21/22 Season Preview

By Josh Coleman, published on 11/08/21

As we draw closer to the start of the new season, anticipation is getting higher and higher as we wait for Ole's reds to take the field against Leeds on the 14th of August. In this piece I am going to be taking a look at the upcoming season, what parts to look forward to and the likely challenges we are going to face as the season goes on.

Starting off, we take on Leeds. A hard game to start as our old rivals will be looking to prove a point. After spoiling their return to Old Trafford beating them 6-2, Leeds will certainly be looking to take us on, especially in front of a full Old Trafford crowd. In addition, with a lack of a pre-season for many first team players, and new signings Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane not getting any first team minutes before, it is not wrong to assume that this could be a very tough game for us. However the players that have had a pre-season, such as Greenwood, James, De Gea, Wan Bissaka and many more, we certainly have a strong enough side to come out on top, to give us the best possible start. For the rest of August and September, consistency will be key for us. While we may not take on a ‘top 6’ side, it is therefore vital that we keep up form, and not drop points where we, in reality, should not be dropping them. This is what cost us last season, dropping points in games where we should be taking all 3.

Our Carabao cup run will also begin in September, however we won't know who we will be facing until the draw in the second half of August.

October and November is likely the toughest part of our season. Taking on Leicester, Liverpool, Tottenham, Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal makes up six of our 8 Premier League games in these months. This will be a true test of the capabilities of the squad. This is because many players won’t be able to play every one of these fixtures due to fixture congestion, hence needing to utilise the depth of our squad, and should we lose a game, it would be a test of the mental character of the team as we hope the squad doesn’t lose its morale. We would also see the opening of the Champions League in October. We will find out the group we are in, in the Champions League draw on the 26th of August.

Going into the mid season months, December, January and February, we will very likely see much fixture congestion. With 6 league games during December, 3 during January and 4 during February, alongside further games with the Champions League, the FA Cup starting in January, and if we continue to progress in the EFL Cup we could be playing an exceptional amount of games during this period. This would continue to test the limits of the squad, and really push it to its boundaries.

During March and April we yet again go into a tough set of fixtures. Facing Man City, Tottenham and Liverpool in March, then Leicester and Arsenal in April, this will likely be the most key part of the season. With the table likely beginning to take shape, every point gained and wins over your opponent can significantly shake up the table, so I would mark this time period as the most key part of our season.

Finally going into May, the last month of the Premier League. Our run in will see us take on Brighton, Chelsea and then Crystal Palace. Should we then reach the final of either/both the FA Cup and the Champions League, these finals would take place on the 14th May, and the 28th May respectively.

Overall, this season presents a fantastic opportunity for us. With a fantastic squad in a project that has been in the works for years now, the time really could be now for this set of players to go on and win the League, or hopefully to win some form of silverware. However, it is important to recognise that this season shouldn’t be seen as a make or break season for Ole. We are yet to see just how good our rivals are around us, and while we have a serious squad, any one of our rivals could be impossible to catch.

Despite that, the upcoming season looks positive. With new faces and possibly still more to come, we really have to progress even further. We need to be more ruthless and much more consistent, and should an opportunity arise for a trophy, we have to take that. However I am in no doubt that under this manager with this squad, we can achieve just that