Manchester United is currently ranked eighth in the list of Champions League championship candidates this season according to some specialized assessment sites, ranked above Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. However, looking at recent form and achievements, this position still makes many people question.
Man United will host Sabah, the Azerbaijani champion, at Old Trafford in their first Champions League match in nearly 3 years. It has been more than 1,000 days since they were eliminated from the group stage after a defeat to Bayern Munich in December 2023.
Man United's achievements in the Champions League in recent years are not enough to create much confidence. They have only won 1 of their last 9 matches in the tournament, and were eliminated from the group stage in 4 of their last 9 appearances.
Since reaching the final in 2011, Man United has only won 2 knockout matches in the Champions League, against Olympiacos in 2014 and Paris Saint-Germain in 2019. In the past 15 years, they have also never passed the quarter-finals.
However, history is still a major support for the Old Trafford home team. Man United have won the most prestigious club-level tournament in Europe 3 times in 1968, 1999 and 2008. Only 6 clubs won more championships than them. In the period 2008-2011, the "Red Devils" also participated in 3 finals in 4 seasons, only twice losing to Barcelona of Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi.
But that is a story of the past.
When preparing to return to the Champions League, Man United is still like a team getting used to the stage that once belonged to them. Balancing expectations and reality will become one of the biggest problems for Michael Carrick.
With a club with a position like Man United, being ranked in the group of championship candidates in most leagues is understandable. However, the current situation forces them to look at everything more cautiously.
Carrick was once a member of the Man United squad that won the 2008 Champions League under Sir Alex Ferguson. He understands better than anyone that the opportunity in this tournament should not be underestimated. However, the English coach also realizes that the current squad is still in the process of rebuilding and not strong enough to compete fairly with Arsenal, Man City, Bayern Munich, Barcelona or Real Madrid.
The Champions League also brings another challenge for Carrick. A schedule of 3 matches per week will put great pressure on the squad, which almost did not exist when he took over Man United from Ruben Amorim last season. The match against Sabah opened a 4-match streak in 11 days, including the Manchester derby with Man City.
The "Red Devils" also need the Champions League for reasons beyond expertise. Many fans are disappointed with the summer transfer window when the team only added 3 midfielders including Andrey Santos from Chelsea, Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Carlos Baleba from Brighton, with a total cost of about 85 million pounds.
The problem is not that Man United does not want to spend money. They must comply with the financial regulations of the Premier League and UEFA. The lack of stable revenue from the Champions League and mistakes in player transfer activities all directly affect investment capacity.
In other words, Man United needs the Champions League to have more revenue, and revenue from the Champions League helps them build a squad capable of competing in this arena. That is the loop that Carrick and the club's board of directors must find a way to break.
