Manchester United is a football club with one of the richest history. They have a great fan base and are regarded as one of the best teams in club football. Every person in the world must have heard about Manchester United. They have always been very competitive and their greatness is something everyone loves to hear about.
Manchester United have won the most number of trophies by an English Club with a record 20 League Titles (Premier League), 17 Domestic Titles which includes 12 FA Cup wins and 5 League Cup wins and 3 Champions League.
United were in serious trouble during the early 80s and were constantly changing their managers. Despite some good signings they were not able to deliver their best and compete for the league title. The fans demanded a change. A change which could change the whole course of the United's Culture. A change which could make United competitive again. A change which could regain United's lost glory.
United appointed Alex Ferguson, a Scottish Manager who was part of the coaching team when Scotland qualified for FIFA World Cup in 1986. Alex's United finished eleventh in the first season. Ferguson's aim was to get good players in the squad and build a great side. It only took 3 years for United to win their FA Cup title under Alex Ferguson. It is regarded as one of the greatest transformations of a team all over the sporting circuit.
In 1992-93 United won their first league title in 26 years. Alex Ferguson built a squad which was a team to beat in club football. They signed great players like David Beckham, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane and were on a roll by winning the Domestic Double (League Title and FA Cup) in 1993-94 and 1995-96.
The best memories of any United fan goes back in 1999 when they won the Treble. The goal scored by Ole Gunnar Solskjær in Barcelona against Bayern Munich was the turning point in the match and won United their first Treble.
United got stronger year by year and under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney developed to their best potential. United again won the Champions League in 2008. The reign of Sir Alex Ferguson was coming to an end. In 2012 Ferguson decided to hang up his boots. However, United gave the best manager in the world a perfect farewell by winning the Premier League.
Departure of Sir Alex Ferguson marked the end of an era in European Football. United have struggled since then. They have changed 4 managers since and have not won a single league title.
What went wrong with the new managers? Is United still that competitive? Did the Players give their best? Were the managers appointed, the perfect ones for the team? These are some questions which we would answer in this article.
After the departure of Sir Alex, David Moyes was appointed as the manager of the club. David Moyes had done a great job at Everton and was ready to gain some silverware at Old Trafford. The transfer window was a shocking and a disappointing one for United. There were around 10 offers rejected from clubs like Real Madrid and Everton. Moyes couldn't make any impactful signings but later secured a deal for Fellaini from Everton. United was not the same anymore. They were losing games in quick successions. They were not looking to fight for the league title. They were constantly floating around 6th, 7th and 8th place on the table. Not even 11 months of the six year contract had passed, the United board decided to sack Moyes.
United had a terrible season and finished seventh on the league table. Next season, the Dutch Coach Louis Van Gaal was appointed as the new manager of Manchester United. He had a decorated career as a manager. He managed clubs like Barcelona and Bayern Munich. In his first season as a manager at Old Trafford he made six new signings. Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao were two superstar signings. United didn't start the season with a positive note and had their worst start to the season since Ferguson took over. However, United somehow managed to finish fourth and earn the Champions League place.
Next Season, Van Gaal was under immense pressure after United's Group stage exit in the Champions League. United finished 5th as Leicester City were crowned Champions of English Football. United got their first trophy after Alex's departure in the form of FA Cup. The FA Cup triumph wasn't enough for Van Gaal to keep his job and he was sacked just two days after the victory.
Jose Mourinho was the new man who took charge of United. He made United fight again and won two trophies ie. League Cup and Europa League during his reign. Mourinho is known as one of the best managers in world football but his inconsistency at United didn't make him look too good. He had some tactical failures and players were not very happy with him. He lost his job in 2018 and afterwards Ole Gunnar Solskjær was put under charge.
The reasons of failures of all these managers were very similar :-
- Flop Signings
The transfer window under David Moyes was a horrible one. Getting around 10 offers rejected was somewhat shameful. There were big players signed by these managers. But the impact made by them was not that big. Some of the players didn't perform to their level best while some had hot and cold relationships with their managers. There is always not one factor which makes a team look an ordinary one. For now, let's talk about some of the players who couldn't shine at the Theater of Dreams.
A. Angel Di Maria
He was given the famous No. 7 shirt which earlier had a player like Cristiano Ronaldo. People thought that he would fill his void. Di Maria just played for one season and made 27 appearances with just 3 goals to his name in the league.
B. Memphis Depay
Another young prospect who was aiming to achieve greatness in club football and there can't be a better platform than Man United. However, injury played a part in his United career and he only made 33 league appearances over a span of 2 years while only finding the net twice.
C. Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Mkhitaryan was voted in as the best Bundesliga player in 2016 with Dortmund. He signed for United the following year. United fans wanted the assist machine to deliver some magic. He started his United career well but was unable to keep up that momentum. His form dipped badly and he was unable to find a place in the XI.
D. Alexis Sanchez
Sanchez was a star at Arsenal. He had made them win so many games. In January 2018, Sanchez joined United swapping with Mkhitaryan. Sanchez never found his same groove at United and could only score in 3 times out of his 32 league appearances
- Tactical Failures
United have always been a team who have looked to attack. They love scoring goals. They like to put their opponents under pressure and you have seen some great goals from their players. United had scored over 250 league goals in the last three seasons under Ferguson. United had a complete breakdown in their attacking statistics. They have just managed to score on an average of 60 goals per season after Ferguson left. A defensive style of play which doesn't suit United Culture was practiced. Mourinho came up with a new tactic of "Park the bus" wherein he would deploy 9 of his 10 out field players to stay in the box against big teams.
What I feel is just keeping the ball and not scoring goals doesn't win you games. You might be the better team on 8 out of 10 occasions but you still need to score in order to taste that victory. United is a team which needs to develop. They need to have good players who could take them home. For me they are still one of the best clubs in the world. What they just need is one good season and things will be back on track. It may take some time but with players like Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire they can definitely match the levels of Liverpool and their local counterparts Manchester City. I will not be surprised to see United win the league title again in a season or two.
GGMU Manchester United Fans!
-Kshitij
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