Musings on Manchester United: A 2020-21 Season Review

Manchester United's 2020-21 season came to an end in heartbreaking fashion, with a loss to Spanish side Villareal CF in a long-drawn out penalty shootout in the UEFA Europa League final. With the Red Devils' hopes of securing a first trophy under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær hanging in the balance, Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea missed the decisive spot kick, giving the Unai Emery-led Villareal an 11-10 (1-1 after extra time) win on penalties.

For a club that started the Premier League season with a shambolic loss to Crystal Palace and shortly after followed it up with a humiliating defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, Manchester United ended up thriving in the chaos of what has been labelled as one of the most unconventional Premier League campaigns. The club went on to lose a total of only 6 games in the Premier League, which, for context, is the same number of games lost by champions Manchester City. Further, the Reds surprised many a pundit and, often, the public opinion, by going the entire Premier League season unbeaten away from home, a record which has previously only been achieved by Preston North End (1888-89), and Arsenal twice (2001-02, 03-04).

Solskjær has a lot to prove going forward | Image credit: Google Images

While the club is poised for a critical summer transfer window ahead, one can only hope that after enduring a season with the most 0-0 draws in club history on one hand, and having 10 comeback wins on the other, the focus is on building a side focused on consistent performances and making Old Trafford a fortress once again. 

Gleaning the positives

Despite losing a European final and finishing a convincing 12 points behind local rivals Manchester City, there are a few positives to build on as the club enters a crucial period in its bid to acquire silverware more consistently, and converting the semi-final and final hiccups into success going forward.

Luke Shaw's revival

The resurgence of Luke Shaw has been a wonderful (and surprising) element of United's footballing endeavours this season. A host of United fans were disappointed when, just as the abovementioned game against Crystal Palace was about to begin, news broke around the Premier League that Tottenham Hotspur had announced the loan move of Sergio Reguilon. Fans and pundits alike were crying out for someone to come in and replace Shaw, a player described as "too inconsistent", "timid", and "not durable". In fact, after the arrival of Brazilian Alex Telles on deadline day, many believed that Shaw was never going to reach the levels he once hinted at prior to his unfortunate leg break at the beginning of United's 2015-16 season, and be sidelined to a bench / backup role.

Luke Shaw has been a standout performer for Ole's Red Devils this season | Image credit: Getty Images

Soon, Luke Shaw started playing some immense football, arguably better than any left-back in the Premier League. This could possibly be owing to a multitude of factors, including Telles' impact as competition spurring Shaw to be a more aggressive player, and Solksjaer's man-management pushing Shaw to become a player who no longer doubts himself. His resurgence has revitalized United's attacking flair down the left wing, and his linkup with left winger Marcus Rashford creates havoc for opposition managers and defences alike. Luke Shaw is a sure-shot inclusion at left back in multiple Team of the Season selections, and his inspired football this season has been recognized by his teammates, who crowned him Manchester United Players' Player of the Year for the 2020-21 season.

Bruno, Edi, and Marcus Rashford 

Further, charismatic midfielder Bruno Fernandes has been impressive on all fronts, contributing with 28 goals and 17 assists in his first full season with the club. The Portugese genius topped off a lovely season by deservedly winning the Sir Matt Busby Award, which is awarded to the best player of the season as voted by fans.

The signing of Edinson Cavani has proved to be of immense help, and has provided a much needed attacking outlet, with the Uruguayan striker recording 17 goals and 3 assists in all competitions. This coincides with Frenchman Anthony Martial struggling on all fronts including injuries, form, and confidence and consistency in front of goal, and Cavani's timely intervention in this regard has significantly helped the team from an attacking standpoint. With Cavani extending his contract for another year, United will (subject to any additions in the transfer window, including the widely reported pursuit of Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho) go into next season with an exciting array of attacking talent including Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial, and Edinson Cavani. Additionally, Englishman Marcus Rashford has had an impressive season, stepping up with 21 goals and 15 assists in all competitions. With a defence led by captain Harry Maguire (who is omnipresent in the back line and crucial to United's success) and United touted to be in the mix for a world-class centre back this summer, the foundations of a team ready to challenge on all fronts is clearly visible.

