Expectations for season 2023/2024

[mu4c_20le]

Starting to feel a bit of optimism, at least with our striker options.

 

[RedAlert27]

Realistically top 4. We're still way behind City to put up a serious title challenge. Our away performances against City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle will be very telling. We were woeful in those games last year, and I'm afraid this season will be no better. I don't believe our signings bring any character or steel which is needed for the big atmospheres. Hopefully I'm wrong and we don't fold.

 

[pocco]

Time to have another look at this?

We now have 12 players in our squad that have been signed by ETH. I think we should now finally see some amazing football and a title challenge. We've spent the GDP of a small country and other clubs haven't made major upgrades (bar Chelsea), so we should be right up there. Exciting times!

 

[#07]

I genuinely don't know what I am expecting for this season. I don't see us challenging for any serious honours. We're making up numbers in the Champions League, we might finish high enough domestically to do so again next year, but does anyone believe we're serious competition?

I just don't see us achieving anything of note. We have seen enough to know 'top 4' is not going to be a springboard to anything. We are an upper mid table outfit with a big name. There's no point expecting something close to success.

 

[Rightnr]

Top 5 looking like the ceiling at the moment.

City, Arsenal, Liverpool will finish above us. It'll be two out of us, Newcastle and Spuds.

 

[PoTMS]

Hopefully we can finish 4th or 5th.

 

[izec]

CL is the best we can hope for. We are not moving forward though.

 

[Superunknown]

I agree with all of this. Third or fourth is where I predict we'll finish and that would qualify as a good season. Anything else is a bonus. That includes any trophies.

I went with this prediction originally. Third or fourth will be VERY good after the start we've made. Just need to get everyone fit...

 

[Leftback99]

Better football, less hammerings. Matching last season would be acceptable given the level of competition.

Not going well.

 

[Ayush_reddevil]

Think we should be somewhere between 4th to 6th . Hope we can have a run in Europe

 

[Trophy Room]

Injuries to key players will define our season. Casemiro cannot play every game.

 

[James35]

6th place. Quarters of both domestic cups and the Europa League.

 

[Raoul]

4th. I'm sure ETH will get things in order just as he did after last year's calamitous start. The troubling bit is we haven't improved and still haven't definitively addressed striker and our goal problem, despite spending massive amounts yet again in the summer.

 

[BuzzKillington]

Not going well.

We’re pretty much where we were at the same stage last season in terms of points and performances.

But we definitely need points on the board and a convincing display from one of our next two games. Unfortunately we have Brighton at home & Bayern away so…

I’d probably settle for a couple of convincing draws.

 

[pcaming]

We're going to be 6th.

 

[DJ_21]

Top halve finish and a run in the caraboa cup.

 

[Andycoleno9]

We will finish 4th because Celski is in a mess and Spurs are not that good despite flying start. Newcastle will pay the price with plsying in CL and tbh, they are not something special.

But finishing 4th should not be labelled as a good season.

 

[AshRK]

We will finish 4th because Celski is in a mess and Spurs are not that good despite flying start. Newcastle will pay the price with plsying in CL and tbh, they are not something special.

But finishing 4th should not be labelled as a good season.

Well with the way we have started and the fact that we still have maguire and evans being called to help and martial still starting, I would take top 4 right now

 

[Geistman]

I'm thinking Top 4 is a realistic expectation. We have spent a lot of money as has every other team. We have failed to really address our issues.
If we wanted to win this year we would have bought Kane. It's not championship manager buying a 20 year old unproven striker. If we wanted to challenge we would have bought Kane. The Glazers are happy with 4th, that's all we will challenge for.

 

[Andycoleno9]

Well with the way we have started and the fact that we still have maguire and evans being called to help and martial still starting, I would take top 4 right now

I wouldn't. After all investment that we had and manager in place over a year now, just fighting for 4th spot is a bad season for me. Bar must be way higher this season. Trophy, good run in CL and being closer to City than to 4th spot.

If we repeat last season (ups and downs, trashing in away games and barelly catching 4th spot) then it is a wasted season

 

[Kopral Jono]

Luck plays a lot of factor in cup competitions, but as far as the Premier League is concerned we need to go on a solid winning run after the international break if we are to finish top four come May next year. I feel the margins are so fine this season, though I think we have it in our locker to do just that.

 

[SAFMUTD]

It looks like we're regressing. Making top 4 looks like a great result at this point. Geniuenly worried we might not get UCL next season and the FFP problems will only get worse.

 

[Sara125]

Shades of last season. Can seem to only have one half where we clearly dominate, which isn’t enough to be title contenders.

 

[sullydnl]

Nothing about this summer or the start to the season has really changed my expectations, which is to finish in the CL places. That's both what I think we should be doing this season and what I think we will do. If we do that then the results have been fine, if we don't then they haven't and it is a bad season.

What's more up in the air is the important question of how we do it. Will we look no better than last season or will there be more of the positive performance signs you hope for? It's far too early to say at this point, so we'll just have to wait and see.

 

[Roboc7]

I expected we’d at best tread water and there was a good chance we’d regress. We still look like a team that will get around 70 points and may qualify for Champions League. It’s pretty much what we’ve always been since SAF left.

 

[AshRK]

I wouldn't. After all investment that we had and manager in place over a year now, just fighting for 4th spot is a bad season for me. Bar must be way higher this season. Trophy, good run in CL and being closer to City than to 4th spot.

