What do we need to do to win the league?

[Harry190]

Not much. More bodies. They don't need to be top notch at everything, just good enough to get you there over 38 games. That's how Arsenal did it. Need some experience up front as well. In a title run, it's one of the most underrated aspects. Midfield will be fine eventually. Just have to keep the momentum garnered at the end of last season.

Most in-form team of the last stretch of a season is usually the one that ends up winning it the next assuming there is continuity in management.

It's true.

 

[Bright_Eyes]

a hell of a lot more quality than we are signing... never thought I'd see the day when we weren't in the running for the top players available. I know we've mis-spent in the past but it's pretty true that you get what you pay for: you only need to look at City and Arsenal to see that's true

.. Or you could look at us and Chelsea and come to the opposite conclusion

 

[Van Piorsing]

Fix midfield & GK department, then defense / attack falling apart. There's just too much glass in the squad, at the moment. Next season, If you'll see our left side consisting of Shaw & Rashford, then you'll know we're not progressing that much.

However with window still open, you can change something, and United are not exactly sitting on their arse, which is good.

 

[Steve 007]

.. Or you could look at us and Chelsea and come to the opposite conclusion

Or liverpool last season, spent over £400 million and went backwards. I think we need to look at our squad when the window is done and we’ve seen them play a few games. Sesko, Mbeumo and Cuhna getting better could be our base for success if Bruno can continue at the same level.

 

[Hanky panky]

Solid starting CB duo who stays healthy. Two full backs and at least one of them have to be good going forward. One very good/world class midfielder. OGS style reliable 10+ goal substitute striker. And likely left winger. Overall we need 1-2 more talismans. Bruno alone isn't enough. And after all this, Sesko must develop to 15-20 goals starting striker.

 

[Lu Tze]

Realistically 2 healthy top class CBs, a good LB, a good CM, and a world class forward would get us close to competing.

To be fair, Yoro and Heaven could be those CBs if they take the jump they are capable of taking this year. So just the latter 3 are the highest priority.

 

[NewGlory]

But we do need to close the gap to them first. Each season it feels like our team/squad are no closer to city

We will never be close to City, in terms of squad strength and depth, under current ownership. I honestly don't think Glazers (and possibly Ratcliffe) give two fecks about us winning the league. As long as we finish Champions League positions often (that 100M+ revenue is sweet) and they make billions from the new stadium, they will be more than happy.

We would need to spend significantly more if we wanted to close the gap on City or Arsenal.

Realistically 2 healthy top class CBs, a good LB, a good CM, and a world class forward would get us close to competing.

To be fair, Yoro and Heaven could be those CBs if they take the jump they are capable of taking this year. So just the latter 3 are the highest priority.

Expecting a 19 year old and a 20 year old to be the starting CB pairing, for an EPL team that wants to finish top 4/5 is naive at best. You can MAYBE have one CBs that is young as a starter, paired with somebody much more experienced, but both of them that young? In EPL? meh

At the very least we need De Ligt to stop being injured and become a regular starter. Not sure what the prospects of that are, considering how incredibly long he's been out.

 

[justsomebloke]

Or liverpool last season, spent over £400 million and went backwards. I think we need to look at our squad when the window is done and we’ve seen them play a few games. Sesko, Mbeumo and Cuhna getting better could be our base for success if Bruno can continue at the same level.

To be that level of successful, you have to spend. That there are teams who spend and still are not successful is not actually an argument against that. Necessary as opposed to sufficient causes.

 

[bosnian_red]

No you can't just click, you need incredibly ambitious owners with means. I do t think we have that. Yes they can do what they want, but I'm not going to pretend I think it's good. I think we have the worst owners in the league who will always hold us back

I'd say our owners are just as ambitious and probably more financially capable as the team who just won the league. We spend 200m - 300m every year. That's plenty. We just need to spend it on the right people, grow enough quality, coach them well enough, etc... that takes time.

