The most attacking United sides you can recall? Can we become a modern attacking juggernaut?

Fortitude

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Two parts to the thread as the title states.

For myself, first part goes:

1. '93/'94 - the attacking intent of this team was off the charts and its the one side there should be the most regret we didn't get to see play in Europe without the foreigner rule curtailing them. A blazing, traditional 4-4-2 with two flying wingers and two 2-way central midfielders bombing on backed by a high line and a sweeper-keeper. The full-backs also went up to affect play as a duo. A relentless side who just would not stop. Probably the rawest embodiment of the manager at that stage of his managerial career - they were as combustible as he was. Led the league from around this time of the year and never lost 1st spot from that point to becoming champions:


2. '98-'99 - I think, more than anything, the attitude of this side in Europe is testament to what they were about. We attacked every side we faced and went out to win the game rather than play it cagey or in a European style. Because they succeeded in Europe, they got the universal recognition the '93-'94 didn't. Not to mention that they won the treble.


3. '07 - '08 - As this thread is about the most attacking, and not the best, this side comes in third as, by then, we had become a well oiled tactical machine with lots of goals coming from few areas and players whilst the remit of the team remained balanced and controlled. As opposed to the ones above, this wasn't a gung-ho or over-committing side, so it's a different one in the grand scheme and not one with bodies bombing into the attacking third and across the halfway line from the back.


Right, second part of this thread is inspired by Bayern's hype-attacking style. They press and attack like lunatics and are incessant in their desire to score more goals and oppress the opposition via their own threat. They don't care about their high line and their attitude is clearly to outscore the other side no matter whether it's 1-0 or 6-5. It reminds me of our '90's sides and I wanted to ask if anyone thinks we'll ever get to that level of mania in pursuit of crushing the life out of the sides we're up against again? We're very... sensible... and have been since around the time Queiroz came to the club - that manic drive to score and score and score again hasn't really been our thing, not that it's needed to be the best or successful, but really, you love to see it and now that attacking like your life depends on it is en vougue, is there a chance we'll jump aboard that train?
 

Offside

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99/00 was incredible for the ‘you score 3 we score 4’ attitude. We conceded 45 goals yet still had a GD of over 50. Definition of an attacking juggernaut that season. Great post I agree with everything you’ve said.

There was a brief period at the start of 2014/15 where I thought we finally had a United side who were just going to throw caution to the wind and go out every game attacking like maniacs even if we conceded a few. Obviously that Leicester game gave LVG a heart attack and we were the most boring I've ever seen us thereafter.
 

Class of 63

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The Docs 75-77 side and by quite some distance, two strikers, two wingers, two attacking midfielders, a midfielder playing alongside a ball-playing centre-half in defence, and two fullbacks who thought they were wingers, oh yeah and a goalie who liked coming forward to take penalties - if they score six we'll score seven!

The potential of our current forwards is frightening, so yeah, and with the right additions it would be tantamount to cheating.
 

dave1956

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If I remember correctly and I stand to be corrected our most prolific goal scoring seasons were 1956-1957 and 1958-1959 when we scored 103 goals in each of those seasons.
I do not think that these records have been surpassed.
 

Dante

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2006-7? Ronaldo, Rooney, Saha.
That's the last season we were setup to attack first and foremost. Something no manager since has tried to do with any consistency.

Arguably, Ole's current fluid front 4 is the closest we've come to that formula in the intervening years.
 

Dante

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It's funny that during the only season with our most talented group of attackers in PL history:
  • Ronaldo (all time great)
  • Rooney (United and England record goal scorer)
  • Tevez
  • Berbatov
we scored just 68 goals league goals as a team. That compares to 83 and 80 the two seasons before; and 86, 78, 89, 86 the four seasons after.

Just goes to show that individual talent isn't the only thing that makes a great attacking team. Chemistry counts for more. A team with Welbeck and Chicharito as regulars overshadowed some much stronger lineups on paper.
 
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Mr. MUJAC

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The mid 1970's were crazy.

Although we definitely were more attack minded the actual number of goals scored was really poor. And our defence was a shambles which is why we didn't really challenge in the league.

1974/75 we scored 66 goals and conceded 30

Other teams scored more than us that campaign but we had a very good defence in comparison

1975/76 we scored 68 goals and conceded 42

This was probably our most exciting season

1976/77 we scored 71 goals but conceded 62

Our record in the second half of that season was almost relegation form. People say we would have won the league if the Doc had stayed. Not with that defensive record. He would have needed to completely overhaul the squad.

I also think it was exciting because we were comparing it to 1972/73 (44 goals) and 1973/74 (38 goals).

Great to watch but was kamikaze too!
 

EwanI Ted

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The 01-02 side is sometimes overlooked on the basis that we came third, matching our worst PL placing under Fergie. But that really was an attacking outfit, scoring 4 or more goals on 10 occasions while having a wide open defence. That season was summed up for me by a properly weird run of results early on in the season

United 4 - 1 Everton
Newcastle - 4 - 3 United
United 4 - 0 Ipswich
Spurs 3 - 5 United
Sunderland 1 - United 3
United 1 - Bolton 2

Goals all over the place but plenty of defeats. So many rollercoasters that season.
 

led_scholes

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2012-2013 was a disconnected attacking side. We didn't dominate games but we scored in any possible way. Many 3-2s and 4-3s.
 

Web of Bissaka

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Can only say what I remember.

Definitely the 1990s teams, majority of the season until early 2000s.
And then arguably the 2006/7 team - the last time we set-up to all-out attacking.

Afterwards, SAF set-up his team to be more and more risk-averse which reduce the all-out attacking aspect, though at few times (games or minutes) SAF will go all-out attack.