It has been some six years since Sir Alex bid adieu to Manchester United. He left a winner, with a project spanning two and a half decades culminating at the top of British football. In the six years since, United have fumbled like a man in the dark, experimenting with different managers. None of them really seemed to understand the way United operate, and just how special a football club it is. Nor was the recruitment off the pitch focused and driven towards a definite goal, it seemed scatter gun and off the cuff.
However, the last three months have seen United revitalized on the pitch, playing with an unabashed swagger that has been missing for a long time. The club seems to be alive and fresh with hope and belief. The man responsible for all this, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, has just been announced as United’s full-time manager for the next three years. But while news media is abuzz with talk of players United could look to sign, one must not forget that they still have a lot to play for this season. They have a Champions League date with Barcelona to look forward to and have to go full steam ahead to secure the top four finish they crave in the league. Here, we analyse the month ahead for United, and the trip they will take with Ole at the Wheel.
As Solskjær described it, United play the ‘best of the rest’ in their coming two fixtures in the league, against Watford at home and Wolves away. While United should return to winning ways after their recent blips against Wolves, the fixture at the Molineux will be a test of United’s mental reserves and bottle. Fielding close to a full strength team, United were blown away by Wolves in the FA Cup tie between the pair and will need to show a lot more cohesion in their play to overcome the threat Wolves pose. The fixture at the Molineux could be a massive three points for United if they can secure them.
Then, the proverbial mountain beckons, with the first leg of their European Quarter Final against Barcelona. United will have a week to prepare for the Catalans, as they do not play the weekend following this one domestically. United’s squad have not really experienced such huge European ties, and this is a first for the likes of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. That lack of experience might just play into Barcelona’s hands, although United’s belief will be sky high after their exploits in Paris. Sandwiched in between the home and away legs is a home fixture to West Ham. United will be odds on to win that game, but Solskjær might have to ring the changes after what is sure to have been an energy-sapping, mentally draining affair against Barcelona.
United close the month with three challenging fixtures, away at Everton, followed by a sequence at home against perennial rivals Chelsea and Manchester City. The latter two games are both likely to be massive six-pointers. United will have to beat Chelsea in the race for the top four, and cannot lose to City like they habitually have in the post-Sir Alex era. There has been a lot of talk that a United win against City might help a Liverpudlian title bid, but United cannot afford to worry or think of all that.
Their sole prerogative must be to earn a top-four spot. Barring the results at the Molineux and Emirates recently, United’s players have actually enjoyed their travels more than the fixtures at home. Old Trafford’s support is famous, but it can also breed nervousness in players when games do not go to plan. It is essential that the coaching staff, fans and players are all reading off the same hymn sheet in the games against Chelsea and City.
All said and done, United have a terrific squad of talented players. The likes of Romelu Lukaku, Rashford, Martial and Jesse Lingard, all doubts during the international break, could feature against Watford. With Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera already restored to their starting roles, United look in good health. They will need players to stay fit over this next phase and will hope that their injury travails are at an end. The challenge for Solskjær is to get United into the top four for the start of next season.
He cannot be faulted if he fails, he has already done a marvellous job of reinvigorating a club that seemed dead and buried. But if he succeeds, he will have truly worked a miracle. He will have climbed a mountain and planted his flag there. That Manchester United are a force alive and well and intend to scale greater heights in the three seasons ahead, his shining reign.
Newton Heath Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Football Club was formed by railway workers from these counties in 1878. 140 years later, that idea to create a working-class club has grown into the club of the masses; a commercial and sporting force that would leave an indelible mark on the beautiful
30th October 1938, a seemingly routine day in the life of Manchester United. That day onwards the club has never compromised on its tradition of blooding youth footballers. From that matchday in October till today, United have named one or more academy graduates in their squad. That is a mind-numbing
“Ole’s at the wheel, tell me how good does it feel!” crooned Manchester United’s fans, seated beside the Clock End at the Emirates Stadium. Right now, no United fan can really measure just how good they feel. From it all seeming bleak and a long way away from joy, United
When you ask a Manchester United fan why they love their club, most might reply, they’ve always stood for playing thrilling football with a certain unabashed swagger. But at the same time, they’ve had great moments of courage and standing defiantly in the face of adversity. United have had some of
Manchester United, a brand synonymous with winning. Jose Mourinho, the biggest winning coach in the sport. When the pair was combined, everyone in world football seemed to sit up and take notice. United, a club whose supporters proclaim proudly they’re ‘Not Arrogant, Just Better’. That seems like the title Mourinho
Last year, Manchester City cruised at a canter to the summit of English football, racking up a century of points and finishing 19 points above their neighbors, Manchester United, the second place team. Scoring an astonishing 106 goals, City were from another planet and it seemed very likely that this
In May 2013, Sir Alex Ferguson implored an emotional Stretford End to ‘stand by your new manager’. United fans duly complied, roaring on David Moyes to make a good fist of world football’s toughest job. ‘The Chosen One’, as a huge banner across the Stretford End proclaimed Moyes to be,
Certain moments in football lend themselves to immortality on highlight reels when they occur. At Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, those instances were never too far away. Even so, this piece of play remains fresh in the head. In late October 2008, West Ham arrived at Old Trafford to
For years, this fixture passed reasonably inconspicuously past the calendar of any Manchester United fan. After all, what would a club competing for the league with Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool have to worry about a fixture against their less fortunate neighbors across town? The man who kept United head and
There seemed an air of unease around Old Trafford. Christian Benteke had just crashed Liverpool back into contention at Old Trafford with a superb bicycle kick. With the score at 2-1, United manager Louis van Gaal brought on new signing Anthony Martial, whom the English media had welcomed with their
Football is a sport defined by enthralling moments of spontaneous magic. But beyond the cloak of stellar play and drama, lies extensive and thorough preparation. Football at the highest level is as much a game in the head as with the feet. Hours of training, gym work, video analysis, simulated
It is the dream of every player to stand in the tunnel of their home stadium and listen to an atmosphere steadily reaching fever pitch, to walk out onto the pitch, and feel the support of their fans with every tackle, sprint, pass and goal. Football is a working-class sport;
Manchester United have had many a crunch game in their history. Some have won them titles, others have featured stellar comebacks. This was a much more sober occasion, when United had to win. Both to alleviate pressure on their beleaguered boss and to do justice to the undoubted talent in
As the final whistle blew, it seemed all too much for Jose Mourinho. Professional sport is a brutal environment, filled with pressures and expectations and much of the talk regarding its sheer toughness is attributed to solo arts. Tennis is a fine example of this, from a mental perspective because
