The new 2018/19 season of English Premier League is going to start in August and all the EPL giants are ready for the new season. The last season runner-up and the 20-time English champions, Manchester United are keen to go one step further this time to clinch the league title.
In fact, the Red Devils won their last Premier League title five years ago and this gap is their longest League title drought in Premier League history. Despite playing a good brand of football last season, they fell well short of the defending champions, Manchester City.
Manchester United have a rich history and the club is considered the most successful club in England. But since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, the success rate has not been the same. Moreover, the overall performance of the club has dipped during the post-Ferguson era and they are still in the transition process to repeat the past success.
Though Manchester United have managed to win the Europa League, FA Cup in the last few years, they have failed to reclaim the Premier League title. Besides United spent big money in the last few transfer windows to sign several world-class players, but still fell short of the EPL title. But this time, the fate of the club can alter and they have a good chance to be English champions again.
Here, we discuss three reasons why the Red Devils are the favourites to win the Premier League title this season.
#3 Jose Mourinho's winning mentality
Jose Mourinho is regarded as one of the best coaches of modern football and United's Portuguese boss has a huge list of accomplishments. As a manager, he has secured 25 trophies in 15 years, which is an exceptional track record.
Furthermore, he has successfully managed several top European clubs like Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, winning two UEFA Champions League titles in his managerial career.
Mourinho has won the league title for every club, except for Manchester United. He has an experience of winning the English Premier league thrice with Chelsea and he would be eager to repeat the same success with Manchester United this season.
He has the winning mentality and experience to win an extremely competitive league like the English Premier League. Nevertheless, he has been criticized for his defensive style of football, but his tactics have helped him to win numerous trophies. Mourinho's drive to win can help Manchester United secure their 21st English League title.
#2 A formidable attack
Manchester United have been spending big in the last couple of transfer windows to buy quality attackers. Undoubtedly, this season the club has some exceptional forwards. Players like Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford can be dangerous against any opponent. Alexis Sanchez is rated as one of the best attackers in the world and United signed him last season. Hence, the former Arsenal star is expected to fire this season.
On the other hand, Manchester United hope that the star striker Lukaku would replicate the last season form. The 25-year-old Belgian forward scored 27 goals for the Red Devils last season. Besides, he had a great World Cup where he netted 4 goals and helped Belgium to finish 3rd. Similarly, the young Rashford and Martial are deadly additions to the formidable Manchester United attack.
#1 Competent midfield
Midfield is the lifeline of any successful football team. The club has a long history of producing legendary midfielders like David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Roy Keane. They were instrumental in guiding Manchester United to multiple league titles. Meanwhile, the current United squad has several quality midfielders who will play significant roles this season if they want to be Premier League champions.
Paul Pogba is undoubtedly the most important player of the Manchester United midfield. As a matter of fact, the French midfielder rejoined Manchester United for a record price of £89.3 millions, which was the highest football transfer price of 2016.
He has been a key player of the United midfield for the last two seasons. Pogba also had an impressive FIFA World Cup where he won the Cup, scoring a stunning goal in the final against Croatia.
Meanwhile, the newly signed Brazilian midfielder Fred is a great inclusion in the midfield and he is expected to form a good link with Pogba. Serbian international Nemanja Matic is definitely another essential player of the United midfield who had a notable last season. The defensive midfielder lifted the Premier League title under Mourinho at Chelsea and he will be hoping to do that again at Manchester United.
Furthermore, Manchester United have other quality midfielders like Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini, Juan Mata, Andreas Pereira. Fellaini had a remarkable World Cup with Belgium, where he scored an astonishing header against Japan.