Premier League 2018-19: 5 ways Manchester United need to improve to challenge for the title this season

Despite Manchester United putting up a challenging points haul last season, their neighbors Manchester City easily ran away with the Premier League title. The glorious days of Sir Alex Ferguson seem like a distant memory, with Jose Mourinho trying - and failing - to bring in as many players as possible to challenge for the league title.

It was last season that many predicted that Mourinho would win the title with the squad that he had. Unfortunately for him, it was not to be.

The high level of expectations from United fans will surely pressurize the United board and the manager to bring the success that they are used to. This coming season is likely to be a make-or-break season for Mourinho.

It has been five years since Manchester United last won the Premier League title, which is not something the fans are used to. The last time United didn't win for that long was during the time of Arsenal’s Invincibles and Mourinho’s first Chelsea reign.

Sir Alex won back the Premier League title from them within four years. But this year, it could well be six years without a Premier League title for Manchester United - a situation they will surely try to avoid.

The new changes made by Mourinho to improve his squad are commendable. They now seem to have the team to win the Premier League title; a squad containing Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez and David de Gea is more than capable of winning against quality opponents on a regular basis. And with new incoming talent to improve the already flourishing squad, there is no reason why United cannot win the Premier League title next season.

But there is always room for improvement, and the current standards set by Manchester City are so high that merely assembling a strong squad may not be enough to knock them off their perch.

On that note, here are five ways Manchester United need to improve to truly challenge for the Premier League title this coming season.

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1. Prioritizing the midfield dilemma

Fred during the pre-season match against Real Madrid

It is hardly a secret that Paul Pogba is the best midfielder that Manchester United have in their squad. What the Frenchman can offer to United as a whole is much more than what he has done in previous seasons.

Pogba's form and relationship with the manager were a distraction at United last season, and resolving that should be a priority for Mourinho before this season begins.

After the acquisition of Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk and giving minutes to talented midfielder Andreas Pereira during the pre-season matches, United now have a brilliant midfield squad to choose from. With the quality of Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic at their disposal too, United surely have better midfield options than most teams in the Premier League.

What Mourinho will want is to get the best out of them during the 10-month long season. The team must consistently produce high quality performances given the midfielders at their disposal.

2. Winning matches when it matters

Last season Manchester United won a total of six matches against their top six rivals, which is a good record to win any league season. But this stat plays down the fact that they also lost four matches against the opponents from the lower half of the table.

The inconsistency surrounding Manchester United’s results against the Premier League teams greatly affected their chances of winning the title last season.

Manchester United players reacts after their game against West Bromwich Albion

Losses against Newcastle United, Huddersfield Town and West Bromwich Albion (at home) dented their hopes of challenging Manchester City for the title. Three continuous draws against Leicester City, Burnley and Southampton further diminished their hopes mid-way through the season.

Mourinho will definitely want to make sure his team win the matches they ought to win. The overall performance of the team must be balanced against all opponents; imbibing consistency and overcoming complacency must be a priority for the coach to challenge for the title next season.

3. Getting the best out of the attacking talent

Last season Manchester United labored through too many games, seemingly waiting for a goal from the opponents to prompt a reaction, instead of getting that early goal or two and earning the right to control the game from there. With the attacking talent at their disposal, United are expected to score a bunch of goals against any opponents.

They have the players to play at high intensity, but they don’t do it often enough.

Alexis Sanchez during pre-season match against AC Milan

Alexis Sanchez in particular needs to step up. After joining them last January, he has found the back of the net only twice and assisted a mere three goals for United.

While United were heavily reliant on Romelu Lukaku last season, Mourinho will definitely want Alexis Sanchez, Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard to up the ante this coming season.

4. Consistency in team formation

Manchester United predominantly used the 4-3-3 formation last season. This didn’t give their best player Paul Pogba the opportunity or freedom to move forward and score goals, as he had the burden of defensive responsibility.

There were also many matches where Mourinho changed the formation from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 to accommodate his best players. This clearly hampered his chances of getting the desired results as the consistency he wanted flitted away.

Paul Pogba during the FA Cup final last season

This coming season, Mourinho will likely stick to the 4-3-3 formation, and that is definitely the way forward with acquisition of Fred. Moreover, Andreas Pereira also showed his capabilities during the pre-season in the midfield.

These players will certainly free up the likes of Pogba to get forward and ultimately get the goals and assists that could be decisive in the tight games.

5. Having a settled center-back pairing

Eric Bailly was Manchester United’s most consistent performer at the heart of defense last season. Five of United six league defeats came with him out of the side.

The trouble is that the Ivorian has been injured too often. The likes of Victor Lindelof and Phil Jones only tend to play well when paired with Bailly; Lindelof has been mostly disappointing since his move from Benfica last summer, but his performances in the World Cup were a good sign.

Eric Bailly during pre-season match against AC Milan

Mourinho will also look to bring in reinforcements in the defense. Whoever comes in must comfortably settle in and improve the defense along with either of Eric Bailly or Victor Lindelof.

A perfect center-back pairing has been the pillar of success in all of Mourinho’s Premier League wins, and only time will tell if he knows his best center-back pair for this season.