Top 5 Manchester United sides in the Premier League era

Since the indictment of Premier League as the official domestic football competition of England, 5 teams have gone on to win the title. Manchester United(13 times);  Chelsea (4);  Arsenal (3); Manchester City (2) and Blackburn Rovers (1). Over the years many great sides of the respective teams have come and won the title. If Rovers did it with Alan Shearer, then Arsenal’s Invincibles were breath-taking  with Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp. Then there was that United side which won the treble in the most dramatic way possible.

With 13 titles, Manchester United has clearly been the dominant force in the 23 years of Premier League and there have been many great Manchester United sides which have gone on to win many titles. Segregating the top 5 from all those legendary Old Trafford outfits is a daunting task. But, here’s our efforts to bring to you, top 5 Manchester United sides of the Premier League, according to us.

#5 Manchester United (1995-96)

Key players: Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, Andy Cole

This season is famous for Alan Hansen’s famous quote- “you’ll never win anything with kids” as Manchester United lost their opener against Aston Villa 3-1 and were seemingly written off by the media.

Why does this side make it into the Top 5?
This is because of the fact that Sir Alex Ferguson sold off experienced players like Paul Ince, Mark Hughes and Andrei Kanchelskis before the start of the season and didn’t make any major signings. Instead, he drafted in young players like Nicky Butt, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers, Gary and Phil from the youth setup, famously forming “The Class of ’92”, and under the stewardship of veterans like Steve Bruce, Roy Keane and Peter Schmeichel, went on to win not only the Premier League title but also the FA Cup, beating Liverpool in the finals. By doing this, they also became the first team in the Premier League to win the double.

#4 Manchester United (1993-94)

Key players: Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, Mark Hughes

This was the most stubborn team of all. Once they claimed the top spot after the fourth game of the season, they never budged from the top of the table throughout the campaign, ultimately emerging winners a margin of by eight points over nearest rivals Blackburn Rovers. Their dominance was all the more emphasized by the fact that, for all his brilliance, Eric Cantona couldn’t check his temper at times and was on the receiving end of a series of red cards, and still, United were always looking the best team in the league. Even without their best player. A certain volatile mid-fielder was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson at a record breaking price and Roy Keane justified that tag of the most expensive English mid-fielder.

#3 Manchester United (2008-09)

Key players: Patrice Evra, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov

A side that didn’t quite retain the authority of the previous season (’07- ’08), given how they slightly stuttered and didn’t manage the same strike-rate, but still displayed immense nerve in the run-in. Just when Liverpool seemed to be closing in after their 4-1 win at Old Trafford, United dug in to dramatically win seven games in a row and seal the title. That almost propelled them to winning the Champions League for a second successive season, but they couldn’t quite carry on the momentum as they lost the Champions League Final.

#2 Manchester United (2007-08)

Key players: Rio Ferdinand, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic

The side which boasted the likes of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. Manchester United’s new holy trinity. And with the defence having the likes of Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Patrice Evra and Edwin van Der Sar; this was the ultimate team. The best team in England. The best team in Europe. At that time, United were running riot in England with only Chelsea offering any resistance and in Europe, they were just the better team whenever they played against anybody. Beating Chelsea both at home to lift the Premier League trophy and at Moscow to become the European Champions, this United side had the most gifted individuals.

#1 Manchester United (1998-99)

Key players: Roy Keane, David Beckham, Dwight Yorke

“The most important thing was the spirit of this team. They just never gave in, they don’t know how to. They’ve got that beast inside them and they found it when it mattered. People will never forget this team.” – Sir Alex Ferguson

The side that won The Treble. The most entertaining side of all. This Sir Alex’s side surely sits right at the top of all time legendary teams and not because this side had the best players on the planet; but because this was the best “team” and not the best “group of individuals”. An outstanding goalie, a good back four, a genius mid-field with an inspirational leader and captain and a telepathic(Cole-Yorke)/emancipatory(Sheringham-Solksjaer) strike force. This was a team which played its heart out and were very strong mentally. This United  team seemed capable of lifting themselves above almost anything, deriving that last minute “spur” from their reserve of spirit. They never let go of the game until the last whistle and this was evident with their famous comebacks, the most famous of those giving them The Treble. The Champions League Final at the Nou Camp, Barcelona. The most romantic team in the history of English football that eventually won the treble.