 

[ron86]

We will never be close to City, in terms of squad strength and depth, under current ownership. I honestly don't think Glazers (and possibly Ratcliffe) give two fecks about us winning the league. As long as we finish Champions League positions often (that 100M+ revenue is sweet) and they make billions from the new stadium, they will be more than happy.

We would need to spend significantly more if we wanted to close the gap on City or Arsenal.

This is what I keep saying. We will never compete under this ownership, people just shoot it down as negativity when in reality it's clear as day

 

[Steve 007]

This is what I keep saying. We will never compete under this ownership, people just shoot it down as negativity when in reality it's clear as day

You can’t close the squad gap in the time INOES have had with the debt they inherited, the lack of footballing people we had, the above average wages, the old falling apart stadium and amount of staff which was the most in the PL nearly double Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City’s.

We are shopping in a different shop because we need more players. If us Man City and Arsenal all spend £250 million this summer, they’d do that on 2-3 players max but we’d need 6. When the squad is built we can drop bigger money on star 1st name on the team sheet type players.


Would people prefer it if we bought Anderson for upto £130 million and only bought one centre mid? Rather than 3.

Would we prefer it if we bought Rodgers for £117 and only bought 1 cheap midfielder?

Buying for big fees guarantees nothing:

Pogba, Di Maria, Veron and Anthony price this.

 

[ron86]

You can’t close the squad gap in the time INOES have had with the debt they inherited, the lack of footballing people we had, the above average wages, the old falling apart stadium and amount of staff which was the most in the PL nearly double Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City’s.

We are shopping in a different shop because we need more players. If us Man City and Arsenal all spend £250 million this summer, they’d do that on 2-3 players max but we’d need 6. When the squad is built we can drop bigger money on star 1st name on the team sheet type players.

So it takes us 3 years to build a squad, Bruno is then retired. We will still need a host of top quality players, we aren't getting close for a long Time. People just live in hope

 

[Steve 007]

You are forgetting the Pep factor, the new manager at Liverpool who has massive holes all over his squad and the money was spent last summer, that Chelsea already have lots of expensive players and can’t gel them, they have a good manager now who has zero PL management experience. The PL is supposed to be cutting down on the dark arts at corners too. There is no obvious favourite to win the league at present. Let’s see when the window shuts.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Sesko
Cunha Bruno Mbeumo
Mainoo CDM
LB - LCB - RCB - Dalot
Lammens​

I know we pretty much rebuilt the attack last summer, but I still have question marks over whether that front four is good enough to win the league. Bruno is the exception - he's world class. The others have all shown flashes, but they're still inconsistent. Having said that, if you looked at Arsenal's front line last season, you probably wouldn't have called it elite either, yet they still won the league. You could argue that's because they were so solid defensively, which brings me onto the midfield and defence.

I thought Carrick was going to mould Mainoo into more of a deep-lying midfielder. If the reports are accurate though, it looks like he sees him as an No.8, which would mean rotating with Tielemans. I'm completely fine with that. If anything, it shows we've finally got genuine quality and depth in midfield. Santos looks like he'll be one of the deeper midfielders based on the Wrexham game, and I'd still expect another midfielder to come in before the window closes.

For me, though, that signing has to be top class. If we're serious about reaching the level of City, Arsenal and the very best sides, you need an elite midfielder in that deeper role. The problem is there just aren't many available anymore that can come in and make a sudden impact.

Defensively, though, this is where I think we're still a year away from being genuine title contenders.

Last summer was about fixing the attack. This summer is about the midfield. Next summer, I think it'll be the defence.

When everyone's fit, we're still relying on an ageing Shaw, and an injury-prone Martinez and De Ligt. Dalot and Mazraoui are solid, dependable players, and I actually don't think right-back is a huge concern at the moment, although you could argue the quality isn't where it should be.

If you want to win the Premier League, you need a partnership like Gabriel and Saliba. Two reliable, athletic, dominant centre-backs who complement each other and can cope with playing a high line, dealing with transitions, and playing twice a week in both the Premier League and Europe.

