Manchester United defends its Premier League crown: Fan preview

Posted Saturday, August 13, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

On Sunday, August 14, the new Barclays Premier League season kicks off for Manchester United when they travel to face West Bromwich Albion. With the team preparing for the match, here are my thoughts on the Red Devils' prospects for defending their league crown:

The squad got younger

It was an active summer for manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United. Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, and Edwin van der Sar all retired, and the team either released or sold players like Owen Hargreaves, Gabriel Obertan, Wes Brown, and John O'Shea. In their places, the Red Devils signed Aston Villa's Ashley Young, Blackburn's Phil Jones, and Atletico Madrid's David de Gea.
All three players are young, talented, and immediately fit into Ferguson's plans for the season. With Ferguson beginning a bit of a youth movement at United, I believe he's attempting to both get the squad in order prior to his retirement, and also preparing to challenge FC Barcelona for European dominance. At the least, Jones and Young give the Red Devils some fresh legs to depend on as the season wears on, and de Gea is expected to be the team's number one goalkeeper for the next decade.

Backline and midfield concerns

Even with Jones and Young in the fold for United, I have some concerns about both the backline and the midfield. With Brown and O'Shea at Sunderland, United has lost valuable depth on defense. It's especially concerning given the injuries that defenders Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic struggled with last season. The Red Devils could definitely use some more depth just in case the injury bug strikes again this season, but hopefully the backline remains fairly healthy.

However, I'm deeply concerned about the midfield. One thing Barcelona exposed in the 2011 Champions League Final was United's need for a creative midfielder. It's possible that Wayne Rooney could move back into that role as he did at times last season, but a player like Inter Milan's Wesley Sneijder would be perfect for the role. Unfortunately, United has been unable to finish a deal for Sneijder, and now I'm forced to wonder whether or not this deficiency will get exposed again in this year's Champions League. There is some thought that Tom Cleverly could successfully take that role, but we'll see. He's certainly played well in the pre-season.

Still the favorite

Even though there are some concerns on the roster, the Red Devils still improved in the off-season. Ferguson addressed some major holes in line-up, and now has the team prepared to win the league. They should still face challenges from Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool, but United are, by far, the most stable title contender in the league. It's also easy to forget that even though they won the league last year, it definitely wasn't one of United's best all-time squads. This year, they have played much better in the preseason, and with players like Javier Hernandez and Rooney up front, I just don't see how the Red Devils can lose the title this year. They're just too talented for the rest of the league this year.

Derek Ciapala has been a fan of Manchester United since the World Cup in 1994. His favorite Manchester United moment is when they won their 19th English Championship this season.