With Manchester United beating Manchester City 2-0 in the International Champions Cup several people have raised the question : are United ready to challenge for the title? Are United back in the big time?
Well, first of all, it’s just 2 weeks into the preseason and this was City’s first game compared to United’s third. So the difference between fitness levels was clear.
But now back to the bigger question : are United title ready? Well from the looks of it, United have a very good chance of winning the title. This is Jose Mourinho’s second season at the club and he’s won the league title in his second season everywhere he’s been. And logically he can repeat it here.
He knows the squad better, the squad know him better and know exactly what he wants and now the squad is almost in his mould. United have got a world-class goalkeeper in David De Gea and a brilliant back up in Romero. United’s defence is perhaps not the best but they do have many quality players. Lindelof, Smalling, Jones, Rojo, Blind and of course Bailly make up for a defence that’s more than capable of helping United to the title. In Valencia and Shaw, United have got two excellent attacking and fast full backs who are also brilliant at defending and so United do have two very good full backs as well although perhaps cover is needed with the name of Serge Aurier being thrown around.
United’s midfield is good, Pogba, Herrera, Pereira and Carrick make up for a solid midfield with Fellaini being the utility man. But United need a pacey, tenacious, tough tackling, Kante – esque dm. Such a player would not just free up Pogba and Herrera but also would provide a shield for the backline. Fabinho is probably perfect for United although Jose’s apparently not keen on him. Hence the likes of Renato Sanches, Nemanja Matic, Eric Dier and even Marco Verratti have been linked with a move to Old Trafford. My favourite option would be Renato Sanches as he would be perfect for United.
United’s attack looks quite sharp, with the likes of Mkhitaryan, Mata, Martial, Lingard and Rashford looking fresh. And then of course there’s Romelu Lukaku, the Mourinho type no.9. Quick, strong, ready to take on and bury defenders and a vicious finisher. This squad is just a couple of steps away from becoming the Jose Mourinho type title winning side.
The question now is whether or not United can take those two steps to glory this season. Only time will tell.