League Standings and Our Toughest Competition

So... as usual Manchester United is once again a favorite to win the EPL, what else is new? Do we have another three-peat in us? I think so! The normal major competition isn't looking as strong, out of the big four Arsenal appears to be falling apart unless they can push some bids through to strengthen their squad before the end of the month, Liverpool have potential pending they can get their gigantic midfield to stay together and work as a well oiled machine, and Chelsea is aging, with Andres Villa-Boas scrambling to rebuild before the end of the transfer window. Chelsea obviously has a strong squad, I mean come on, any team list with Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres down to potentially be their forwards has the potential to drop lots of goals on you, they just need to figure out how to make all the pieces work. However, and yes it makes me sick to say, I feel like Manchester City is going to be the biggest competition for the league this year. They are definitely shooting for the idea of buying the title, and I really hope they can't, but with an unlimited bankroll it is definitely a possibility. I have to say the league will finish United, City, and Chelsea in the top three separated by single digits, with Liverpool in fourth, Arsenal in fifth, and the rest of the league competing to follow them up. As for the relegation battle, I don't want to even begin to comment there, especially with how tight the bottom half of the league was last season, so that will be left for later on. But, if anyone has any thoughts on the rest of the table, I'd love to hear it!

Manchester United v Arsenal

Sunday we have the late game in the EPL going up against Arsenal at Old Trafford. Normally this would be marked as a game for everyone to get excited for, and maybe a little stressed. This weekend, however, I will not be stressed out about Arsenal. The Gunners are definitely hurting right now, even with the big win over Udinese to make it to the group stage of the Champions League they are not on top of their game. For starters, they are obviously weak in the midfield due to Fabregas and Nasri going to Barcelona and Manchester City. Next comes the injury to Jack Wilsher, who was showing a lot of promise last season for Arsenal, and could definitely help tighten up the midfield and help with possession. Gervinho is out as well, which leaves the goal scoring directly on Van Persie, because "that Russian guy" doesn't do too much for them anymore. The other suspended players are Alex Song, a necessity in their central midfield, and Song's replacement in young Emmanuel Frimpong. Basically my conclusion of Arsenal is that the team that normally presents a major issue for United every season is not anywhere near the animal they once were, and I don't see any issues.

As for the United side, we should be okay. Missing Ferdinand and Vidic obviously isn't a positive, but Chris Smalling and Phil Jones can most definitely fill in, at least that's what they lead us to believe against Tottenham. The pair are likely the future of the England defense and United's as well. Fletcher is a question mark, but I don't see any need for him to be rushed into the starting eleven, especially with the play Anderson and Cleverley have been showing through the central midfield. Up front don't be surprised to see Welbeck and Rooney together again, especially with the Man of the Match performance Danny Welbeck put together this past week against Spurs. I would almost expect the same 11 that started against Tottenham, minus Ferdinand and Vidic for. The bench will have some experience ready to come on in the event that the young lads can't handle Arsenal, but I do not see that happening at all. My prediction after full time is 3 to 1 United, with United dominating, but Arsenal sneaking one on in De Gea.

Champions League Draw

So early today we had the Champions League Group Draw. Manchester United was drawn in Group C, alongside Benfica, Basel, and Otelul Galati. Yes, when I read their group I also thought, "Who do we face in the round of 16?". There is no reason for us to not get through the group, in what is likely to be quite easy. The one club I see giving us some issue is Benfica, they are arguably the most successful Portuguese team out there, with the only competition in the debate being Porto. As for Basel, they're Swiss, who cares about the Swiss Super League? Not to sound mean, and maybe this will come back to bite me, but I don't think they are one to worry about either. Finally there is a club called Otelul Galati, and yes I actually I had to look them up. They are from Romania, and I don't know anything about Romanian football, so in turn I am not worried about them either. One thing that is going to come out of this easy group is giving our young players a bit of a European football baptism. Players like Young, Cleverley, Jones, and a few others could all use some time playing on the European stage, and what a confidence boost it will be for them to win their group in convincing style, which they should be able to do.

Tell me what you think about our draw in Europe!!!

Goals Galore!