We also need a long-term successor to Shaw at left-back. Lewis Hall would be the obvious choice for me, and I wouldn't be surprised if we go for him next summer, or even this one if the opportunity comes up.

As for centre-backs, I'm not completely sure who's realistic. I've always liked Lacroix, but he looks like he's heading to Chelsea. Whoever it is, though, I'd be looking to move on from Martinez and De Ligt over the next year and bring in two new starting centre-backs, with Yoro, Heaven and Maguire providing the depth.

That's why I think we'll fall just short this season. I can see us being much closer, maybe even challenging for long periods, but title-winning teams are built over time. Last summer was the attack. This summer is the midfield. Next summer has to be the defence. If we get that right, then I think we'll genuinely have a squad capable of winning the league.

 

[Owen Hargo]

We need a double squad to play in UCL group stages, Carabao and FA cup final while the main midfield play on weekends. More quality players that are happy to be here and don’t mind being 2nd option like we did under SAF in 2008.

 

[NewGlory]

You can’t close the squad gap in the time INOES have had with the debt they inherited, the lack of footballing people we had, the above average wages, the old falling apart stadium and amount of staff which was the most in the PL nearly double Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City’s.

We are shopping in a different shop because we need more players. If us Man City and Arsenal all spend £250 million this summer, they’d do that on 2-3 players max but we’d need 6. When the squad is built we can drop bigger money on star 1st name on the team sheet type players.


Would people prefer it if we bought Anderson for upto £130 million and only bought one centre mid? Rather than 3.

Would we prefer it if we bought Rodgers for £117 and only bought 1 cheap midfielder?

Buying for big fees guarantees nothing:

Pogba, Di Maria, Veron and Anthony price this.

Oh, cry me a river for poor INEOS "inheriting" problems. Mate, they didn't inherit anything. United is still fully owned by Glazers, and INEOS are ...s who willingly got in bed with them. Whatever you want to replace the "..."s with

 

[Zumbi]

But we do need to close the gap to them first. Each season it feels like our team/squad are no closer to city

This is just nonsense. Our current squad right now feels way closer to City than it was a couple years ago. That’s how we finished third and not 8-15th. We’re objectively much closer than we were before.

 

[King Kendrick]

You can’t close the squad gap in the time INOES have had with the debt they inherited, the lack of footballing people we had, the above average wages, the old falling apart stadium and amount of staff which was the most in the PL nearly double Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City’s.

We are shopping in a different shop because we need more players. If us Man City and Arsenal all spend £250 million this summer, they’d do that on 2-3 players max but we’d need 6. When the squad is built we can drop bigger money on star 1st name on the team sheet type players.


Would people prefer it if we bought Anderson for upto £130 million and only bought one centre mid? Rather than 3.

Would we prefer it if we bought Rodgers for £117 and only bought 1 cheap midfielder?

Buying for big fees guarantees nothing:

Pogba, Di Maria, Veron and Anthony price this.

Project 150 is the stated aim of club management, meaning 2 more summer windows and they reiterated the message last summer.

Let’s be real this club is does not have enough top end talent at present to win the league based on their own stated timeline without massive internal development and/or big signings.

You can’t say that’s the goal then bargain bin shop. There is plenty of value to be had if we move away from this Prem proven dumbass mantra. Or you can say we’re going to buy the brightest talents and trust the development staff and give them to then build on the back of Carrington, and the fans would be more understanding.

 

[Zumbi]

We only have Bruno who would be a starter for City and Arsenal. We need more top quality players.

You really, honestly think that?

Our starting XI really isn’t that behind Arsenal’s. Their defence is better but their attack really isn’t that great.

Cunha and Mbeumo both had more G/A each than Martinelli, Eze and Saka last season. Hell, Dorgu got more G/A than Martinelli. Sesko had better G/A per minutes played than Gyokeres and clearly has more potential. Tielemans or Zubimendi feels like a toss up to me.

