United are over halfway through their pre-season fixtures and most players should be returning to training imminently. I will take this opportunity to discuss my thoughts on what would be considered a positive season for Manchester United.
Premier League
Last season, Manchester United finished 2nd in the Premier League, 12 points behind rivals, Manchester City. In all honesty, I think it is fair to say that this exceeded expectations. Nobody was expecting us to finish second at the start of the season.
Given the signings that have been made so far, United should be aiming to battle for the Premier League title this season with a minimum top-three finish. Whilst I am not expecting us to win the league, I at least expect us to be in the race. This would be a positive upgrade on last season’s finish as City dominated the league very early on. I expect the performances to show that this squad is capable of lifting title number 21.
Champions League (Europe)
It was painful to see us knocked out at the group stages last season, especially considering how positively we started. The win against PSG left most of us feeling confident about progressing, but we let it slip. Losing to Villarreal in the final of the Europa League only exacerbated the pain.
I would hope that the group stage allocation is much kinder to us this season. Nonetheless, as a bare minimum, United should be reaching the Quarter Finals. Looking at other clubs in Europe, I feel confident that we could beat any of them on our day (yes, I appreciate that ‘our day’ is incredibly unpredictable).
Domestic Cups
We were all hoping for some silverware last season and originally it looked most likely to come from a domestic cup competition. However, a quarter-final exit in the FA Cup to the hands of Leicester City and a semi-final beating by Manchester City in the Carabao Cup meant that it would not be possible.
This season there is much more pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to bring home his first piece of silverware. Our best chance of this is through one of the domestic cups. The League Cup has been City’s for the past four consecutive years. However, if we were to lift the trophy early in the new year, it could be a huge confidence booster for the squad.
Summary
Since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over as manager, there has been a clear trajectory of progression and optimism within the camp. However, the one thing that has been missing that each of his predecessors has been able to bring is trophies. The squad he has built looks very strong and the morale amongst the team seems incredibly positive. This is the year that we should be fighting for 1st place in the Premier League, making significant progress in the Champions League and winning at least one trophy. In my opinion, this is what would make a positive season for United.