If we repeat last season (ups and downs, trashing in away games and barelly catching 4th spot) then it is a wasted season

One thing is what we want and one thing what we deserve. We are not competing with City, you can sack the manager and bring a new one and we will be in the same boat.

As for investment, the likes of arsenal city and chelsea have invested more than us.

 

[Redstain]

6th place on the premise of this summers activity including the potential purchase of Hojlund. Mount, Hojland and Onana not enough improvement on last season considering the weakness was the attack. It's smug of the club because it's basically saying Rashford's form will need to carry the team again which I don't see happening.

Will stick with my original prediction almost two months ago the teams quality hasn't moved significantly enough with the signings. Right side of the pitch was a non factor last season all the way from wingers to fullbacks United start the season with the same issue.

I was thoroughly impressed with ETH in large periods of the previous season some of the football just before the international break was fantastic. This summer should have always been about building on the foundations established in the previous campaign, instead the plan was ripped to pieces and now a new system is being implemented in a team that is not established.

It doesn't really matter if Pep does it for City he's probably the only manager in world football that can guarantee success on the premise of his capacity and credibility but a new manager taking over a dysfunctional bunch of individuals with poor mentality cannot fluctuate the teams direction in such a short space of time.

The only way I see United's positioning improving is through relying on the system of the previous year and making alterations in personnel where necessary.

 

[Godfather]

Same as always since SAF left. We make the CL places and instead of making the next step we take two back. As long as the rats are there nothing will change.

 

[lsd]

It's going to be a struggle for top four and right now i don't see us making it.

I therefore expect a new manager next season as we look too turn yet another corner

 

[Winrar]

We're basically in the same position as we were last season. Problem is last season's underperformers like Liverpool are doing better, with others like Brighton eyeing a spot in there as well.

 

[oreon]

My expectations have gone down from season start. I was hoping we would get 2nd and close the gap with City along with a cup and making last 8 of UCL.
Now the hope get to top 4 and win at least a cup. I think ETH is still figuring his lineup, a style of play and getting a balance between attack& defence. The football is not cohesive yet. I think it will get them a couple months to build the cohesion and chemistry.

 

[maximus419]

As an earlier poster said, injuries will plague us this season. Now you can argue it's bad luck, but when you are a bit short in quality and having to strain every last bit out of players, they are more likely to pick up strains and knocks. Good teams who keep the ball well, where the quality of coaching and patterns of play means they aren't being stretched, so less risk of injury. That cannot be said of Utd sadly.

So my expectations are, a more competitive league, tougher European matches and overall lack of squad depth, I expect a finish of around 5th-7th. However I wouldn't sack ETH, unless we have a real poor season and players stop performing, then it's like the writing is on the wall for him.

 

[Telsim]

What I hope for is a genuine title challenge even we don't up winning it and a good Champions League run. Maybe a domestic cup.

What I expect is a Top 5 finish (new CL quota?), and a definitive end to the abhorrent, passive transitional style of football. And don't get eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League.

It's not looking good, lads.

 

[SER19]

This is based on nothing but observation on my part but I think something has gone disastrously wrong with pre season planning. We're out of shape, injury prone, and way off the pace in terms of on the ball stuff too. It's a bit embarrassing to watch and whoever was responsible for this side of fitness should lose their job, not to say ten hag is without responsibility too

 

[VivaRonaldo85]

Liverpool and Spurs have improved so top 4 will be a major challenge. Only based on the first 4 games, we’ve regressed, just like last time we secured CL football the next season

 

[BluesJr]

That was very encouraging today, if you know ball. 3rd again.

 

[Todd]

Same song and dance from last season. We will find ways to fail when we're away to the entire top half.

I now think we'll be around the same place we were last season, results-wise. Somewhere around 10 losses.

As it stands right now we're going to be on the outside looking in for top 4/5.

 

[Dominos]

We're basically in the same position as we were last season. Problem is last season's underperformers like Liverpool are doing better, with others like Brighton eyeing a spot in there as well.

The team that are considered dark horses Brighton and Villa both have European football, no realistic chance they're cracking the top 4 with a Thursday-Sunday schedule all season.

Results wise, Liverpool have got off to a good start, as have Spurs. Chelsea a poor start, Newcastle a poor start.

At this stage you can't really tell, as no one fancied United for 3rd at this stage last season.

However, I think what's very evident is we've still got major issues in the team and won't be getting anywhere near a title. So I'd bite your hand off for a top 4 finish if offered it now.

Chelsea/Spurs have the benefit of no European distraction at all, Liverpool look like they could have improved from last season. With Newcastle now it's effectively a "big 7" so a top 4 finish isn't easy.

What you would say, is history tells us as long as we match our 75 points from last season we should get top 4. So all we need to do is not get worse.

 

[KD6-3.7]

Top 4 is our ceiling at the moment but if things don’t change drastically we’ll probably finish around 6th I’d imagine, we’ll see how the extra games effect the likes of Brighton and Newcastle but I think our chances of a CL spot depends on how much everyone else underperforms.

It just seems like we are following the same pattern where every time a new manager has a somewhat promising first season we follow it up with a shocking transfer window where we don‘t strengthen the squad and we just regress and fall further behind.

 

[Plant0x84]

Mental how many here expect a title challenge this season.