Opinion: Upcoming Season Is Going To Be Tough

[Anybody's Guess]

Any injury/rotation to our first 11 and we are in trouble. Yet, we have heard almost nothing beyond the attempt at splashing the vast majority of our budget on one single player.

Imagine the shock when we are in a desperate bid for top four midway through the season.

 

[SAFMUTD]

Liverpool and City are nailed in the top two, after that Chelsea is obviously improving and Spurs wont have such a bad season as the last one.

Leicester probably wont be able to replicate their first round form again and I dont see how Arsenal or Wolves are getting anybetter. My prediction is we will be fighting between top 3-6 again. Around the 65-75 points mark.

 

[Judas]

On paper right now we're in a world of trouble. Still expect the squad to look a bit different once the season rolls around though. It'll be a tough battle for top 4 either way, we're not challenging for the title this season.

 

[Lee565]

I think arsenal are slightly dark horses, it seemed like they were clicking more and more under arteta with the likes of Tierney starting to look really good and dont they have two new young promising centre backs to help strengthen their weakest area?

Spurs are a weird one as they dont seem to be doing much in this window like us but with a manager who can blow got and cold like mourinho then they may finish 8th but also at the same get into a champions league spot but I think just like he did with united he will put all his focus into the Europa league if they can go far in it.

Wolves really should be the ones trying to capitalize on the likes of us and spurs potentially not properly strengthening their first 11, this could be really make or break for wolves this season if they have ambitions of being a champions league team.

I dont see how any fan can be happy though if we finish next season with just a 4th place finish to show for it, that's a pathetic lack of ambition for this club.

 

[Eckers99]

Battle for top 4 is the best we can hope for if the owners won't back Ole this summer. A couple of injuries and even that might be a struggle.

 

[Robertd0803]

My biggest concern if we dont strengthen is we will miss top 4 and end in mid table obscurity again.

I dont like the timing of our home game vs Liverpool.

I can see this season being a nightmare. I hope I'm very wrong.

 

[harms]

I doubt that Spurs and Arsenal will be challenging us next season, but Chelsea’s summer business looks fantastic so far. We really need to step up.

 

[Lynty]

We have clear problems at a whole bunch of positions that will quickly catch up with us if we don't make 3+ major signings and get some bench players in addition.

Was you really expecting five players? Three of those for the first 11?

Your living in fantasy land.

 

[Compton22]

Was you really expecting five players? Three of those for the first 11?

Your living in fantasy land.

Chelsea's transfer window so far is very much a reality not a fantasy.

 

[Lynty]

Chelsea's transfer window so far is very much a reality not a fantasy.

After a transfer ban and the sale of their best player - that's one answer

The other is that their Chelsea, that's how they operate. Half of those transfers won't meant expectations - as per usual.

 

[RashyForPM]

Yeah mate we are gonna win the champions league

We got to the quarters when we were truly shit in 2019, so who knows!

 

[Siorac]

We literally just did get top 4(3rd) with this team that for half a season didn't have pogba, bruno, greenwood and Rashford.

Let's not overdo the gloom

Let's not overdo the pointing at injuries either: Rashford started 31 league games out of 38 and Greenwood was available throughout. He missed one game because of tonsilitis.

 

[Siorac]

Imagine the shock when we are in a desperate bid for top four midway through the season.

Shock? Why would anyone be shocked?

Depressed resignation, maybe. Fighting for top 4 is our "thing" now. It wouldn't surprise anyone; in fact, most of us expect it.

 

[Majima]

This window is going to be very interesting. We need 3-4 quality additions minimum, just for squad depth. Right now, one injury to our first 11, and we're in trouble. The team was dead on it's feet before the end, and we can't rest them in the Europa like we did last season. So without significant investment, realistically we will struggle to make it to Christmas without the wheels falling off.

After achieving his end of the bargain, Ole will be hung out to dry essentially, and that opens up a can of worms of gigantic proportions.

I'll wait and see. I hope everything goes well this window, but it's not like we haven't seen these signs before.

 

[Paul_Scholes18]

City and Liverpool both look weak. We can win the title if we get our act together in the market and buy 3 attacking players.

 

[Siorac]

City and Liverpool both look weak. We can win the title if we get our act together in the market and buy 3 attacking players.

Do they though?

We're obviously not winning the title, come on.

 

[anant]

Chelsea's transfer window so far is very much a reality not a fantasy.

Call me an optimist but I'm finding their transfer window quite weird.

Sure, they've signed big names, but attack wasn't their weakness as it is.

Werner scored 28 goals, Ziyech had 6 and Havertz scored 12.