Goals galore, that's something that wouldn't surprise me this year. Hernandez and Rooney put together one of the best goal scoring tandems in the world. Behind them we've got Berbatov and Owen, both of whom are proven veterans that have a lot of skill to bring onto the field, along with experience to handle big game situations. However, coming up the ranks are Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda. Welbeck has had fantastic loan spells away from the club and is looking fantastic at the beginning of the season, and is someone I could see as an easy starter no matter who is healthy to compete for the spot. This brings me to Macheda, if you don't remember that game when he scored an amazing late goal against Aston Villa, at the age of 17, you should stop reading this. I remember thinking, 'what the hell Fergie?! This kid doesn't have a place on the field!" and then I was shut up with a brilliant turn and shot that I will never forget. Macheda and Welbeck are both strong, young players who can fill in when called upon, and that leaves our attacking options seemingly endless.

Defense..Defense..Defense

As always, Manchester United has a solid back line, just as long as they can all stay healthy. Obviously Ferdinand and Vidic are a rock for us, especially Vidic. The problem with Ferdinand is that he hasn't had a healthy season in years. This brings me into our young guns, i.e. Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. Both of these gents are great fill ins, but there are still obvious questions about whether or not they can really step up. This past weekend they did brilliantly against Tottenham, but that's Tottenham, not Inter, or Bayern, or Real, or Barca, in say... the Champions League Final. As always though, in Fergie I trust. One thing I definitely noticed in our first game of the season was Smalling playing at right back, providing an extra attacking option that should have Rafael worried about his spot in the starting eleven. On the other side of the back four their is Evra, who continues in the long line of fantastic left backs that United has been able to get their hands on for what seems like forever. Overall, I feel like our back line will be just fine, because so long we have four healthy defenders we have four strong people who have the ability to stop just about any attack out there.

Is Our Keeper a Keeper?

Now onto the keeper situation. When looking at David De Gea, anyone who thinks he needs to get out of the starting role needs to settle down. He has amazing potential, along with fantastic skills already. First off, look at his work at Atletico Madrid. He put up amazing numbers in saves and percentages. For instance, his save percentage compared to Van Der Sar's last season were almost exact, and I didn't hear anyone complaining about our old number one. He also is transitioning into a spotlight a lot bigger than where he was. No disrespect meant to Atletico Madrid, I love watching them play, but they most definitely are not on the same level as Manchester United. Once De Gea gains some composure on the bigger stage, I am pretty confident in saying that we have our keeper for the next fifteen years.

The Midfield

Well, I must first say that I was somewhat disappointed with our failure to find a true Paul Scholes replacement. However, with the play of Tom Cleverley and a promising player in Pogba coming through the youth system I have faith that Sir Alex will lead us down the right path. Cleverley looked absolutely fantastic for such a youngster during the first two games of the season, which included a dominating second half with Anderson in the center of midfield. Yes, a man named Wesley Sneijder would have been a great signing, but the price was a bit much, his salary demands were high, and too much drama was coming from his transfer gossip, which no one really needs. Our big midfield signing was Young. Ashley Young is going to provide a better type of width that none of our wingers have. The crossing ability he showed during the tour of the States was extremely promising, and he has brought that into the season as well. The style of play that Young has is a new dimension that no one else provides for us. Nani likes to come into the middle way too much looking to score rather than provide for his forwards. Park tends to get too central, which is good depending on who we are up against, especially in Europe, but isn't as necessary during league play. Finally we have Valencia, who is probably the only other winger who stays true to the outside almost as much as Young likes too by never hesitating to take the ball to the corner and play to the middle. Further more Young's crossing provides a different piece to the attack that wasn't available to the likes of Rooney or Hernandez before.

First Post Ever

Hey all, welcome to my new blog! Today I'm just going to be talking a bit about my overall thoughts on the club, and just why I love Manchester United as much as I do. For starters, the first Manchester United game I ever watched was the 1999 Champions League Final vs Bayern Munich. Yes, a hell of a game to start on! I was hooked ever since, and have been obsessed ever since. My favorite Manchester United player is hands down Ryan Giggs, the Welshman has had a playing style that I find mesmerizing even today. I'll probably cry a little bit the day he retires.