Manchester United vs. Barcelona: United's Squad Depth Looks Close to Ready

Manchester United vs. Barcelona was an entertaining International Champions Cup game that saw United run out 3-1 winners.

While they certainly rode their luck, with Barca having a goal ruled out for a narrow offside, hitting the post three times and having a pretty good shout for a penalty, United's win did not feel undeserved.

Indeed, the Red Devils displayed a consistent attacking threat, both in the team that started the match and the collection of youngsters that featured in the final hour.

I drew attention to the difficulty United have had breaking down compact and defensive-minded units after the second half of the game against San Jose Earthquakes. Both the first and second half in this game, though, showed just how effective the current United squad can be on the counter-attack. 

Ashley Young and Luke Shaw offered plenty of threat down the left. Juan Mata's range of passing and eye for goal are a threat in any kind of possession. The burgeoning relationship between Wayne Rooney and Memphis Depay shows signs of promise.

Depay managed to carve out a couple of half chances, in spite of the fact that he was up against one of the game's great defensive midfielders in Sergio Busquets—indeed, arguably its greatest. Busquets probably shaded the clash between them on points, but fortunately for Memphis and United, most of his opponents will not be of that calibre.

At the 60-minute mark, an injection of pace and youth provided an enormous boost to United. While the defence and midfield were made up of a balance of youth and experience even after the substitutions, the forward line was made up entirely of hungry young players with a lot to prove.

They did their chances no harm. Adnan Januzaj was deployed as a striker and did a fine job. It was an unusual choice, given James Wilson was on the pitch alongside him playing on the left of the attack, but one which paid ample dividends thanks to Januzaj's superb goal.

On the right, Jesse Lingard—a youngster who has gone somewhat under the radar—chipped in with a goal and an assist. Andreas Pereira lurked behind them in attacking midfield.

It is, of course, only pre-season. As Louis van Gaal himself was keen to point out, United beat Real Madrid—then reigning European Champions—3-1 in last season's ICC. Getting giddy at this stage would be an error, especially given last season's ample warnings.

However, the fact that an entirely new XI was able to take the pitch after an hour and be so effective shows just how improved the "balance of the selection" is at United.

This is particularly the case in attacking areas. They are a bit short of out-and-out No. 9s, since the departures of Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao. However, each flank and attacking midfield have plenty of both quality and quantity.

Lingard and Pereira may well have done enough on this tour to enter their manager's first-team thoughts. Januzaj's late goal will surely do his confidence plenty of good, especially after he missed a presentable chance a few minutes after coming on.

Even the apparent short-fall at No. 9 may not be as bad as it appears. With Javier Hernandez returning, and Van Gaal showing faith in Januzaj's abilities as a striker, there is depth there.

Whether Rooney can demonstrate that he is still an absolutely top of the range striker remains to be seen, but there are at least options when he is out of form or unavailable.

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As I wrote after the Club America game, United's new signings have added greatly to the quality and balance of the squad. Key areas have been improved—areas that have been crying out for improvement over the past few seasons. The upgrade in central midfield is obvious.

Equally important could be the arrival of Matteo Darmian, who has been extremely impressive at right-back—again, with the built-in "pre-season" caveat. An apparently resurgent Shaw at left-back means that both full-back slots are well catered for, and there is plenty of cover for both positions.

The position which is most lacking in terms of cover would seem to be centre-half. Van Gaal's decision to start Phil Jones and Daley Blind as an apparent first-choice pairing seems an odd one. Perhaps he is using pre-season to thoroughly experiment with his options.

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Chris Smalling was United's best centre-half last season, and seeing Blind preferred to him is a little unsettling. That Blind is being considered for a centre-back berth at all probably speaks to United's need to improve in that position.

While the Dutchman has decent defensive instincts from his time at left-back and in midfield, his relative inexperience at centre-back has shown on a couple of occasions. He was lucky not to concede a penalty against Barcelona, as he had been against Club America.

That absolutely top-level centre-half still looks missing from the squad. There is an argument to be made that the same could be said for centre-forward.

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Pretty much everywhere else in the squad, though, is well-stocked with both quality and quantity. That would take a hit should David de Gea leave, but if United can hang onto him, then there are very few obvious gaps left in the squad.

While getting overexcited during pre-season is obviously a fool's errand, the fact is that the most dispassionate analysis suggests United's current position is significantly improved when compared with this time last year.

Angel Di Maria's situation remains unresolved, but even if he leaves, Van Gaal's squad looks very well balanced.

Playing Barcelona showed off the counter-attacking potential that the squad contains. In truth, the pattern of most of United's games next season will likely see them dominating possession in a way they simply could not manage against Luis Enrique's side. This, though, shows they can win another way.

That United won the game has some significance, but what really matters is the quality of football they managed.

Barca were, of course, without Lionel Messi or Neymar, players of such ability that their absence makes an almost incalculable difference. It is also important to point out that the bounce of the ball probably favoured United in terms of the final score.

Nonetheless, United's attack was too much for Barca's defence, as Van Gaal pointed out in his post-match interview, per the club's Twitter account.

Nonetheless, Van Gaal was able to deploy an entirely fresh XI at the hour mark, and that XI was able to more than hold its own.

These are not markers for inevitable success, as recent history and the basic application of common sense teach us that. However, they are markers of promise. More importantly than that, they are happening in a different context. A year on from Van Gaal's arrival and the squad looks like it is really becoming his.

He has often spoken about balance. In almost every area of the squad there is now a balance of first-team quality and decent back-up. There is a balance of left-footers and right-footers, of attack-minded and more defensive players. There is a balance of youth and experience.

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Putting all these pieces together and achieving success will still be a challenge for Van Gaal, but the pieces look like they are better shaped to fit together. While the mantra of "it is only pre-season" remains appropriate, equally appropriate is a cautiously optimistic vision for the season ahead.