Can Manchester United Continue after their Great Start?

The Premier League got off to a bang last week, with enough upsets, great goals, and stellar performances to shake a stick at. After one game, Manchester United sit atop the Premier League table by virtue of their +4 goal difference and put in one of the performances of the weekend. Of course, it’s early days, but can United continue to play such strong football and maintain their standing?

Very impressive against West Ham

Source: BBC Sport, via Twitter

Of all of the presumed title contenders, Manchester United impressed the most. Against a strong, new-look West Ham United, the Red Devils controlled the game, were exciting on the ball, forced the attack, and were strong at the back. There was very little put wrong.

The new signings who started the game look to have fit in seamlessly. Nemanja Matic, who was named the man of the match, was very impressive in front of the makeshift-looking backline, and Romelu Lukaku was an assassin in front of goal – as his brace would indicate.

Everyone on the field pulled their weight and contributed to the victory, with Paul Pogba and substitute Anthony Martial getting goals towards the end of the game to make it 4-0. The mighty team performance sent out a message to the other teams vying to become champions.

A few steps ahead of the competition

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Manchester United’s 4-0 win was not only to best score line; it was also the best performance. Arsenal struggled to contain Leicester City and had to come back to claim a 4-3 win. Chelsea saw two of their star players sent off – Cesc Fabregas and Gary Cahill – and lost 3-2 to anticipated relegation battlers Burnley. Liverpool’s poor defending allowed Watford to take the lead as well as concede a late equaliser, despite the Hornets not starting some of their new stars, and only took one point from the 3-3 draw.

Tottenham Hotspur put in an accomplished performance against a bullish Newcastle United, and despite Harry Kane’s August drought continuing, they pulled through with a 2-0 win against the ten-man Toon. Then, United’s top title contenders, Manchester City, walked away with a 2-0 victory against Brighton & Hove Albion, in a somewhat difficult victory. The new-ish formation and playing Danilo on his wrong side (the left) wasn’t very effective. The Citizens managed to pull out a win, but it wasn’t overly convincing.

The strong showing and wins from both Manchester clubs have certainly influenced the title race already. Manchester City sit at 11/8 in the football betting, with United at 14/5 to win the league. Depending on how long it takes City to iron out the kinks, and if United can be consistent, the red half of Manchester could easily see themselves rise to becoming favourites in the title race.

Improvements on the way?

Source: Sky Sports PL, via Twitter

The team looks to have gelled well, and they played with confidence, with Paul Pogba looking noticeably more relaxed, but the squad may yet be getting some new faces.

Jose Mourinho has said many times that he wants four new players and currently has 75 percent of what he wants, however, the Manchester United rumour mill has gone quite cold in recent days. They’re going to sign teen striker Bruno Amorim from Oliveirense of Ledman Liga Pro – the second tier of Portuguese football – but he’ll likely join the reserve or youth set-up.

Some reinforcements in defence, particularly at left-back, would be welcomed as it’s certainly the weakest area of the team. However, United have been struggling to sign Ivan Perisic, which would suggest that the area looking to be strengthened is the left wing.

Even if Manchester United don’t sign another player in this window, their performance over the weekend shows that they’re here to contend. They’ll need consistency and some big performances against the other contenders down the line, but the foundations are there for a great campaign.