I feel like this is a perfect example of fans underrating the players they watch every week whilst overrating rival players they don’t see all the frustrations with.

 

[Gazza]

To win the league, we would need our defence, midfield, and attack to improve, either through coaching (would probably not be enough to win the league) or personnel (we probably don't have the money for that kind of project).

To qualify for the Champions League, we should have enough. I think it could be tight, as I expect Chelsea and Liverpool to do better than they did last season, but if it's five places for the PL again then we should be okay.

 

[Raoul]

To win the league, we would need our defence, midfield, and attack to improve, either through coaching (would probably not be enough to win the league) or personnel (we probably don't have the money for that kind of project).

To qualify for the Champions League, we should have enough. I think it could be tight, as I expect Chelsea and Liverpool to do better than they did last season, but if it's five places for the PL again then we should be okay.

Agreed. And like Arsenal and Pool benefited from in the preceding two years, we also need our opposition to have down years - as City have had over the past two seasons.

 

[RedKnight88]

This team won't win league, unless all the big sides have a bad season. But it should be least make top 2 maybe?


----------------------------------------------------------Matheus Cunha----------------------------------------------------
Bradley Barcola ----------------------------Bruno Fernandes-----------------------------------Bryan Mbuemo
--------------------------------Kobbie Mainoo--------------------------Chema Andres----------------------------
Lewis Hall-------------------Lisandro Martinez-----------------------Harry Maguire--------------Diogo Dalot



--------------------------------------------------------Benjamin Sesko----------------------------------------------------
Tynan Thompson-----------------------------Mason Mount----------------------------------------Amad
-------------------------------Andrey Santos----------------------Youri Tielemans---------------------------
Patrick Dorgu---------------Ayden Heaven------------------Leny Yoro---------------------------Noussair Mazraoui.


I'd improve right side next season. I like wingers that can take on players. And Diogo Dalot should become just a solid back-up.

 

[ValenciasDrilledCrosses]

This year is the best chance we've had on paper since 2016. Every other big team has question marks over them. But so do we, and our squad looks far too thin to compete on more than one front. If we start the season well, I'd be even ok not taking UCL too seriously if it means a real title challenge. Arsenal are definitely the favorites for the league, but even they weren't exactly dominant last season and have a lot of players struggling with fitness after a brutal league season.

The amount of hope I have means that we're losing to Hull 2-1 in week 1 and will sit 8th in October.

 

[Steve 007]

Oh, cry me a river for poor INEOS "inheriting" problems. Mate, they didn't inherit anything. United is still fully owned by Glazers, and INEOS are ...s who willingly got in bed with them. Whatever you want to replace the "..."s with

No one is saying poor Ineos. They are just the people responsible for ‘footballing operations’ and that’s their choice.

We as fans want to win. We don’t half knee jerk when rivals spend big even if they buy for way overinflated prices.

 

[Bondi77]

You can’t close the squad gap in the time INOES have had with the debt they inherited, the lack of footballing people we had, the above average wages, the old falling apart stadium and amount of staff which was the most in the PL nearly double Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City’s.

We are shopping in a different shop because we need more players. If us Man City and Arsenal all spend £250 million this summer, they’d do that on 2-3 players max but we’d need 6. When the squad is built we can drop bigger money on star 1st name on the team sheet type players.


Would people prefer it if we bought Anderson for upto £130 million and only bought one centre mid? Rather than 3.

Would we prefer it if we bought Rodgers for £117 and only bought 1 cheap midfielder?

Buying for big fees guarantees nothing:

Pogba, Di Maria, Veron and Anthony price this.

Our recent history is proof of that and yet fans just bang on about spending gross amounts of money every summer window!

 

[FrankWhite]

We need to be better an dealing with low blocks without gaining a weakness in transitions. That means athletes who are good on the ball.