Currently, they had Giroud+Tammy who scored 23, Willian who scored 9 and Mount scored 7. That's a gain of 7 goals and that is assuming all 3 of them are a success and are able to replicate their performances in PL, which sounds unlikely. Werner's not going to face those high lines here (and he's going to score 18-22 goals IMO based on what the best best strikers in PL have been getting in last 2 seasons). You'd say at the absolute maximum, they'd score 75-80 goals. They would have scored around that many (+/- 2/3 goals) even had they not signed Havertz.

However, now let's get to defence, they conceded 54. Chilwell is not a defender who'd help them save a lot of goals (he's an upgrade on Alonso, but he's suspect defensively), and I believe Thiago Silva isn't what they exactly for their high line defence. I'd have preferred to spend the Havertz money on someone like a Koulibaly and a GK instead.

Add to that, Kante doesn't suit their system, Jorginho is out of favour. So, I'm sorry but I'm struggling to understand why this insanely heavy investment on attack when they have a top 4 worthy attack. And before someone points out that they're looking to challenge for the title, they're more likely to fall out of top 4 with that defence than win a title this coming season

 

[Smores]

There's nothing wrong with the team other than being a little short in depth up front. As long as we get another attacker in then top 4 shouldn't be a concern. Without any major injury issues we'll be fine without any reinforcements.

I predict we'll stick with the theme of this place over the last 7 years and the quality of the squad will be judged by fans solely in relation to whether they want the manager on that given week.

People ignored the issues with the Moyes squad, then praised LvG for creating a situation of no depth at all! Then Jose was holding back a title winning team, then it was still title winning but just tired under Ole. Then it wasn't title winning at all and retrospectively LvG and Jose's fault.

This team and squad is better than any we've had post Sir Alex. We need less doom.

 

[Sandikan]

Let's not overdo the pointing at injuries either: Rashford started 31 league games out of 38 and Greenwood was available throughout. He missed one game because of tonsilitis.

Greenwood wasn't really an option in the first half of the season. He emerged as a strong option late doors.
Hit me with stats on how many games Pogba and Bruno started for us, if you're trying to play this game.

 

[Sandikan]

There's nothing wrong with the team other than being a little short in depth up front. As long as we get another attacker in then top 4 shouldn't be a concern. Without any major injury issues we'll be fine without any reinforcements.

I predict we'll stick with the theme of this place over the last 7 years and the quality of the squad will be judged by fans solely in relation to whether they want the manager on that given week.

People ignored the issues with the Moyes squad, then praised LvG for creating a situation of no depth at all! Then Jose was holding back a title winning team, then it was still title winning but just tired under Ole. Then it wasn't title winning at all and retrospectively LvG and Jose's fault.

This team and squad is better than any we've had post Sir Alex. We need less doom.

Yes for definite, for top 4.

We were all hoping we'd show some interest in cracking on to threaten the top 2 though.
Maybe we will, still.

 

[bondsname]

I agree. The league overall will be a lot tougher aswell. Everton won't be an easy game with Ancelotti, Southampton under Hassenhuttl, Leeds are back with Bielsa, Leicester, Wolves are all potential slip ups. I think next season can be very grim if we don't get a few signings.

 

[Siorac]

Greenwood wasn't really an option in the first half of the season. He emerged as a strong option late doors.
Hit me with stats on how many games Pogba and Bruno started for us, if you're trying to play this game.

I didn't deny that Bruno and Pogba did indeed miss half the season. More, in Pogba's case. I'm just saying it doesn't really apply to Rashford or Greenwood.

 

[Leonzo1]

We are going to burn out around December unless we make at least 3 signings Which at the moment seems very unlikely. There is currently zero quality on the bench and Ole is very reluctant to change anything in his starting XI. Ever since the restart we pretty much played the exact same lineup every game, add to that the fact that we don't subtitue anyone and stretch all that to an unusually hectic season and You've got yourself a disaster of a season. Even though our starting XI is the 3rd best in the league if we don't make any additions to the squad we are looking at another 6th place finish at best.

 

[dannyrhinos89]

We literally just did get top 4(3rd) with this team that for half a season didn't have pogba, bruno, greenwood and Rashford.

Let's not overdo the gloom

is that our level then just scrape top 4 every season. Rely on Bruno who literally carried us.

All I’m seeing is Lampard finished 4th and they’ve backed him to go further and challenge for the league, the players they’re signing are quality and fill much needed gaps In their team.

Meanwhile Ole is just being hung out to dry by our board.

 

[ArjenIsM3]

This is another frustrated thread about lack of transfers. Could be connected to Ed Woodward, wot no transfers ect...
Do we really need another one to clog up the caf. Close it up

Agree with this.

 

[edcunited1878]

You are weird mate, I don't know how your point is related to this thread. This thread is about our season going to be tough this upcoming season, tough season is like last season where we are not being comfortable to secure top 4 since we needed to secure it to our last game of the season.

