Can Manchester United Realistically Win the Champions League This Season?

The appointment of a new manager, the arrival of no less than 12 new players, including the purchase and sale of the Premier League’s most-expensive player, as well as the exit of several first-team figures—Manchester United certainly packed a lot into the year they spent missing from the Champions League.

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But in the grand index of Louis Van Gaal’s Old Trafford project, United are now, once again, a Champions League club.

The Dutchman achieved the minimum requirement of qualifying for the competition last season—yet like a hiker reaching the summit of a long, arduous climb, United must now ask themselves: what next?

Van Gaal, with Filofax in hand, comes across as a man with a plan (although maybe not so in the transfer market), so what target has he set on this season’s Champions League campaign?

The United boss has already talked down his side’s chance of challenging for the Premier League title this season, but what is he aiming for in Europe?

Going on Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven, his sights might not stretch much further beyond the group stage. United were somewhat unfortunate to leave the Netherlands with not so much as a point, given the rarity with which the hosts troubled David De Gea’s goal. Other than the two goals, the Spaniard had very little to do over the 90 minutes.

United dominated possession, with Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial especially dangerous—shooting off 17 attempts on goal compared to PSV Eindhoven’s seven.

The horrific injury suffered by Luke Shaw unsettled the visitors’ back four, with the Dutch champions making the most of that defensive uncertainty to score twice.

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United might have started their group-stage campaign with a painful defeat, but they will surely improve as the competition progresses. Their weaknesses were exposed in Eindhoven, but nevertheless it could well be the case that Van Gaal’s team is better suited to the European game.

In the Premier League, United have, on occasion, looked slightly ponderous and short of imagination in the final third. When playing at such a pace—like the English game demands—that can be a hefty handicap, with defensive solidity not exactly the primary priority of most Premier League sides.

However, in Europe this season—in both qualifiers against Club Brugge and at times against PSV—United were far more impressive.

Depay has so far struggled to acclimatise himself to the Premier League, but has been United’s shining star in the Champions League—scoring three goals in as many appearances.

In central midfield, United’s options might prove more effective, too. Against Premier League opposition—who are, generally speaking, inherently open—the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Michael Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin are often too safe, anchoring the midfield rather than looking for a way to unpick the opposition defence.

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Yet in the Champions League such central security could serve United well—they certainly could have used some against PSV.

But as Van Gaal’s side face more games in which chances will be at a premium—as is the nature of the competition—that resolution could prove invaluable, more so than in the Premier League.

However, if United are to make a deep run in this season’s Champions League they must be more streetwise. Van Gaal’s side—even accounting for misfortune—were naive in their game-management against PSV Eindhoven, conceding possession too many times in the second half. When chasing the game, it’s a weakness that consequently costs United the game.

And just as is the case domestically, there are pressing questions over their quality—or lack of—up front.

In fact, United’s dearth of depth in the attacking positions will be exposed even further in the Champions League, where goalscoring opportunities are something of a rarity.

Van Gaal needs someone who can take what few they do produce, and as things stand United don’t appear to have that sort of player. That will hinder their progress in Europe this season, something the Dutch coach was close to admitting himself on Tuesday night.

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“When you are you 1-0 up, if you score the second goal then it is over,” Van Gaal explained after defeat in the Netherlands, as per ManUtd.com. “We can only blame ourselves because we have created so many chances.

"After Tottenham Hotspur, I said we have to score one more than the opponent. Tonight we could have scored much more but it is always like that. They scored out of nothing.”

So all things considered, how far can United go in the Champions League this term? Their passage into the last 16 is still fairly assured—even after defeat to PSV—but beyond that Van Gaal and his team might struggle to make an impression.

Of course, such judgement at this stage is purely speculation but United appear to be a second-, or maybe even third-tier, side when measured against teams like Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

There’s always the precedent set by Chelsea in 2012, though. Roberto Di Matteo’s side broke through the pack to win the Champions League three years ago, despite appearing some way below the competition’s gold standard—so Van Gaal can take encouragement from that sort of run, as well as Juventus’ progression to last season’s final.

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Van Gaal was brought in to overhaul United’s side following the ill-fated tenure of David Moyes, but the Scot recognised what was needed to succeed in Europe.

The Old Trafford side’s run to the competition’s quarter-finals—where they were edged out by Bayern Munich—was the only redeeming feature of the club’s 2013/14 season, and Van Gaal would do well to learn some lessons from his Scottish predecessor, in this respect.

United are a club defined by their continental achievements, and so Van Gaal’s stewardship comes with the unwritten mandate of targeting a fourth European Cup win—no matter how far short they are of realistically realising that.

United are a team with glaring weaknesses, but they could still find that such deficiencies are somewhat masked in the Champions League.