LW: Cunha is great but he loves to cut inside and move towards the ball. We really need a low block destroying winger who's great at 1 v 1 and has a good end product. Ndiaye is still more of a 10 but he's great at small space dribbling and plays with a brain.

CM: with our current mix of midfielders, what we lack is legs. We need a super athletic all rounder with a football brain. Zaire Emery and Alex Scott are options here.

LB: We need something here. An Evra like player. A great two way player who's also at athlete. Not convinced Lewis Hall has the speed. Not sure who here.

CB: with Casemiro gone, we got weaker aerially as a team and our new midfield is doesn't fix this. We need an aerial monster. On top of that, we also need athletes that can match up with anybody in transitions. I would go for Branthwaite. I don't love it but he fits that profile.

I know people want a back up striker but I would prioritise these as we have 3 players who can deputuse as strikers.

 

[TheRedHearted]

Trust each other and work on the same heartbeat. Push the other teams weaknesses

Sign a CdM, cb, striker, winger that can play both sides.
I do think Rashford will contribute, despite popular opinion.


I know the plan is to play with two 8s but we can’t always have the same answer to different questions.

Really interested who the backup striker would be, Sarr? Would we ever play a 4-4-2 at the end of a game?

 

[Josep Dowling]

Simplistic view we need a bigger squad of better quality. The squad is too thin for European football and we have too many players that stay injured all season. The likes of Shaw, De Ligt, Martinez and Mount won’t be available for parts of next season no doubt. That’s potentially 3 of 4 starting defenders.

We need more in midfield, full backs and a striker that has the potential for 20-25 league goals. We’ve had 2 strikers in Zlatan and Lukaku that could do that since we last won the league.

And then the controversial one, I’ve always had a preference to play a proper midfield 3. A doubt pivot with Bruno doesn’t work for me as we end up 3 v 2 in midfield for a lot of games. We never have control of midfield. Bruno may be a fantastic player but his freedom causes this issue. It will work against some opposition but we need a manager that can change the system in games where it doesn’t work.

 

[Josep Dowling]

Our recent history is proof of that and yet fans just bang on about spending gross amounts of money every summer window!

Whilst I agree with his points we haven’t signed 6 players and I doubt we will. So far the signings are extremely underwhelming and haven’t improved the squad from last season.

 

[Zumbi]

Whilst I agree with his points we haven’t signed 6 players and I doubt we will. So far the signings are extremely underwhelming and haven’t improved the squad from last season.

I think our midfield has improved in some key ways. Progressive passing and ball retention from Tielemans and Santos should be better than from Ugarte and Casemiro.

 

[Escobar]

We need to sell Rashford and Zirkzee and then invest in a second striker and potentially left winger. We also need cover for Shaw (or even someone to take his place) and then we could compete if Carrick has another blinder and coaches us well

 

[Cathy Ferguson]

You really, honestly think that?

Our starting XI really isn’t that behind Arsenal’s. Their defence is better but their attack really isn’t that great.

Cunha and Mbeumo both had more G/A each than Martinelli, Eze and Saka last season. Hell, Dorgu got more G/A than Martinelli. Sesko had better G/A per minutes played than Gyokeres and clearly has more potential. Tielemans or Zubimendi feels like a toss up to me.

I feel like this is a perfect example of fans underrating the players they watch every week whilst overrating rival players they don’t see all the frustrations with.

Fair points, Arsenal's wide forwards were poor last season. Saka is usually a beast and Cunha was better than Trossard last season.

 

[Zumbi]

Fair points, Arsenal's wide forwards were poor last season. Saka is usually a beast and Cunha was better than Trossard last season.

Yep. I’d have Arsenal’s defence, our attack plus Saka (when he’s fit of course), and midfield would be a mix.

