Manchester United next season?

[jwjy]

Well as we all know.. Van Gaal has taken over. Although i don't think he will be the one to bring United back to winning trophies and all, but pretty much anyone is better than David Moyes and Van Gaal will almost certainly bring United back to the top 4.

United will have around a 100m of budget + sales available.. which will be quite a lot.

Does anyone think United will go into the top 4 next season or even finish above Everton?

Europa league football is quite a bad competition to be in tbh. Spurs, Newcastle and Swansea have suffered in the league after playing Europa league football.

 

[Huyton Layne]

Depends what Van Gaal and promises can bring in to the club. Some players won't sign for a club without Europe and they need quality in a few positions.
I'm completely unsure about them. I feel it's too difficult to recover in one season from the full Moyes.

 

[LinekersLegs]

Well as we all know.. Van Gaal has taken over. Although i don't think he will be the one to bring United back to winning trophies and all, but pretty much anyone is better than David Moyes and Van Gaal will almost certainly bring United back to the top 4.
United will have around a 100m of budget + sales available.. which will be quite a lot.
Does anyone think United will go into the top 4 next season or even finish above Everton?
Europa league football is quite a bad competition to be in tbh. Spurs, Newcastle and Swansea have suffered in the league after playing Europa league football.

Atletico Madrid say hi!

Seriously though, I don't get this dissing of the Europa. Sure you need a depth of squad that can cope with the demands of a) two games a week for many weeks b) travel c) the stylistic differences of European football. But you need that for the Champions league too.

The only major difference is the Tues/Wed/Sat schedule vs the Thurs/Sun schedule - it is mentally slightly harder to always be chasing a result. But mental toughness is one of the things that seperates teams that win silverware from those that don't - you have to either have it initially or learn it and if the latter the Europa is as good as place as any to get that experience.

And next season the Europa league offers the winner the opportunity to qualify for the CL. That cup competition might be a slightly easier route into it for a team with small resources like Everton than fighting over a 38 game season against teams with multimillion squads. Playing the Thurs/Sun games will likely mean more TV revenue regardless of results, again narrowing the financial differences.

As for United, well, they are cursed with interesting times ahead. LVG could be just the kick up the rear they need or it could be too much. They need an overhaul of both defence and midfield - it is hard to get that sort of change right over one season especially when all they can offer top quality recruits is money and no European football "not even" Europa. Spurs have had money to spend and haven't been able to build a team, will be interesting to see if United can.

 

[quasi modo]

Depends what Van Gaal and promises can bring in to the club. Some players won't sign for a club without Europe and they need quality in a few positions.
I'm completely unsure about them. I feel it's too difficult to recover in one season from the full Moyes.

Now a days money alone is a great motivator, players aren't arsed no more as long as they're bank balance is bustling.

 

[SerenityNigh]

Europa league football is quite a bad competition to be in tbh.

Why so? United seems to have done well for having played in the Champions League for 20 years or so. Is Champions League safer than Europa? Maybe I misunderstand.

Or are you suggesting that United were lucky for about 20 years and fate has now caught up with them? Please explain.

 

[ilikecheese]

My hope is that they languish in mediocrity for a few seasons.

My gut says they will bounce back next season to at a minimum Europa Leauge.

 

[ilikecheese]

Why so? United seems to have done well for having played in the Champions League for 20 years or so. Is Champions League safer than Europa? Maybe I misunderstand.

Or are you suggesting that United were lucky for about 20 years and fate has now caught up with them? Please explain.

They were lucky mate...that SAF won them the league a season prior with a pretty shoite roster. They were lucky a group of young players broke through at the same time.

Maybe it's our turn to be lucky

 

[Garrick]

Why so? United seems to have done well for having played in the Champions League for 20 years or so. Is Champions League safer than Europa? Maybe I misunderstand.

Or are you suggesting that United were lucky for about 20 years and fate has now caught up with them? Please explain.

Guessing he means the conventional wisdom that the extra Champions League fixtures are great because they also bring in more money, but extra Europa Leagues fixtures are bad because the cash per game is lower, and therefore stretches the squad thinner.

I don't think it's necessarily true. It might hold true for tiny clubs like Swansea, but for any big club... Eh.

Spurs finished about where they should have last season. We might not have the money they do, but we also have a better academy than them. We'll be fine.

 

[Christiffa25]

Anything could happen with utd next season, although with their money and pulling power I see them easily back in the top 4 in the following seasons.

Whilst clearly aiding in there problems, moyes was not entirely to blame for last season. An average and ageing squad and a
very poor performance by there chief ex in the summer was the root of the problem.

Years of fergie not bringing in the big signings they needed to the midfield and defence was always going to catch up with them eventually. Combine that with moyes going there, forget personel views on his style, he just wasn't a big enough name to influence that squad.

As for players not signing because of CL...I don't think for now it will make any difference for utd. Money talks...if CL was the be all and end all, Celtic would be the place to go!

LVG has a tough job. They need prob 4/5 quality signings. Even then it doesn't always click straight away! Tbh I'd love nothing more than them struggling again next season. Moyes has took to much of the blame IMO, there fans have had it too good for too long and there arragance that they have a Devine right to be the best is very kopite!!

 

[Elong]

They'll be back in the top 4 at your team's expense if it does happen, you're one season wonders.

 

[RedYonkee]

There is so much unpredictability at the club right now that it is hard to predict. Van Gaal is an experienced campainer, is known to play good football and would not be intimated by the size of job. He also has a history of abrasive behavior and not caring for reputations, which can prove difficult at United. The appointment can go either way.

The squad though not as bad as it looked under Moyes last season, definitely need some additions in defense and midfield. Without the lure of CL football it would be hard to attract top quality additions. Kroos or Febregas is the type of midfielder needed for United midfield, which seems unlikely. Can United add a Marquinos or a Benatia? Or luke Shaw with Chelsea lurking?

If they are able to strengthen with good additions and the team responds under Van Gaal than they should displace Liverpool in the top 4 or may be present a decent title challenge with no European distractions. Otherwise, United are looking at another season of struggle to finish for a Europa place.

 

[jaycee]

Id expect them to get a top 4 place with having less commitments than the teams who finished above them
though i do think their squad is piss poor

 

[WA Toffee]

One of the challenges may be keeping a squad that size happy without Europe to rotate them. The first team players are not used to playing in the league cup - will they still be happy sitting out games while the youngsters play in it, or will they now be required to play league cup and be disillusioned by it?

That will be one of biggest challenges - keeping a large squad happy with 15 less games a season to rotate them in

 

[ijjysmith]

Mate has just told me that Van Gaal doesn't want Kroos or Fabregas but will be looking to bring in a load of his Dutch lads.

Weirdo.

 

[RedYonkee]

Id expect them to get a top 4 place with having less commitments than the teams who finished above them
though i do think their squad is piss poor

Gk - De Gea, Lindegaard
RB - Rafael
CB - Jones, Smalling, Evans
LB - Evra
Wings - Januzaj, Valencia, Nani, Young, Zaha
CM - Carrick, Cleverley, Fellaini, Fletcher
AM - Rooney, Mata, Kagawa
Strikers - Van Persie, Welbeck, Hernandez

That is not a piss poor squad. Moyes made it look piss poor. Fergie never finished below 2nd with most of these players, and the two times he came second - was once by one point and once lost the title on GD. United have a world class goalkeeper and some excellent attackers. The defense is a tad injury prone but very talented. A couple of additions in midfield and defense, a year off the Fergie overhung, coupled with a good manager can bring them back to the top.