'Name on the trophy!' Manchester United: Title Favourites or Challengers?

Max HopflSep 9, 2008

The newly crowned Champions of England and Europe will no doubt have the number 18 on their mind, however, it could also prove to be the push needed to spur Liverpool into action, as a number of luminaries from Liverpool's history, such as, the legendary Ian Rush have come out and been critical of the clubs near surrender of records set by teams in the past and he feels these legends are owed a bit more effort from current players. A Chelsea squad with a new manger and new players are a perhaps the greatest threat to Sir Alex's ambitions of overhauling Liverpool, however, it would be foolish to discount Arsenal who, in my opinion, are outsiders to win it. Then there are the 'non-Big Four' teams competing to win, namely, Man City, Spurs, Everton who have all spent a lot during the transfer window and will provide an exciting battle for Champions League football, however, no more than that, as i think it is highly unlikely that any of these teams can challenge for the title.

The best way to decide who is going to win and how they should be regarded is to look at their strengths and weaknesses. I'll start with Chelsea, clearly they pose a huge threat, with desire for revenge and new signings, potentially most significantly the signing of Scolari as manager, however, the single biggest threat to their campaign could, ironically, either be a lack of midfielders, as Essien joins Mikel and Ballack on the sidelines, or disunity amongst his players. The impact of disunity at the club was highlighted last season as Arsenal's bid collapsed after the Birmingham match and Bendtner's 'falling out' with Adebayor, and Chelsea's have a lot of players who are competing for a place in the line up, and one weakness in Scolari's game is his lack of compassion when he thinks a player isn't good enough, as as a national boss it isn't problem due to the fact player's can be sent home. Thus the dressing room and treatment table are Chelsea's main weaknesses. Arsenal, have once again gambled on youth, with key players leaving to be replaced by youngsters, this could prove to be their downfall, as the loss against Fulham screamed for a shield in front of the defence, previously provided by the athleticism of Flamini or the hard tackling of Gilberto Silva, fortunately they kept hold of Adebayor, but they need someone as prolific to partner him, i feel, as sometimes they are all over a team and need someone who will not be too fancy and just put it in the net. I think Gunners fans will once again be disappointed and finish third, due to vulnerability at the back and a need for goals at the front, and worringly for them they seem to have returned to the days when a team like Bolton were dead certs to beat them as they couldn't handle the physicality. Liverpool, a team for whom have nothing but hatred, have been the most vocal about their chances, especially on Setanta Sports, however, in reality i think they will finish 4th, 3rd at best. This is because of the fact that they still have problems on the wings, and Rafa's weird and, if you're anything but a Koppite, wonderful tactics and selections don't help them. They still sign players that no-one in the rest of the top four would want, the exceptions being Babel and Torres, and they are their best players, no-one else wanted Dossena or Degen or Riera! The fans seem to think Keane is the solution to all their problems, however, it is quite clear to me after the number of players touted as 'the missing piece' that any new boy who comes will be under immense pressure for immediate results and that the missing piece could've been Quaresma, a winger of quality who could give them the width they require instead of wasting Keane out on the wide left where he seems unhappy playing. Only luck, Torres and Gerrard being fit and in-form and a burning desire to succeed will win them the title, they are more likely to be cup candidates. Now to Manchester United, the Champions have passion, a new striker and, i believe, after that penalty miss by John Terry, God on their side! But seriously, they have important players to return in the shape of some Portuguese bloke called Ronaldo, Nani, Hargreaves, Park, and with an injection of Brazilian youth and an Italian touted the next Totti, the sky's the limit for this team. The main weakness could be injuries, as last year there were hardly any key injuries and the other weakness could be the reliance on the form of Ronaldo and Rooney as they turn draws to wins for United, and the game at Anfield comes at a perfect time as Torres and Gerrard may be out, Berbatov has signed and we need a win and beating Liverpool is always the sweetest win. The 'non-Big Four' teams have all spent massively and i back Spurs for 5th, Portsmouth for 6th, Everton 7th and City 8th, some will think City will finish higher but i just think they lack quality in about 6 positions and i think Robinho thrives off good players around him, so he may be surprised at some players lack of ability required to challenge for the title, and i admit i may be made to eat those words, however, they're position will change radically depending on who they sign in January.