 

[Ludens the Red]

To be brutally honest, a new head coach to start with. I know Pep and Klopp have gone and it’s not an outstanding level of top sides but I don’t see any framework there to suggest michael Carrick is gonna win a league title.
Player wise, defensively is our main problem. Think we’re quite weak at centre half in terms of having a reliable pair. Never seen any team win a title chopping and changing centre back partnerships. And with absolute certainty unless we sign a new CB that is what will be happening next season. Don’t think much of our full backs but they’re not as crucial as the Cb’s.

 

[Posh Red]

To be brutally honest, a new head coach to start with. I know Pep and Klopp have gone and it’s not an outstanding level of top sides but I don’t see any framework there to suggest michael Carrick is gonna win a league title.
Player wise, defensively is our main problem. Think we’re quite weak at centre half in terms of having a reliable pair. Never seen any team win a title chopping and changing centre back partnerships. And with absolute certainty unless we sign a new CB that is what will be happening next season. Don’t think much of our full backs but they’re not as crucial as the Cb’s.

But someone like Arteta can win the league? Not sure I buy it.

 

[Zumbi]

To be brutally honest, a new head coach to start with. I know Pep and Klopp have gone and it’s not an outstanding level of top sides but I don’t see any framework there to suggest michael Carrick is gonna win a league title.
Player wise, defensively is our main problem. Think we’re quite weak at centre half in terms of having a reliable pair. Never seen any team win a title chopping and changing centre back partnerships. And with absolute certainty unless we sign a new CB that is what will be happening next season. Don’t think much of our full backs but they’re not as crucial as the Cb’s.

If Arteta can I don’t see why Carrick can’t with the right squad investments. Since he arrrived we’ve been performing right around that level anyway. The challenge is keeping it up with a busier schedule, but a rebuilt centre midfield should help enormously with that.

 

[justsomebloke]

I think Arsenal provides an interesting case. They finished 8th in 20/21. In 21/22, they brought in Tomiyasu, Lokonga, Ramsdale, White and Tavares - a group of players without much lasting impact, most of whom were relatively cheap, but they plugged holes and addressed obvious problems. That let them move from 8th to 5th.

Then in in 22/23, they brought in Jesus, Zinchenko, Vieira, Trossard, Jorginho and Kiwior. Not one of those players are still in their first XI (or really ever were), but they plugged the remaining holes and addressed obvious issues. They were all significant signings, but not really big ones. That allowed them to make the jump from 5th to 2nd.

It was only after that they started adding the pieces that became integral to their championship team. Rice, Havertz, Timber and Raya in 23/24. Calafiori and Merino in 24/25. Zubimendi, Eze, Gyokeres, Madueke and Hincapie last summer.

I think there are some interesting takeaways from that story. I was always mystified by their transfers in 21/22, because it seemed obvious that the players they bought were not of a calibre that could make them important pieces of a future contender, which is what they were building towards. But what they seem to have done, and which seems to have worked, is to progress in stages. Their 21/22 additions helped make them a more functional and complete team and to regain competitiveness. Their 22/23 additions then built on that to upgrade in key positions, bringing them much closer. And from there on it's been a question of marginal improvements in already strong positions, and expanding quality depth, culminating in last season's title.

If you place United in that trajectory, I would say we're at more or less the same stage Arsenal was in 22/23, and perhaps even a bit behind that. We are still plugging holes and fixing issues rather than upgrading an already functional and balanced squad that is competitive but not quite a title contender. Entering this window, we did not have a credible backup goaltender, were a man short at LB, three men short in central midfield, had a rather unsettled central defence (anyone want to bet which two CBs are the regular starters two seasons from now?) and had obvious issues at the RB and Striker positions. Our transfer activity must be expected to be geared towards addressing those multiple issues, which in practice means it's not going to be big money star players, and not not necessarily players with a long and important future at the club either. This is what building in stages looks like.

 

[Zumbi]

I think Arsenal provides an interesting case. They finished 8th in 20/21. In 21/22, they brought in Tomiyasu, Lokonga, Ramsdale, White and Tavares - a group of players without much lasting impact, most of whom were relatively cheap, but they plugged holes and addressed obvious problems. That let them move from 8th to 5th.

