Succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson was never going to be easy. Partially due to the huge expectations, and partially do to the ageing squad he inherited, the David Moyes era was indeed a disaster. Then came the announcement of LVG taking over, and with his World Cup heroics, the expectations were sky high. You might remember, how high our expectations rose, when we defeated Barcelona by three goals to nil in our very first friendly. But things never really got going after that. With each failure, the murmurs grew against him. Finally, he had to face the axe.
And look who took over. Perhaps the most talked about manager ever in the history of the game, for reasons good and bad alike. With you coming, results were indeed a guarantee. We knew you were going to lead us into silverware. LVG left with us, a plethora of talent. The Rashfords, Martials and Lingards were new heroes on the rising. Honestly, with your arrival, we were pretty sure these talents were going to be wasted on the sidelines. To be honest, you weren't the name we were expecting.
But look how well you adapted to the uphill task of managing the greatest team in England, and one of the greatest of all European clubs. You changed your long followed tactics of trusting in experienced players. You gave young guns like Rashford and Lingard ample time to showcase their talents. And not to forget the signings you made. The topscorer of Europe on a free transfer. That was some deal. And Pogba too. The enormous price tag was always going to weigh him down. Yet, he played some beautiful football along with King Zlatan, and formed a formidable duo within the squad. The goals weren't coming. But we were attacking. We were playing better football than we had done in the past 3 years combined. There were many matches were we should have won by a comfortable margin, but ended up losing or drawing.
Yet, you gave us things to cheer about. Winning the league was never going to be easy, with the sheer number of matches we were playing. What was the highlight of our season was the shift of our focus from reaching the top 4 in the league to winning the UEL. The two cup trophies were an additional bonus to our season. By hook or crook, we managed to reach our minimum target, which was to qualify for the elite European competition, the Uefa Champions league.
But here at United, we are never satisfied with the results. We wouldn't mind booing our own coaches when they play for a draw. Because for us, football is not just a battle to be won, but a game to be enjoyed. That was what the Fergie era offered us. Results, along with a brand of football that even a footballing newbie could enjoy. Just as you feel that the tempo of the game was falling down, there was a 70 year old man screaming his lungs out, urging the players to produce an out of the world dribble, or an ambitious 70- yard pass. It was such an inspirational figure, that produced legends like Scholes, Cantona, Beckham, Neville brothers, and ofcourse the superstar himself, Cristiano Ronaldo.
We hope you stay here, and build a legacy of your own. You seem to be on course to attain that goal. But what we need is a league title in the very least. Because we are Manchester United, and not Arsenal. We are expected to win the league every single year, and with the resources and personnel we have, it is a target that we should indeed fight for.
Here at United, we always stay together. We celebrated the 2008 treble together. We cried after the tragic UCL final losses to Barcelona together. We hailed our Ronaldos and Rooneys together, and sure did we kick Liverpool's ass together. So, as always, we supporters stand hand-in-hand, shoulder to shoulder, and sing together, "In Jose, we trust".
We are the team that outlived the Munich air crash disaster. We are the ones who won the treble in '99, with a team of average age 24. Because here at United, we dare to dream. We dare to risk, we dare to gamble. Because we are the red devils, and as we always say, The reds go marching on and on!
The stakes are higher than ever. Pep is building an extremely good squad at the other end of the city. With the arrival of Salah, Liverpool's front three looks formidable too, not to forget a master manager like Klopp. And as for Chelsea, you sure has some scores to settle, don't you?
The fans are ready, the players are ready. The world is waiting to see the Red Devils rise from the ashes as we always do. All the best on managing the greatest team in Europe. Let us settle some doubts this season. Hopes high, fingers crossed.
