Season Preview: Manchester United

Overall Outlook - The 800 lb. guerrilla of the Premier League seems to be fading a bit.  Here's the evidence...1) getting not only older but actually old at key positions; 2) few players in their prime; 3) over-reliance on Rooney who is exceptional but could cripple them if he is absent for any amount of time.  If Rooney remains healthy for most of the season (32+ matches or so) then ManYoo will be in great shape and finish no worse than 3rd depending on how Arsenal mature and/or Citeh come together.  If Rooney does face a long stretch on the sidelines though, SAF's men could finally start to feel the effects of the financial problems behind the scenes at Old Trafford.  We can mark United's success thus far under those circumstances down to SAF being an exceptional manager but even the best managers can only paper over so many cracks.  Seriously, if even a better-than-average Premier League manager like Martin O'Neill were working with a midfield of Fletcher, Park, Nani, and Valencia with occasional contributions from Giggs, Scholes, O'Shea, and Carrick you'd predict no better than a mid-table finish regardless of the quality of the defenders and forwards around them.  If you factored in the fact that much of last season was played without a fully fit Rio Ferdinand and no obvious first choice right back or second striker then you really have to say that the combination of Rooney and Ferguson is strong.  Take away one of those two and you're in real trouble.


Projected Starters - van der Sar, Rafael, Vidic, Rio, Evra, Fletcher, Scholes, Giggs, Valencia, Rooney, Berbatov

In the Rotation - GNev, Evans, Smalling, Fabio, Nani, Park, Carrick, O'Shea, Chicharito, Cleverley, Owen

Kicks - Giggs and Rooney will take the majority of kicks depending on location on the field.  If Giggs is out then Nani will likely be replacing him in the line-up as well as in taking free kicks.

Newcomers

• Chicharito, F - He's been quite the sensation over the last 3 or 4 months and his performances in pre-season for United have shown why.  He looks to be a dangerous striker who possesses an "it" factor that Berbs just doesn't have.  That said, he is likely to start out the season as a late game substitute rather than as a starter.  I wouldn't be surprised to see him become a starter later in the season so fantasy managers should track his progress and think about bringing him into their line-ups accordingly;
• Chris Smalling, D - One for the future as ManYoo begin to prepare for life without Rio Ferdinand who is starting to break down physically.  Smalling has great potential but is only two years removed from non-league football and is likely no better than the 4th choice center back.  If he starts a stretch of matches then things are going wrong in a big way for United but if he is just getting a spot start against inferior opposition to give one of the starters a rest then he might be worth an occasional look;

Rising Youth

• Tom Cleverley, M - Another pre-season standout.  The question is really how much playing time he can expect to see in the middle of a title chasing campaign.  SAF has resisted the urge to loan him out which means that he may see some time but barring an injury to a couple midfielders it seems more likely that his time will be from the substitute's bench rather than in the starting line-up.  Still, he's one to watch to see if his pre-season heroics translate into first team and fantasy results;
• Fabio/Rafael, D - I've grouped the twins together perhaps unfairly.  Rafael has had much more time in the starting line-up to adapt and he seems ready to assume the first choice role at right back.  Fabio, on the other hand, is probably still a year or two away from contributing regularly due to both the presence of Patrice Evra who is one of the top few left backs in the world and the lack of his own experience.  With SAF probably preferring to have O'Shea available as a "utility infielder" (for those who don't know baseball that means he can act as a substitute in many positions) I'd expect Rafael to be a solid starter and if that turns out to be the case post-food poisoning then he'll represent nice value at 6.78.  The worse case scenario is he and O'Shea (6.73) splitting time with Neville thrown in occasionally and causing fantasy managers to pull their hair out.

Fantasy Breakdown

• Best - Um, Rooney is the best, second best, and maybe the third best fantasy player on the ManYoo roster.  If Giggs gets an extended stretch of games (unlikely) he is probably second;
• Best Value (non-newcomer) - Surprisingly, there are a lot of potential bargains on the United roster to start the season.  Rafael is far and away the best value if he turns out to start.  Nani and Giggs are also excellent value to start off the campaign if you know when they're going to start;
• Best Projected Value - There aren't a lot of players who are likely to surprise you with their fantasy performances this season because most are veterans but Park and Chicharito are the two that, in my mind, have upside potential and that you should be watching for opportunities to include;
• Worth Considering With Good Match-ups -  The ones you know will start...EvdS, Evra, Vidic, Rooney, and probably Valencia;
• Worth Knowing If He's Starting - Rafael, Park, Nani, Giggs, Scholes, Berbs, O'Shea, Fletcher, Chicharito, and maybe Cleverley