The Club:
It was a fight in the end, but they owned the Premier League title once again last season. No matter what Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal could throw at them, it was not enough in the end. The Red Devils will start off the 2011/12 Premier League betting season as favourites to retain their title, and it may be a brave punter who goes against them. They have a title winning squad in place and little is going to change with it, other than it getting stronger. There are areas in which they can get stronger, but their truth strength lies at the top, with Sir Alex Ferguson, who keeps adapting and changing the playing field, so others cannot emulate or catch them. They have power and pace, which often is far too much for other teams to handle, and they of course scrap to the final whistle to dig themselves out of holes. This is the Manchester United which the other teams realistically dreaming of the title have to deal with, and the one which has to be stopped
Players/Manager:
All of the transfer talk surrounding Manchester United has been about Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder. It is still a will he – won’t he situation as so many mixed reports are coming in. Some are saying that he is going there, while Sir Alex Ferguson said that there was no serious offer from Manchester United from him. He would certainly be a huge addition to the squad if United do get him, just imagine him playing behind Wayne Rooney and defences trying to pick up both of them. Truthfully, if the Red Devils do get Sneijder, value in betting on them to win the Premier League title again will be hard to refuse. He can make a huge difference. While that saga rolls on anyway, United have secured a couple of signings. One being that of Ashley Young from Aston Villa. Young will now have to compete for a place down the flanks for his new side, but is a great move and should benefit England in the long term as well. If Young builds up a rapport with Rooney, that would be great. Manchester United also bolstered their defensive stock with Phil Jones coming in from Blackburn. That will add extra cover for the fragile Rio Ferdinand, especially with the departure of Wes Brown and John O’Shea to Sunderland. It will course also give Ferguson great options when it comes to rotating his squad, when looking to the future and dealing with fixture pile ups because of tournament participation. Manchester United have also landed secured Antonio Valencia to a new deal, but there does seem to be some speculation about the future of Dimitar Berbatov, who finally showed up to the party and showed how deadly he can be in front of goal last term. Still, for all his goals and carrying United without Rooney, he was still largely the forgotten man, and wouldn’t be surprised to see him heading out, especially if Sneijder comes in. United could well spend more, but you are not sure where. Midfield would be the likely place, as they do need cover in terms of a serious play maker, and a serious upgrade over Michael Carrick. But, all in all, Sir Alex Ferguson will be happy with his squad, the one which people largely wrote off last season. The experience of Ferguson is worth a good many points each season, especially against their title rivals. Things were so close last season, that he really was the one big difference in deciding who lifted the title.
Last Season: 1st
Well, Manchester United won the league, with a squad many thought would be too weak. They had a lot of troubles on the road, which nearly let Chelsea slip in through the back door, but when it comes to the big crunch matches, you always have to count on United. They will have been disappointed with being so immensely outclassed again the final of the Champions League by Barcelona, and they don’t look as if they are closing that gap, not without with a stronger midfield where someone can get their foot on the ball. But there were so many successes, with Javier Hernandez poaching brilliantly and Berbatov shining. The defence stood tall as well, so the backbone of the team is pretty strong. As for the squad, well, it is not the most developed in terms of depth, but good enough.
2011/12 Manchester United Premier League Betting Projection:
No matter what they do, who comes, who goes, Manchester United remain the team to beat. They were pushed close last season but that was down to their own failings in struggling to pick up wins away from home. Old Trafford though will remain the fortress that it is, and they are not going to drop many points there. You have to install them as one of the front runners, you cannot look past that. They are not going to give up their crown easily, and while they may have some kinks to work out in their squad, they are certainly the most adaptable of the title contenders. They have the fight that Chelsea and Arsenal seemed to lack last year, and their biggest challenge could come from Manchester City this time around. Hard not to take them as favourites to win the title, but it should be another closely ran things. We are not sure what Chelsea are going to produce, nor how the development of City is going to go. There is just something tried and tested about Manchester United and when you are looking to split hairs, you automatically lean towards Sir Alex Ferguson. He will bitterly want to get back to the final of the Champions League again this season. When he is going to retire, only he knows, but he will want another shot at European glory. He will have seen the power of Barcelona again and questioned how to adapt to try and get close to them. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but they are still a major European power, and back on the home front, they are the team by which standards have to be set.
Finishing Position: Title Contender
Premier League Winner Odds:
2/1 at William Hill
First Three Fixtures
August 14th: West Brom v Man Utd
August 22nd: Man Utd v Tottenham
August 28th: Man Utd v Arsenal
