All Red Devils fans remember Sir Alex Ferguson’s legendary era. Legendary Scottish specialists took command of the club in 1986, but nobody believed that the team would achieve such results. The Treble in 1999, Champions League victory in 2008, dozens of trophies, including the Premier League title, FA Cup, and other achievements. Dozens of players achieved their prime under Sir Alex (Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or, David Beckham and Eric Cantona showed unreal class and scored dozens of goals). However, after winning the Premier League in 2013, the legendary coach decided to leave the club.
Everyone thought that it was the beginning of a new era, but the team faced a massive regression. What happened after the 2012/2013 season? Who became key players in the team? What results did the team achieve? Let’s get back on time to make a review.
Van Persie, Rooney, Rashford – Leaders Over the Years
Manchester United couldn’t be named a team of superstars, but it always had strong and talented players who scored goals, dominated the midfield, and ruined the opponents’ plans during defense. In 2012, Manchester United signed Robin van Persie, who immediately became their top scorer in all competitions and helped them win their last PL title in 2013. Wayne Rooney, who became older and couldn’t play everywhere, moved closer to the midfield.
In the 2015/2016 season, everyone saw the rising star of Marcus Rashford, who came from the academy and helped the team to win the FA CUP and proceed to the UEFA Europa League. In the 2016/2017 season, he was one of the first to lift the trophy and celebrate. Today, in 2024, he is a professional team leader, and he definitely doesn’t pay an EssayUSA writing service to learn something new in academics or train harder in sports. The speed, technique, and shooting make him a #1 choice for most managers, but he hasn’t won the main trophy in England yet.
Who Is the Best Player?
It’s complicated to highlight a single player because nobody stayed at the club for long. We can mention Luke Shaw and Bruno Fernandes as veterans. We can mention Marcus Rashford, who started as a rising star and is now close to becoming a legend of the club. Individuals like Angel Di Maria, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, or Edinson Cavani didn’t stay long enough to appear on our list. They made a short-lasting impact, but it wasn’t so good.
Coaches – Good, But Not Good Enough
Nobody has ever touched the level that Sir Alex Ferguson has achieved. Jose Mourinho won the Europa League title in 2017 and won three trophies in the red part of Manchester, but it was a short interval, and nobody could surpass these achievements. In 2021, Ole Gunnar Solskjær led the team to another Europa League Final, but they lost to Villareal by penalties. Even the return of CR7 and a couple of transfers to refresh the squad didn’t give the desired effect.
The recent club manager, Eric Ten Hag. didn’t make any serious progress, but he managed to keep the club on the appropriate level by winning a Carabao Cup in 2023 and an FA Cup in 2024. He will stay in the club for the next season, and it will be another season under this Dutch head coach.
Champions League – Dreams or Real Chances?
It was 2008 when Manchester United lifted the famous old trophy after defeating another English side, Chelsea. Since then, the club has reached the final twice but has been defeated by FC Barcelona and Pep Guardiola. Can they win this trophy again in the near future? It seems like this goal won’t be achieved during the next few seasons, and there are several reasons why.
- The team is rebuilding as younger players replace veterans, even though the team has experienced players under the age of 30. Moreover, the team doesn’t have any significant financial problems, so the manager can expect a good transfer campaign this summer. Thus, he doesn’t need additional buy essay help or learn more about his team. He understands what his players are capable of, and he will definitely find someone to have a powerful backup.
- Another factor that matters is the high competitiveness in the Premier League. Since only four teams can play in the Champions League, getting into this top four may be problematic. Teams like Aston Villa, Newcastle, Tottenham, and Chelsea are showing solid growth these years. They fight for a place in the top four, and someone will definitely drop.
- Last but not least the lack of stability. This team can have a solid win streak, but it’s not enough to compete with giants like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, or FC Barcelona on the high stages of the Champions League. The time for the Red Devils will come, but it won’t be quick.
Who Should Be the Manager?
A club like Man United needs a manager who can show authority. Jose Mourinho, Zinedine Zidane, Massimiliano Allegri, or Carlo Ancelotti is the one to take command and bring the team to its best condition.
Moreover, the manager must understand the real capabilities of the team to be able to make rotations during Boxing Day and the key stages of tournaments. A good example is Gian Piero Gasperini and his work in Atalanta. He managed to rotate the squad and use dozens of combinations to go through the season, reach the Copa Italia final, and win the Europa League against unbeaten Bayern Leverkusen. The lack of power and inability to go through the season with the same level of power is a big problem for clubs like Manchester United. They can win the national cup, but it’s not enough for a major victory.
Summing Up
We can’t say that the era after Sir Alex Ferguson was absolutely bad, but the club didn’t achieve any solid success. The players of a new generation give this club some hope, but there’s still a lot of work to do to organize this team and make it play like other teams from the top of the table. Moreover, we don’t know who will come to the club and how these players will be integrated into the existing system. Still, we can say for sure that the times of greatness will definitely happen in the history of this legendary football team.
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