Let’s stop all the ‘United haven’t been tested yet’ shouts right now because they mean nothing. Of course, you can’t win the league in the opening weeks, but you can certainly lose it. Manchester United & Jose Mourinho are here to win the Premier League title, and nobody even looks close to stopping them.
The ‘six’ jokes of from season are no more as the world is starting to tremble at the sight of seeing what Mourinho is building at Old Trafford. After back to back 4-0 wins in their opening games of the season, Manchester United’s chances of winning the league have seriously been elevated.
Here’s why Manchester United should be taken seriously as title contenders.
Romelu Lukaku takes them to new heights
Yes, last season Zlatan Ibrahimović was the one leading the line for United scoring 17 PL goals in 28 apps, but Romelu Lukaku looks likely to beat that tally. In a team starved of quality, Lukaku scored 25 PL goals last season, 8 more than Zlatan in a team with half the amount of stars. Not only did the Belgian have a 10% higher shot accuracy than the Swede, but he also scored half the number of penalties than Ibrahimović did.
Everything the Swede offers, Lukaku can offer plus more. They’re both big physical presences up front, but Lukaku gives Mourinho a license to switch between tactics in a way Zlatan didn’t allow him to. Because of his lightning pace, Lukaku as the focal point allows Manchester United to play on the counter as well as with possession.
Rumours this week suggest that Zlatan will be signing a new 1-year deal with Manchester United as his rehabilitation has been better than expected. This means United will have two world class strikers at their disposal, giving them twice the chance of winning the league.
Paul Pogba has settled in
There’s a reason why Paul Pogba cost Manchester United £89million last summer; it wasn’t just for his marketability and good looks. Paul Pogba is genuinely one of the best young midfielders in the world today. On his day, there are not many opposing teams that can live with the Frenchman’s raw power, physicality and strength.
Apart from that, the 24-year old possesses the technical ability to control games nonchalantly from the middle. Last season, we didn’t see the best of Pogba because he was tied down by too many defensive duties. Now United have acquired the services of Nemanja Matic thus giving the Frenchman freedom to roam in the attacking third. Matic diligently shields the back allowing the rest of the team to bomb forward.
In two PL appearances alongside Matic, Pogba has already scored 2 goals and provided 1 assist, on top of that, he’s completed 137 passes and produced 4 through balls. The 24-year old is showing everyone why Mourinho paid so much money for him and why it was pure idiocy to write him off last season. With a Pogba-Matic pivot, there’s no better midfield pairing in the league today, and the other 19 teams should be very very afraid.
