With the Premier League kicking off this weekend and our campaign this Monday all of our writers have got together to drop some gems on how our season and the season in general will go.
Chudi Onwuazor:
“I think having Rio back fit together with Vidic will make a massive difference. May sound like an excuse but I think without the defensive injuries we picked up we would have walked the league. Hernandez looks like a star and a pairing with him and Berbatov may work well add to that Macheda and a return to fitness of Owen and we have a strong front line lead by Wayne Rooney.
Valencia is looking like he has just carried on from last season and Nani will have a whole season rather than just January to May so I expect him to shine too.
Whether we bring in more players or not I think we’ll take the title, Europe is still up in the air but a domestic cup could also be on the cards.”
Ivor Irwin (Full piece can be read here):
“Finishing one point behind an aging Chelsea hurt but wasn’t really that bad. If the Gaffer has erred it’s by being more sentimental than in previous years.”
“If Javíer Hernandez and Kiko Macheda click as well as I expect them to, Berbatov’s prima donna angst will not be a major factor. I still feel that the ever-chubby Anderson can fulfil his promise, all the more so because, as things stand, the club will not get much for him. Whether he wants to leave or not, Anderson will be playing for his life once he’s fit.”
Siddarth Sampath (Full piece can be read here):
“The season might be one of the most important in Manchester United’s history, if we go all the way in the Champions League and win it, I’m pretty sure Sir Alex will retire. Also three United legends might be playing their last season with Gary Neville almost certain to retire at the end of the season with Giggs and Scholes potentially following.”
“Key players this season will be Rooney, Valencia, Nani, Vidic and Fletcher. Expect Javier to score around 10-15 goals at least if he stays fit throughout the season and Gibson should be scoring a lot more too this season, maybe around 10 would be excellent from him.”
Amrith:
“By my reckoning, it will all depend on the key issue of fitness. I see our strikers finally coming good and not just reliant on Rooney. The defence looks alright but Rio’s return will be most important. It’s the midfield that really will be tested and I think that they’ll come through. United for the title and maybe a domestic honor thrown in as well. One last golden season for the ginger prince too.”
The Red Knight:
I am confident coming into this season. The win over Chelsea was a massive boost and if we can play like that against them and do so well then I don’t have and reservations about facing anyone else. Looking forward to seeing how Owen performs if he can stay fit and if Carrick can regain the fans trust as he looked good on Sunday. Big season for Macheda and Welbeck (invariably the two will always be mentioned in the same breath) and I feel one of the two will stake their claim as to why they should be at the club (yes Welbeck can do this even if he is on loan!)
As much as I hate to say it Man City may be a threat and could nick a CL spot, Liverpool can’t look any worse than last season and if the takeover goes through Hodgeson may be able to make a decent team there.
SeoDevilz (Full piece can be read here)
“We have such a variety of players. Some are the constants, others are pushing on from last season, a crop of youngsters are trying to claim a starting berth in the team and lastly, inspired signings made by Alex Ferguson once again.”
“These two ‘unproven’ signings (Hernandez & Smalling) might just turn out to be the difference makers in our season, especially ‘The Little Pea’. Sound and impressive performances from both in the pre-season have raised fan’s optimism. With them on board, United’s defense will only get sturdier and our offense will be nothing short of devastating, two areas that were major factors in our performance last season.”
Jamie Allen (Full piece can be read here)
“Nani showed glimpses towards the end of last season why we paid the money we did for him back in 2007 and he can only improve again this season. However, I feel that Valencia on the opposite flank could be one of our most important players. As we saw in the Community Shield Valencia was quality. He showed ‘the world’s best left back’ up many a times not to mention getting on the score sheet. To me he is the best out and out winger in the league. Yes Lennon, Walcott etc are good, but there final ball lets them down. With Valencia his final ball is second to none – Wayne Rooney will tell you that and once again I see his goal scoring tally benefiting as a result.”
“If I was to be picky I along with many others feel we could do with signing a creative goalscoring midfielder as Scholes can’t do what he did in the Community Shield every week! Although Fergie seems to think young Tom Cleverley can fill the ‘huge’ boots of Scholsey hence the reason he refused to let the youngster go out on loan. Let’s hope he can.”
Love the unbiased views! Everyone picks United on a United fansite. Curiously, most pundits are picking Chelsea to win again.
Fair enough, I feel we can win it and pundits underating our team is nothing new. I personally can’t help but see through United-coloured glasses either. I also can’t wait to see Chicharito tear up the league and have critics says we were “lucky” it worked out for us.
I’ve seen a lot of pundits and journos picking United haha.
In all seriousness from what I’ve seen so far ie preseason, signings etc I think we will take it. Essien will be like a new signing for them and having Ramires will allow Essien to run wild but I think we’ll see them out.
Can only talk for myself though.
You will have not meant to take action, but I feel you’ve managed to specific the mind-set that lots of people are in. The sense of wanting to help, however not figuring out how or where, is one thing plenty of us are going through.