Then in in 22/23, they brought in Jesus, Zinchenko, Vieira, Trossard, Jorginho and Kiwior. Not one of those players are still in their first XI (or really ever were), but they plugged the remaining holes and addressed obvious issues. They were all significant signings, but not really big ones. That allowed them to make the jump from 5th to 2nd.

It was only after that they started adding the pieces that became integral to their championship team. Rice, Havertz, Timber and Raya in 23/24. Calafiori and Merino in 24/25. Zubimendi, Eze, Gyokeres, Madueke and Hincapie last summer.

I think there are some interesting takeaways from that story. I was always mystified by their transfers in 21/22, because it seemed obvious that the players they bought were not of a calibre that could make them important pieces of a future contender, which is what they were building towards. But what they seem to have done, and which seems to have worked, is to progress in stages. Their 21/22 additions helped make them a more functional and complete team and to regain competitiveness. Their 22/23 additions then built on that to upgrade in key positions, bringing them much closer. And from there on it's been a question of marginal improvements in already strong positions, and expanding quality depth, culminating in last season's title.

If you place United in that trajectory, I would say we're at more or less the same stage Arsenal was in 22/23, and perhaps even a bit behind that. We are still plugging holes and fixing issues rather than upgrading an already functional and balanced squad that is competitive but not quite a title contender. Entering this window, we did not have a credible backup goaltender, were a man short at LB, three men short in central midfield, had a rather unsettled central defence (anyone want to bet which two CBs are the regular starters two seasons from now?) and had obvious issues at the RB and Striker positions. Our transfer activity must be expected to be geared towards addressing those multiple issues, which in practice means it's not going to be big money star players, and not not necessarily players with a long and important future at the club either. This is what building in stages look like.

Good analysis.

 

[Ludens the Red]

But someone like Arteta can win the league? Not sure I buy it.

If Arteta can I don’t see why Carrick can’t with the right squad investments. Since he arrrived we’ve been performing right around that level anyway. The challenge is keeping it up with a busier schedule, but a rebuilt centre midfield should help enormously with that.

Said this before on here but it is no coincidence that some of the best managers currently out there all hail from the same footballing school - whether it be Basque/Barcelona or both.
Theres a certain education these guys go through in these places that makes them craft themselves into these top level coaches. Arteta spent years working under Pep in a one to one coaching role as well. Carrick spent years working under Ole… I love Ole but those are going to be two completely different experiences.

As I said, the chances are better now a few of the other guys have left but I just don’t know what the basis is for Carrick being able to win a league title. Like what can we hang onto to say “yeah this will be the guy”… Nothing he did at Middlesbrough that’s for sure. Not that he did badly but we’re talking about winning a league title here. And even his coaching education is nothin to write home about. Personality - he seems to be very good with players but does he have that sharpness and cut throat nature ? Not sure…

 

[ReddyMcRedface]

Find a way to consistently beat the lesser teams in the league.

Whatever about the squad and the lack of depth, United still have better players than a good chunk of the league. Dropping daft points before Christmas is what writes you out of a title race and into a top 4 one. Consistently beat teams in the bottom half and the big games take care of themselves. In the last 3 seasons there have been 3 different champions, winning the league by 2, 10 and 7 points. The records of those winners vs the respective 2nd place reads P6, W0, D4, L2.

A title race is not often against the team in 2nd, it's about being more consistent than them against everybody else.

I personally think what United need is to keep a better shape in midfield to allow them to attack in more numbers. Too often last season they'd get in good crossing / cut back positions and have only 1 or 2 in the box. Maybe this is compensate for the lack of pace at the back, I'm not tactically minded enough to think either way but the most obvious stark contrast between today and Ferguson's time is the lack of players in attacking positions. I know football's changed but what I'd give to see 5 red shirts in the penalty area as normality rather than a desperate attempt to chase the game.