Manchester United: Why They'll Still Win the Premier League Title

Few sides in the English Premier League are at their absolute best at the beginning of September, if any.

Clubs are working out how their summer signings will affect their style of play, how injuries will affect their chances at success this season and how to best manage the playing time of their veterans and star players so that they remain fresh all year long.

Thus three weeks into the English Premier League, it's natural that sides are not at their complete best—heck, sometimes they are not even close to their best.

And with that in mind, I'm going to make that bold statement that I seem to make this time every year: Manchester United will win the English Premier League.

The Red Devils will make amends for the heartbreak and the disappointment suffered on the final day last season, and they will clinch the title this year.

Which, after watching them struggle to put away Southampton, seems like an usual prediction to make. After watching them lose all three points to Everton and almost self-implode against Fulham, you'd be fair enough to suggest that it was an absolutely ridiculous prediction to make.

And at one level, I do not have an answer for you with that. I know just as well as you do that United have been unconvincing so far and have displayed little, if any, of the Premier League-winning qualities that many will expect to see throughout the season.

Which is why I want to point out again that few sides, if any, are at their absolute best at the beginning of September.

Simply put, this is a Manchester United side nowhere near their best.

Their defense is being held together by injury tape and defensive midfielders, rather than the world-class defenders that United have in their squad.

Once the likes of Rio Ferdinand return from injury, players can start to play their normal positions, and the Red Devils can begin to establish the defensive solidity they displayed toward the end of last season.

United are also missing winger Ashley Young and Wayne Rooney from their star-studded attack, with both England internationals dearly missed in the match against Southampton.

When they both return, Sir Alex Ferguson will have essentially a full complement of players to choose from and one of the strongest squads in the Premier League.

The Manchester club are still trying to figure out how new arrival Shinji Kagawa will operate as the team's chief playmaker this season, and they're still trying to figure out how to best utilize Robin van Persie and his relationship with Kagawa and Rooney. 

They are still figuring out how to best work their midfield and how to ensure defensive stability; they're still figuring out what their team will look like this year.

And for that alone, it's difficult to therefore know what the 2012/13 English Premier League season will unveil for Manchester United. It's difficult to know how strong, or weak, the Red Devils will be this season right across the board.

But given their attacking talent and midfield strength, it is hard to discount Sir Alex Ferguson from putting together another premiership-winning squad this season.

United have all the pieces they need for success, and they have time to figure out how to work all these pieces together so that they yield the desired results.

Obviously, they cannot allow too much time for this to happen; otherwise the Chelseas and the Manchester Citys of the Premier League will establish a lead on United that is simply too big to overcome.

But once they get their roster fully functioning and their relationships figured out, you simply cannot discount Manchester United from any title discussions this year.

They are too strong, too deep and too talented for that to happen.

And they could well win the English Premier League because of it.

Are Manchester United going to win the English Premier League this year?

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