Manchester United finished at their highest position in the post-Ferguson era as they recorded 81 points at the end of 38 matches. Jose Mourinho’s side collected an impressive 19 points from a possible 30 against the big-six opponents. However, inconsistency issues coupled with a scrappy winter period meant that the team lost crucial points in the consecutive draws against the likes of Leicester City, Burnley and Southampton in the last week of December.
The season had some memorable victories; such as the comeback mauling of Manchester City and the thrashing of Arsenal at the Emirates. There were excellent victories over Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs too. However, it was a volatile season of sorts, and United need to ward off this tendency to go missing from matches against lower-ranked clubs. Here, we analyze certain aspects of their season:
3 Players who impressed:
David de Gea:
De Gea endured his best season this time around as the custodian was in the middle of everything good that happened with United this season. His performance against Arsenal, the saves against Christian Benteke, Sergio Aguero, Joel Matip and numerous other physics-contradicting, season-defining displays helped him win the Golden Glove by keeping 18 clean sheets throughout the course of the season.
Nemanja Matic:
When United managed to lure Matic from Chelsea, it was seen as a major coup of the season. Mourinho was keen to add some experience and defensive stability to United’s midfield and hence Matic was the perfect catch. The Serbian did not disappoint and was a steady and composed presence at the centre of the park. Though he had some disappointing moments from late December to early February, Matic worked his way through the difficult time to star in some important matches.
Paul Pogba:
The Frenchman has had an interesting season as Pogba was dropped for some portions of the campaign, owing to poor form and persistent injuries too. However, despite being annoyed as things weren’t going in his favour, Pogba bounced back in some style. He has the numbers to back his performances as he scored six goals and recorded ten assists. This included match-winning performances against Manchester City, Arsenal, and an electrifying outing against Chelsea at Old Trafford too.
3 Players who disappointed:
Antonio Valencia:
The Ecuadorian filled in as the makeshift right-back throughout the course of the season and did a pretty decent job. However, against the lower-ranked teams, United often lacked attacking width and hence the inability of the fullbacks to speed up the flank and send in the crosses came into notice. He was decent while defending, but hardly ever looked to provide United with the ‘Plan B’ when required.
Anthony Martial:
Anthony Martial was brilliant in the first few months of the season, and he has a good tally of nine goals and four assists in 28 appearances. However, I and many other writers would surely have a problem with Martial’s lack of fighting ability, commitment and attitude on the field. He stumbled badly when he had to compete with Alexis Sanchez for a starting spot. To be honest, fighting for a playing position is almost given in big clubs and Martial’s failure to do that has earned him a place on this list.
Juan Mata:
If one closely analyzes United’s attacking moves, it is quite visible that these moves are extremely lopsided from the left side of the pitch. United do not have any specialist right-winger, and Mata is the one who usually fills in that position. Juan has found it difficult when the opposition used physicality as an important aspect while defending. Despite having played 28 matches, he scored just thrice, which included a brace against Leicester City just before Christmas. Mata even assisted in five goals, but this attacking output is just disappointing.
Season Rating: 6.5/10
Though the Premier League title was the primary objective, United’s complacency in the matches against the oppositions from the bottom half of the table hurt them in the end. However, their performances against the top-six sides were promising, and this side is the most well-drilled team that United have possessed ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. An 81-point season is a good launchpad to go for the title next season.
