing as a number 10 and doesn't have the pace to play out wide. As and when Man United do go back to 4 at the back you would think that Di Maria would play wide left and Januzaj wide right, so unless Van Gaal dropped Van Persie and played Rooney up top then Mata is going to be difficult to accommodate.

Given the transition the club is in (something they should have attended to 3 or 4 years ago when they were still in a position of strength) it is hard to see them finishing any higher than sixth this season, but they could finish lower. If Burnley had shown more ambition yesterday, they could have lost the match and Burnley are one of the favourites to be relegated.