No matter how much it is argued, I think it is simply ‘impossible’ to write Michael Carrick off from launching Manchester United into the Premier League title picture.
I do not have a crystal ball that lets me see such an aforementioned claim, but it comes down to the unpredictable nature of football and the Premier League.
Manchester United proved many pundits wrong in the 2025-26 campaign after the Red Devils mounted a successful top-four Premier League challenge.
As the 2026-27 Premier League season is now here, I think Michael Carrick’s side could become the ‘dark horses’ for the title, even if it seems incredibly unlikely.
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I think Man Utd’s ‘dark horse’ status works amid the ‘new’ era of the Premier League
I feel the Premier League will enter its next phase since its inception back in 1992 after Arsenal’s title win last season and Pep Guardiola’s exit from Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s decision to leave management was symbolic of the changes in the entire landscape of Premier League football and the title picture as a whole.
Five of the six traditional ‘big six’ Premier League teams will enter the 2026-27 season with a new manager at the helm — and I think that is incredibly pivotal.
I think it’s the clear and obvious reason as to why so many pundits have backed Arsenal to retain the Premier League title due to Mikel Arteta’s experience.
I don’t even think that Arsenal played exceptionally last season, and I very much agree with other United fans and rival supporters over their ‘boring’ brand of football.
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If Mikel Arteta’s men are sussed out in the 2026-27 Premier League campaign, then the race for the trophy is all to play for when it comes to the big six teams.
I don’t think Manchester United will have it as easy under Michael Carrick as we did in the second half of the 2025-26 campaign due to the increased fixture schedule.
However, I only think momentum is needed from United manager Carrick to have the Red Devils become labelled as ‘dark horses’ for the Premier League title.
It was incredibly frustrating to see any momentum at all for United last season after Ruben Amorim’s inability to keep up a winning streak outside of the rare exceptions.
I am not naive enough to see that there are a fair few stumbling blocks in the path for Carrick, including the lack of squad depth at United compared with other teams.
But I think if Ineos are still able to make the transfers that are needed this summer — especially another midfielder — United could be in a title race next season.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/RsPtCU3