At the end of last season it seemed as if the club was in as strong as a position as it ever has been. We were champions of Europe and with enough young players, and competition for places, to look at next season’s campaign with something approaching quiet confidence. That feeling lasted about eight hours.
A combination of mixed messages and media frenzy has clouded the summer for all United fans. I should imagine there is not one of them who can’t wait to put it all in the past and get back to the games again. Despite the glories of Moscow, its immediate aftermath means that this European victory is unlikely to be remembered as fondly as the previous two.
With that unfortunate business aside, attention turns to the campaign ahead and how United will fare. The playing staff in comparison to last year’s has not changed a great deal. The Red Devils have not experienced much transfer movement yet and the most significant progress has been made by father time. Van Der Sar, in what will be his last campaign, should begin game one between the sticks – but you would expect more run outs for Foster and Kuscak as Fergie tries to blend in his replacement stopper. This competition between the Pole and the young Englishmen should be healthy in general, but, it is a tricky position to change personnel for. Therefore you would expect VDS to still start the most important games.
The defence is older in general than the rest of the squad but they do have true class. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic seem to be both playing well together and the best football of their careers. Gary Neville will be back and despite Wes Brown’s often exemplary showing last term he should expect some jostling for the right back spot from the most fiercely red Mancunian on the planet. I would expect Brown’s season to see him deputising for either Gary or, at centre back when the call comes.
The midfield is bristling with adventure and steel and is almost a ‘choose your own adventure’ prospect. Last year’s great strength lay in being able to pick the right players for the right opposition in the middle of the park (Hargreaves on the right in the CL Final-brilliant), this season should be no different. Whilst at the back and in the middle strengthening will be neeed in the summer of 2009, next year the mixture of young-gun energy and the class of Giggs and Scholes will be too strong for most opponents.
Unfortunately, our opponents have not stood still either. Lamentably for the game you can expect the top four to remain the top four next year. Chelsea were within a Rouble of us last season in both of the big competitions. It becomes the change in coaching staff that could make the difference.
Scholari certainly knows what he is doing and he will bring a lot of confidence to a group of players who could hardly be described as shrinking violets in the first place. United on the other hand have lost a thoroughly capable first team coach with Queiroz moving to the Portugese national team. The manager is reportedly loathe to rush into a hasty appointment and is expected to take on extra duties himself. It is, of course, folly to question the man’s judgment but at 66 he is hardly the youngest manager on the block.
In the plus column Fergie knows this league like the back of his hand. It is certainly his experience that has kept the trophies coming up north since Ambramovich arrived whilst Scholari is in new waters. This is not to dismiss the chances of Liverpool and Arsenal but they both seem to be a little bit behind the other two, although one should never write off Arsene Wenger.
Up front it is generally agreed that Berbatov would be a good addition, even if he arrives merely to plug a Ronaldo shaped hole, and his style of play should still have a positive effect on our dynamic. Tevez and Rooney will both reap the benefits of being older, wiser and more decorated and, if Spartacus stays, the attack will be healthy. That is though, rather a sizeable ‘if’.
I expect the battle for both the Premier League and the European Cup to be brutal this year, the head to head games will see people slice lumps off each other. As such I can see neither team winning both, but I do expect it to be good to watch.