Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has focused his sights on reclaiming the Premier League title this season.
But will returning players and the new signings so far really make enough of a difference?
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This comes after a disappointing season for Man United last year when rivals Manchester City beat them to the trophy in a tense final day that went right down to the wire. The Premier League trophy is one of the most sought after domestic football trophies in the world, and the Manchester United team and fans are accustomed to getting their champions football medals at the end of the season.
Ferguson said that the Premier League trophy is an integral part of the club’s history and it is his top priority to bring it back to Old Trafford. He will be helped by a couple of new signings and the return of some key players that were resigned to recuperating on the sidelines in their Nike tracksuits for a good length of time during last season.
Nemanja Vidic is one such player who has been sorely missed at the back and was one of the reasons for United showing a lack of strength at the back at times. Vidic has been suffering from a knee injury for eight months and he has been sorely missed. His stats prove how essential he is to United’s success. With 150 appearances and two Premier League Player of the Season awards, he is a United stalwart, as essential a piece of the defensive make-up as Rio Ferdinand. Vidic, also capped 50 times by Serbia, helped Manchester United achieve a unbelievable 14-game clean sheet in the 2008-09 season.
It’s not just about Vidic though; Ferguson has had a busy transfer season, bringing in Borussia Dortmund’s dynamic attacking midfielder Shinji Kagawa. Kagawa is another player that is used to being successful and winning football trophies in the Bundesliga.
Also brought in was England Under-18 international Nick Powell, who signed from Crewe Alexandra – although it’s too soon to know how much first XI game time he will see. Powell scored 16 football goals in 45 matches in a Crewe football kit and has represented England at Under-16 and Under-17 level. With the right coaching, which he will certainly get from Ferguson, this could be the start of something big for the youngster. Ferguson achieved a similar feat with a young Wayne Rooney, who was signed from Everton as a hot prospect and has now become one of the household names of football.
It’s been a while since Manchester United have failed to win the Premier League. The last time before last season’s failure was 2007 and before that 1999. The stats are promising though. Each time United have lost a Premier League title, in 1996, 1999 and 2007, they have won it back the next season. Ferguson will be putting all his effort into making that statistic continue.
So the ball is well and truly in Manchester City’s court, they are the scalp to claim this season as defending champions and the first Manchester derby, on December 8th, could be a telling sign of which half of the city the trophy will end up in.
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