Manchester United completed their last missing piece of the puzzle by winning the Europa League and most importantly secured Champions League Football for the upcoming season.
Are United climbing the ladder onto glory days again or will the post-united era continue to be an era of unfulfilled dreams and hopes?
The Crux of the Problem
When ‘The Chosen One’ David Moyes took over, everything took a turn for the worse for the Red Devils. Fellaini was a panic buy and while Mata was one player who had European pedigree, he was sold to United because Chelsea wanted to. United should be snatching prized assets of other clubs and not the ones whom the rivals want to sell. Van Persie is one prime example in this case.
We failed to seal the deals for Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale who were a vital part of Madrid’s La Decima campaign. This was one of the factors that pulled United down.
In contrast to the Moyes period, we were able to woo world class players even without CL football. During LVG time, we bought stalwarts like Falcao and Di Maria(MOTM in Real’s CL final).
A Big Statement
Ed Woodward in an interview defiantly said that,
“ I’ll make sure that the best players in the world don’t go to Madrid or Barcelona”
He certainly turned his words into action when he seized Pogba from under the feet of the Spanish giants even though we had no CL football to boast of.
Also read: The Gerrard’s vs Chinese Super League: Money Has Changed The Landscape Of Football
The Unhappy Times
LVG’s reign has given a certain stability to our side and can be said to have poured the initial seeds of a strong squad. If not for his philosophy which actually is a proven winning style in other countries but not in England due to the sheer intensity of the league, lack of technical players and long ball game, he would have been remembered more fondly.
Mourinho is simply the best manager in the world. He isn’t a poet but a serial winner. He is called by purists the “enemy of football’ but he knows how to out beat anyone with his tactics. Inter vs Barca in 2010 is the epitome of his tactical masterclass and defensive organization prowess.
Although we got Mourinho when he was at a difficult point of time in his career, he has proved his mettle by winning three trophies in a season when you could see 4-5 United players on crutches at the Friends Arena.
Sir Alex Ferguson had said, “ A great attack wins you games. A great defense wins you trophies.”
Liverpool certainly needs to read this quote again and again. No wonder they have been knocked off their perch.
Back with the best
De Gea is wanted by Madrid. Herrera is being wooed by Catalans. Pogba will always remain a dream for the rich brat clubs in Spain. Rashford is being tipped for greatness by none other than the gaffer. The Athletico Madrid striker’s deal is almost a done deal.
That’s what we want. Other clubs running after our players and we chasing poachers rather than try to raid on smaller clubs like Southampton for recruitment and celebrate the 4th position.
Saying that we are back with a bang would be clichéd and an understatement. We are certainly on the road to compete with the best and be world beaters so that we could once again relive the ecclesiastical passion of singing “Glory Glory Man United” like we did it in Moscow.
Image Credits: Google Images
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