If we sign Sancho alone, we should be fine and secure top 4 comfortably. The rebuilding project was never gonna be 2 years, it was expected to be 3 or 4 years and that was said when we didn't know about the upcoming pandemic year that influenced to club's economy.

It's going to be tough regardless if United get Sancho or not because we have to see how the current players improve, if they improve. And improvement means a lot of things in terms of output, consistency at a high level, making yourself available to be selected, mentality, etc.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

I think arsenal are slightly dark horses, it seemed like they were clicking more and more under arteta with the likes of Tierney starting to look really good and dont they have two new young promising centre backs to help strengthen their weakest area?

Spurs are a weird one as they dont seem to be doing much in this window like us but with a manager who can blow got and cold like mourinho then they may finish 8th but also at the same get into a champions league spot but I think just like he did with united he will put all his focus into the Europa league if they can go far in it.

Wolves really should be the ones trying to capitalize on the likes of us and spurs potentially not properly strengthening their first 11, this could be really make or break for wolves this season if they have ambitions of being a champions league team.

I dont see how any fan can be happy though if we finish next season with just a 4th place finish to show for it, that's a pathetic lack of ambition for this club.

The difference for Spurs could be having Harry Kane banging in the goals.

 

[Sandikan]

is that our level then just scrape top 4 every season. Rely on Bruno who literally carried us.

All I’m seeing is Lampard finished 4th and they’ve backed him to go further and challenge for the league, the players they’re signing are quality and fill much needed gaps In their team.

Meanwhile Ole is just being hung out to dry by our board.

We did spent 130m on two defenders and whatever colossal fee Bruno took in Jan.

Chelsea are merely catching up on that, with perhaps 1 chunk on top. A chunk we'll probably match by the end of the window.

 

[Lee565]

The difference for Spurs could be having Harry Kane banging in the goals.

Yeah a relatively injury free season for kane and they could definitely be sniffing around a top 4 spot.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

My only concern is the build up of fixtures with a small squad of players that Ole trusts. He's going to have to rotate and unless the lads are match fit we'll struggle badly.

Same here. The short break between seasons and fixture congestion are going to take a huge toll. Not just on us but everyone. We don't have the depth to handle that.

 

[Devil may care]

I said in another thread that if the boards feckery continues in this window then Ole should be safe in his job as long as he gets top 6 as he has no attacking options on the bench to change a game or challenge the starting 4 and he has no reliable holding midfielder who can play with Pogba, plus he's at least a CB short.

 

[Nou_Camp99]

I think we will come 4th next year. 3rd this season might have actually been a bit misleading as had Chelsea not had a transfer ban we'd not have got 3rd anyway in my opinion.

If we get 4th next year the club will be happy. Fans won't but the Glazers only call care about money. They didn't buy us to see us win trophies. Malc bought us to help fund his Glazer offspring for the next 20 to 30 years.

We will do some business. I think we might dabble on the loan market and get Bale and maybe 1 or 2 others. Money is obviously tighter than some fans think it is. I think Sancho deal is well and truly done for now though. Its gone stone cold now that deal.

 

[Amir]

City and Liverpool both look weak. We can win the title if we get our act together in the market and buy 3 attacking players.

That means giving up on Sancho. Or making very shrewd and not so costly signings.

 

[Paul_Scholes18]

That means giving up on Sancho. Or making very shrewd and not so costly signings.

Yeah not sure we want to spend a huge amount. I still hope we can get Sancho and one more player.

 

[Irwin99]

Is it true that we're starting the season a week later than most teams due to our Europa league exploits? Even so, I wonder if tiredness will be a factor what with more demanding CL games in the fixture list.

 

[arthurka]

Bruno and Pogba will be for the entire season instead of less than half of it, and hopefully Martial and Rashford won’t get injured. I believe we will be better than last season (actually we were since Bruno came).

Of course doing a couple of good signings will improve us but we should be ok regardless.

We haven't been injury free for years this is a bit optimistic.. We need to sign players our squad is wafer thin of quality..

 

[ghaliboy]

Every season is tough. Until fans and players accept that the season is a grind and they no longer have a by rights mantle to win the league we won't win it.

 

[lex talionis]

We should start this discussion by banning the word “easy”. Even when we had Ronaldo or the sides of the late 90s its was never easy to lift trophies.

Right now we’re a top four side and I have my doubts that no matter who we sign that we’d be a favorite to win the PL. My best guess now is that we’ll sign only two players of real quality and give our fringe players like Tuanzebe and Foso-Mensah a real chance, which might not be such a bad idea.

Let’s be clear: this will be a difficult season for us (it always is) but I think we’re strong enough to hang around in third or fourth place and even make a long run in the CL. The other cups are of minor interest except to showcase young players.

 

[Rozay]

A tough PL season? Who’d have thought?!

 

[Web of Bissaka]

Don't worry, we just need to won more penalties.

Relax~