As you should know by now, Chelsea's draw with Arsenal last night ensured that the EPL trophy headed back to Old Trafford after two years of dominance by The Blues. It has been the dream of many United fans, including myself for the Red Devils to snatch the trophy back and place it where it belongs. European success is secondary, league dominance is of utmost importance for a great club like United. It has been a wonderful season for United, notching up 28 victories out of 36 games. Currently at 88 points, i'm sure United will hit 90 points with two more games left. Victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge would be the icing on the cake. A United win will show the world who deserves to be the champions and serve as a confidence booster ahead of the FA Cup final clash. A United double will increase Chelsea's agony. A season with only the Carling Cup is a serious failure for Mourinho.
For the past season, United have been playing extremely well. I think it was down to their good pre-season training. Just look at how much the team has improved since last season. It seemed like everything would click into gear flawlessly everytime United play. Free flowing, one-touch football plus critical finishing made sure that few teams could match up against the Red Devils.
In defence, Vidic and Ferdinand have been the most consistent pairing in the league. With the two great centre-backs complementing each other, van der Sar only needed to make rare, crucial saves when needed. Evra and Heinze are both quality left-backs competing for the same position. Brown and O'Shea have also stepped up their game when called in to help out. Neville was certainly not missed as United continued their winning streak without him. This shows the quality of United's reserves. No need for big-stars or expensive back-ups to do the job. (that's for Chelsea)
Scholes and Carrick did extremely well in the centre of the park, bringing the ball out of defence and supplying the attack with inch-perfect passes. Giggs has lost his speed but more than make up with is increase in awareness and vicious one-touch passing. He has turned out countless half-chances into great opportunities for his teammates to score. Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the best player in the world right now has improved so much since last season. His ability in creating chances and applying crucial finishes have allowed United to lead the scoring charts this season. Without a doubt, he is the Man of the season. Nevertheless, Park, Fletcher and Richardson have also contributed when needed. Park grabbed some important goals while Fletcher have put in tireless displays for United. Richardson stepped in well when Giggs when rested. Credit to the lads.
Up front, Saha did well at the start of the season. He notched up numerous goals for the Reds until his injury problems came back again. Luckily, Alan Smith was back again, showing more hunger than before after his horrendous injury last season. Although he is just an average player, his passion has rubbed off his teammates and his contribution to the team cannot be discounted. Rooney had an average season but he can come up with the crucial goals when needed. Solskjaer also had a better season this year, using his experience to guide the younger players.
Overall, this was a very much improved United team that fully deserved the EPL crown. Their hard work has definitely not gone to waste. The FA Cup victory would really mark the start of a great new Manchester United era, and the comeback of the sleeping giant.
