MICHAEL KNIGHT

Manchester United are a main stay when talking about potential Premier League champions — at least they used to be. Recent managerial changes have seen United fall from the top of English Premier League. Times are changing, though, as a new hope is on the horizon.

Since the inception of the EPL in 1992, Manchester United has been the team to beat. They have been crowned champions 13 times and finished as runner-up five times. In fact, from 1992 to 2013, the worst position that Manchester United had finished was in third place. All of the while the team was under guidance of one of the greatest football managers of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson.

However, all good things must come to an end. Ferguson announced that he would be stepping down as manager at the end of the 2012–13 season after an illustrious 26-year stint. The Manchester United front office was then faced with the daunting task of finding a replacement for Ferguson.

Enter David Moyes, Ferguson’s fellow Scotsman and longtime manager of Everton. Moyes had been at the helm of Everton since the start of the 2002–03 season and had kept Everton in the top half of the table from 2006 onwards. However, the expectations for Moyes at Everton would pale in comparison to his expectations managing United. Many Manchester supporters had initial doubts about Moyes, boy, were they right.

The first season without Ferguson didn’t go so well. Moyes’ bizarre strategies, coupled with departures of some of the team’s best players, lead to a season to forget. The shoddy play throughout the season had United finishing with a record of 19-7-12, good for seventh place in the Premier League. This would be their worst finish since the 1989–90 season. Subsequently, Moyes was fired.

Enter Louie van Gaal. During the off-season, the United front office was determined to fix United. This time around, the new manager seemed fit for the position. Van Gaal had previously managed high-profile teams such as Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and the Netherlands’ National team, so there was little doubt that he could handle the pressure while at Manchester. The United ownership also opened up their wallets, spending almost ₤150 million — approximately $221 million on new signings during the off-season.

Spirits were high for the start of this year’s campaign. However, the excitement would soon come crashing down as United opened the season going 2–2–2 — hardly a stellar start. Defensive lapses riddled United’s back line, usually leading to unexpected goals. Young defenders and a questionable formation — only three defensive backs — were to blame.

United fans have now seemed to have once again given up hope on their team. Competitors Chelsea and Manchester City are already firing on all cylinders, while United has barely started its engine.

Fans shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the season, though. During the first six games, United has shown us glimpses of Ferguson-era teams, playing with precision passing and a deadly counter attack. New world-class talent has also made the squad able to compete with other top teams.

The current team has yet to gel, with new players and a new manager who is as opposite of Moyes as red is from blue. Van Gaal knows how to manage teams, he knows how to work with star players and the bottom line is that he knows how to win. Driven to compete and determined to win back the loyalty of their huge global fan base, United have become a completely new squad. The Ferguson era is over and we mustn’t compare the current state of the team to the legendary teams of old. The van Gaal era has only just begun, and soon fans will once again be rejoicing with “Glory, Glory Man United.”