Manchester United look back on a generally satisfying season in which the minimum target of Champions League qualification was met. They had a turbulent start of the season with a new manager in place and lots of players coming and going. The first few weeks of the campaign were quite rough, with just two points gained from the first three games played. There was also the shocking collapse away at Leicester in a 5:3 defeat in September that exposed the deficiencies in defence. Louis van Gaal was definitely searching for the right balance in this newly-assembled squad and changed from week to week, going from three to the back to midfield diamonds. Results did get better towards the autumn and the team also showed plenty of battling spirit in the two difficult clashes against the top sides, Chelsea and Manchester City, even if they only managed to secure a single point from these two clashes. United were all the way down to tenth at that point of the season, and still without an away win, but a gritty and rather fortunate 2:1 victory at Arsenal at the end of November seems to have added new belief and urgency into the team. Further excellent results against Southampton and Liverpool quickly moved the Red Devils into the top four and there was even some optimistic talk about a title challenge. But having won six games in a row prior to the festive run of fixtures, the team looked jaded during that hectic period and managed to secure just a single win in five league games after that, losing pace with the leading pack and finding themselves in a very congested battled for the top four. Performances were really poor in January and most of February but results were still pretty decent, the team somewhat muddling through and getting by thanks to the individual quality of their star men. The real turning point for United’s whole season arrived at the start of March when they were knocked out by Arsenal in the FA Cup. That seemed to change the way Van Gaal’s men play and they responded in a superb manner in the new few weeks. Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City were all blown away in brilliant manner to secure vital wins that all but locked up a place in the top-four. There was much more energy, vibe and overall clarity in the team’s approach during that purple patch but United rather stumbled towards the finish line, winning just the one of the last six games of the campaign. But with Liverpool even in worse state, the fourth place was never really in danger and United will be back in the Champions League next season, when a much more sustained title challenge will be expected.