Areas requiring attention

With United losing a host of semi-finals last year, the club and manager, both, were looking to put the stuttering run of form behind them and cross that next definitive step towards silverware and success. However, a poor performance against Leicester in the FA Cup and toothless display against Villareal in the Europa League, have put an end to the pipe dream of silverware that every United fan was hoping for, coming in to this season.

What then, is the problem? The answer appears to be, a search for consistency, reliability on star players, and a side struggling to make the big moments count. 

Finding consistency

United's form this season has been a bit of a roller coaster, with 6 home defeats in the Premier League and no defeats away from home. Further, drawn in a group with RB Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League group stages, some of the team's best performances came in an impressive 2-1 away win in Paris, and a 5-0 rollicking of the German side at Old Trafford. Eventually, however, United's Champions League dreams came crashing down after a defensive faux pas of epic proportions led to an embarrassing 2-1 away loss to minnows İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü, a club that finished 12th in the Turkish League.

Defensive ineptitude leading to a damaging away loss in Turkey | Image credit: BBC

For a side looking to re-establish itself as a legitimate contender and challenge for trophies next season, finding consistency in performances across all competitions is critical. While United have shown that they are a force to be reckoned with away from home, it is imperative that a focused effort is made toward strengthening the club's home form, which has historically been extremely critical in the club's bid for trophies. 

United have displayed the attacking flair required to win games, but often struggle with set pieces, having conceded countless goals from free kicks and corners. In fact, one would have hoped, that coming into the Europa League final, the coaching staff and players would have been mindful of the team's pitiful record in defending corners and set pieces, and specially planned towards ensuring that the same is not replicated at the biggest stage. This, unfortunately, was not to be, with Gerard Moreno converting to give Villareal the lead in the final, off the back of some schoolboy defending from a set piece.  

The big moments

Every footballing season is often defined by a few key moments. For United this year, a few big moments include the FA Cup semi-final, the tie against PSG at Old Trafford (where United were fighting for qualification to the knock-out rounds of the Champions League), and of course, the Europa League Final. In what may seem to be a cruel case of déjà vu, United fans observed that the team failed to rise to the big occasion this year as well. 

For example, a team with the likes of Cavani, Pogba, Bruno, Rashford and Mason Greenwood was expected to dominate a game against Villareal, who, despite having a veteran manager at the helm, struggled for form and god results in La Liga this year. The game, however, was a completely different story, with United's key players going missing, and some would say, almost shying away from the responsibility of grabbing a game by the scruff of the neck and influencing its result. The talent is unquestionable, but the lack of talent on display when it truly mattered was baffling. It is not unfair to expect a big game player like Paul Pogba (who is a World Cup winner) to step up in the face of adversity when Bruno is being man-marked out of the game, or Marcus Rashford is proving ineffective in attack. The Frenchman, however, was glaringly sub-standard, and did not look convincing all game, despite recently finishing what can be termed as one of his best seasons for the club in the Premier League. Instead, the two standout performers were midfielder Scott McTominay and right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, both players who possess an immense work rate but struggle to impactfully decide games from an offensive standpoint.

The choice of lineup was accurate, but, presumably, a lack of trust in the depth of the team led to Solksjaer waiting up to 100 minutes to make his first change. Crucially, the players brought on present a damning perspective of the club's transfer business last summer. Both Donny van de Beek and Amad, who cumulatively cost approximately £80 million, were deemed inadequate to change United's fortunes in a crucial, must-win final.

Going forward

United this season have been a team of explanation - every compliment / criticism one wishes to mete out to them needs prefacing and substantiation. It often felt like, this season, it was indeed difficult to say whether certain things happened out of circumstance / situational fortune, or design. A win in the Europa League final would have gone a long way in cementing this as a successful season, with the Next Big Step surely on its way next year. In a year when most big teams across Europe are either efficiently planning for the future or being shrewd in the transfer market in the present and trying to win now, United need to spend this summer making smart and reasoned decisions to build towards next season.               

Authored by: Saurav Roy

About the Blog: Writings on the Ball is an all-things Man United blog, started by a corporate and finance lawyer passionate about football, lawn tennis, and basketball.