Premier League: What to Expect from the Top Six in 2018/19

Manchester United

Can Manchester United pip City to the title this season?

The dreaded Jose Mourinho third season. Manchester United were the ‘best of the rest’ last season, as their Manchester rivals swept away every football team in the league en route to a century of points.

This season, the fans would have expected some serious recruitment, particularly in the attacking half of the pitch, which was underwhelming under Mourinho’s style last season.

Instead, they are witnessing their club targeting yet another centre-back, more players piling up on the treatment table, and a deteriorating player-manager relationship. Worryingly, this translates to United staring down the barrel of a season of potential collapse, like Chelsea did under Mourinho’s third season at the Bridge.

With Mourinho unhappy that Anthony Martial flew home for the birth of his son, Paul Pogba – if rumours are to be believed – crying out for a move back to Juventus, Eric Bailly brandished the tag of “not a leader”, every sign is there for a player revolt being orchestrated at Old Trafford this season.

Mourinho’s set target would have been to play a more attractive brand of football and also snatch the title back from City. His most pressing concern now would be keeping the squad from being dismantled and steadying the ship.

However, we must remember that this is pre-season, and it is of no serious consequence. United may emerge out of this with even greater hunger and desire to win.

Jose Mourinho

Mourinho is a serial winner; he does it his way, but he gets the job done. But if the very tools he utilises turn his back on him, and if the authorities behind the scenes do not trust him to deliver the signings that he says he demanded ‘a few months ago’, Manchester United may have to wait some more before someone can restore the days of unrelenting dominance they exhibited all that time ago.