Does a poor start mean an end to Manchester United's dominance?

Manchester United is, for many sports fans, the team they love to hate.  Their poor start to the season will have enemies of the Red Devils rubbing their hands with glee, not least the City boys across the way.  The weaknesses of the team have been laid bare for all to see - Edwin van der Saar is, unfortunately, no longer up to the job.  The defeat at Liverpool can, I believe, be laid squarely at his feet.  I am by no means a Wes Brown fan (in fact, I curse him quite regularly) but Edwin's failure to trust Wes to do his job was directly responsible for the first Liverpool goal that changed the course of the match.  We need new blood in the goal, to back up an otherwise pretty strong back line (now that Gary Neville has returned).  The injury situation in midfield has emphasized that we do need more support in that area, though this was exacerbated by Scholes' red card and subsequent ban (how did that man *never* learn to tackle?), particularly as Hargreaves is prone to knee problems.

However, it's not all as quite as dark as it first appears.  United have scored exactly the same number of goals this season, as they had at this point last year, and they went on to win not only the Premiership title, but also the Champions League competition.  The injuries and complications over transfers have contributed to a weak start, but a fully fit United squad is a formidable thing to behold, and I have no doubt that we will shortly be making our way back up the table in inimitable fashion.  The return of Cristiano Ronaldo will surely help, as will Berbatov once he is fully settled into the team.  If Rooney is played up front more, alongside Berbatov (as he played for England), we have the makings of a truly dominant attacking force.

Recent summer signings by other rivals always causes people to claim that now Utd will be beaten, but their class always shows through.  City may have bought a lot of expensive players, but they will take time to integrate and settle down, and as Roman Abramovich can tell you, simply pouring money into a club does not guarantee you glory or trophies.  The effects will take time to show at City, and in the meantime, their fans should be wary of being too cocky - pride comes before a fall.  Chelsea are in a strong position, but were once again unable to beat United at Stamford Bridge, despite the return of Didier Drogba.  The recent injury to Ricardo Carvalho will leave a hole in their defence, though their squad should absorb this without too much worry.  The injury of Deco should cause more concern, though his absence should be short-lived.  Chelsea's tendency to settle for 1-0 wins will have to be altered if they are to provide serious competion again this year - it has proved to be their undoing in the past. 

Arsenal have a young team again, and despite the youthful vigour and impetus of Theo Walcott, still have a long way to go if they are to successfully challenge at the highest levels.  Liverpool have made some good signings this summer, though they may yet rue their decision not to pay full price for Gareth Barry.  Their victory over United was a publicity coup for them, but the contribution of United players to their own defeat should not be ignored, nor the continuing uncertainties in the boardroom - they created serious instability at the club.  In short, the competition is still quite open, there is a lot to play for.  However, the pundits should be wary of writing United off too quickly - having to eat their words year after year must surely get tedious - they have much to do, and a superb team with which to do it (especially if we get a new goalie in January - Fergie - you heard it here first!).