How does this United compare to the 2012/13 squad?
The last time Manchester United won the premier league was back in 2012/13, the final season of a long decorated spell under the legend that is Sir Alex Ferguson. Despite the 2012/13 squad going on to become Premier League champions for a 13th time, it was by no means an unstoppable squad and I feel this squad under Louis van Gaal has better talent and futures within its players.
With that being said and seven premier league games already played, how does this Manchester United squad’s start to the season compare to the title-winning 2012/13 team.
2012/13 Manchester United opening seven games
Games – Everton, Fulham, Southampton, Wigan, Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle
Shots on target- 41
Goals scored – 17
Shot conversion rate – 41%
Opposition shots on target – 30
Goals conceded – 9
Opposition shot conversion rate – 30%
Average possession – 59%
Points – 15
Position in league – 2nd
2015/16 Manchester United opening seven games
Games – Tottenham, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Swansea, Liverpool, Southampton, Sunderland
Shots on target – 28
Goals scored – 12
Shot conversion rate – 43%
Opposition shots on target – 25
Goals conceded – 5
Opposition shot conversion rate – 20%
Average possession – 60%
Points – 16
Position in league – 1st
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Offense
The first thing you’ll notice when looking at these statistics is that United have had less shots on target and less goals by this stage of the 2012 season but this can be misleading for two reasons.
Firstly, goals have been less frequent in the last couple of seasons, with a strong defence more key to a genuine title challenge. An example of this is Chelsea who won the Premier League last season, they conceded the least amount of goals in the league (32) due to a strong consistent back four and world class goalkeeper.
However at the same time, Chelsea scored ten less goals than second place Manchester City and were only able to win four league games by three goals or more than their opponents.
When you compare this to German champions Bayern Munich who won 11 games by three goals or more or Spanish champions Barcelona who won 15, you can see that the English top teams are not as prolific when it comes to goals as they used to be compared to the other top teams around Europe.
Secondly, United’s shot conversion rate has actually increased, meaning that although they are not creating as many goal scoring opportunities as the last United title winning squad, they are making more of the chances they are given.
Back in 2012 all eyes were on newest signing Robin van Persie and even though he scored a lot of goals (going on to finish as the league’s top scorer that season) he also missed a lot of clear cut chances in the process.
Whereas now United aren’t as focused around attacking football, under van Gaal possession of the ball is key so less chances are being created but the forwards are more accurate. Proof of this can be seen in recent games against Liverpool and Southampton where United scored all of their shots on target despite only having three in each game.
With Rooney and Mata providing a wealth of experience, youngsters Memphis and Martial are the future of United and are only going to get better, even though Memphis left the Eredevise as the top goal scorer and Martials first three goals for United have come from his first three shots on target.
When you compare the forward players of Memphis, Mata and young to the 2012 team which had regulars like Kagawa and Cleverly who both never quite found form with United, it’s easy to see which squad looks more threatening in attacking plays.
Defence
It is defensively however that we have vastly improved from our last title winning squad.
Back in the 2012/13 season, United’s centre back pairing was the experienced Vidic and Ferdinand but due to an ageing squad, the pair were out injured for a lot of the season at different times, leading to Evans, Jones and Smalling filling in the cracks on more than a few occasions that season.
That inconsistency led to a ‘weak at the back’ United and despite being second in the league at the time, they had conceded more goals than anyone in the top eight of the Premier League.
This has not been the case this year for the red devils. Since the beginning of the season, van Gaal had fielded the same back four of Darmian, Smalling, Blind and Shaw who seemed to connect together and understand each other brilliantly, proved by United only conceding three goals in their first seven games (all competitions) of the season.
However, since the gruesome injury to Luke Shaw and his broken leg which he suffered against PSV, United have had to tinker with their defence. Involving the likes of Rojo, Valencia and Young playing various full back positions, it has resulted in United conceding five goals in their last five games, albeit only two have been in the league.
Despite this United’s defence has matured compared to the last two seasons, with Chris Smalling aka the ‘Maidstone Maldini’ taking control of United’s defence and looking like a real leader of men alongside his new centre back partner Daley Blind who has settled in well to this unfamiliar position.
As well as that, new signing Darmian has been a tidy full back, offering defensive options on either flank while Luke Shaw was having a terrific start to the season before his unfortunate injury.However it would be unfair to give all this praise to just United’s defenders. With Michael Carrick acting as the shield to United defence back in 2012, age and injury has limited his game time over the years and has often left United vulnerable.
By signing Bastian Schweinsteiger, one of the best holding midfielders of our generation who has won it all from the Champions League to the World Cup, he will provide confidence and experience to all those around him. And with Morgan Schneiderlin, despite being vastly younger, has already proven himself in the premier league and under ‘Big Basti’ could grow into a United legend.
It was these genius acquisitions and a confident back four that has helped bring consistency to United and only concede 25 shots on their own goal so far this season.
Finally, perhaps the biggest signing of the summer was a new deal for de Gea who has evolved into one of the best goalkeepers in the world, evident via the statistics again. Even though he has conceded three goals in the three league games he has played, de Gea has already produced some word class saves, most notably against Southampton when he somehow saved Jose Fonte’s header which seemed to already be behind de Gea.
Not only has the current United squad conceded eight goals in 12 games or conceded nearly half the amount of league goals by this point of the season in 2012, but they have also been able to drop their opponents shot conversion rate from 30% to 20% showing just how much this new look United work together in unison like a well drilled machine to improve at the back.
Summary
Despite going on to win the title at the end of the 2012/13 season, the team back then was an ageing squad, plagued with injuries and relied a lot on Robin van Persie’s goals to get them over the finishing line.
Fast forward three years and a lot has changed. David de Gea is no longer a keeper in development but one of the best keepers the world has to offer. United have a younger new look defence with many years ahead of them as long as they are not cursed with constant injuries.
Instead of placing all the pressure on Carrick to guard the back four, United now have three quality holding midfielders to bring stability to the field. And finally instead of relying solely on van Persie and Rooney for goals, United have exciting future prospects in Martial and Memphis alongside world class Mata and Rooney.
Being top of the table for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement and having conceded the least goals in the league, you have to believe Manchester United are heading in the right direction and have more than enough talent to not only challenge for the Premier League title but even go on to win it.