Manchester United: Next season's Title Challengers, or Champions League strugglers?

United picked up their first victory over archrivals Manchester City since 2012

It’s been quite a season for Louis Van Gaal. From a stuttering start to progressing to what looks like a triumphant finish. A top four place looks all but secure for Wayne Rooney and Co., with an added bonus of finishing above derby rivals Manchester City a very likely probability. It hasn’t been quite a smooth sailing for United.

They have stuttered, struggled, and limped to narrow wins over lesser opponents, lost at relegation-threatened Leicester by a margin of 5-3 after leading 3-1 at one point of time during the game, and they have often been charged with playing bland, possession based football which had failed to test the imagination of the Old Trafford faithful. But all that has changed now.

Ever since the match against Tottenham at Old Trafford, United have looked a transformed side. Van Gaal appears to have, finally, found a combination that works, and the results have been spectacular. United have defeated Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City since then, compiling a neat run of six consecutive victories, which resulted in United lying in third place, a point off Arsenal. But then they lost at Stamford Bridge to Chelsea.

The loss wasn’t marked by a bad performance from United, but rather a dogged, resilient display from Chelsea, which has now become a trademark of a Jose Mourinho team. While United certainly took more positives than negatives from the match, the fact remains that they have failed to win a single match against the League leaders.

While the result showed why United are not quite ready to challenge for the throne they had made their own in the last decade, it certainly went on to show that Jose can expect a very strong fight from Louis, come August 2015. And there are quite a few reasons for that.

Rooney’s versatility key in an injury-plagued season

Wayne Rooney. You can hate him, some definitely love him, but every single neutral football fan, along with many opposing football fans, definitely respect him. A season in which captain Wazza (Rooney) played a large number of games in midfield, he still managed to become the only player in the Premier League history to score 10 or more goals for eleven consecutive seasons. And not just goals.

He provides 0.18 assists per game, which is more than League’s top striker Diego Costa, as well as Harry Kane. The same is applicable for his pass completion. At 85%, Rooney’s pass completion ratio is more than Costa and Kane, and equal to that of Sergio Aguero. Rooney has also won more duels in the opponent's half than all three of the League's top strikers. His average of 1.49 chances created per game is higher than 1.21 of Aguero and 1.05 of Kane.

Added to his pre-match motivational speeches, according to Marouane Fellaini, has been one of the main reasons behind United's recent upsurge. All in all, If he continues to display excellence in every field next season, the Old Trafford faithful might have something other than their win over the Citizens to cheer about. And he has been aptly supported by United’s midfield, which has been marvelous throughout the season.

Out of form players hitting form at the right time

Michael Carrick has performed his role of deep lying midfielder brilliantly, showing yet again why he is considered to be one of the most under-rated players in British football. Carrick has had a big defensive impact for United, making four defensive actions per match on an average. In terms of impact, United have won 72.2% of the matches in which Carrick has featured, with the numbers dipping down to 37.5% in the midfielder’s absence.

However it has been United’s attack which has been most affected by Carrick’s versatility in passing, which becomes more impressive due to the fact that he has maintained an average of 90% passing accuracy throughout the season. Ashley Young and Marouane Fellaini have brought their United careers back on track with some outstanding performances.

Ander Herrera has been superb in possession in the center of the park and looks likely to be the United fans’ choice for the signing of the season. Juan Mata has played his part of the midfield play-maker with assured confidence, scoring important goals against bitter rivals City and Liverpool.

Angel Di Maria has not exploded onto the Old Trafford scene like he was expected to, but his 10 assists and four goals goes to show the potential that the former Real Madrid player has to change the complexion of any game, and potentially the season. The continued performance of United’s midfield into the next season is a definite prerequisite for the title challenge which Van Gaal will surely be looking to mount.

De Gea, the only shining light in United’s defensive unit

One of the two saves made in injury time against Everton

The one thing that has been missing consistently from United this season has been their inability to display consistent defensive performances. United have looked shaky in defense, especially in the first half of the season, which is easily reflected in the statistics that after Everton, United have had the most number of defensive errors. The number of goals conceded by United’s out of sorts and unsettled defense would probably have had increased considerably had there not been a 24-year-old Spaniard manning their last line of defense.

David De Gea has had a superb season at Old Trafford, definitely his best since his arrival from Atletico Madrid, and his outstanding performances in many matches of the first half of the season has been the reason that United’s defense has managed to escape more punishment. His performances against Everton, Stoke and Liverpool, shows the reason why Van Gaal will be anxious to keep him at the Theater of Dreams.

The Spanish goalkeeper has produced an astounding 2.39 saves per match, in the process managing to keep 10 clean sheets. Furthermore, his catching accuracy has increased noticeably, as his average claim success has increased to 93% which is much higher than the previous three seasons. If United are looking to seriously challenge for the title next season, defense is an area they will definitely need to improve.

Manchester United look set to achieve their pre-season goal of returning to the Champions League, and their performances and results against the big teams have brought back the smiles to the faces in the Stretford End. Whether those smiles will be bigger during the course of the next season, is something that only time will tell