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Say it quietly, but after a difficult start to the season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has helped Manchester United become potential Premier League title contenders.
United have not won the league since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, and David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and José Mourinho fell short of expectations.
We’ve compared his start to the 2020-21 Premier League season to his seven previous seasons to see how they stack up.
2020-21
Games: 14
Wins: 8
Drawn: 3
Lost: 3
Position: 4th
Points: 27
Goals for: 30
Goals against: 23
Clean sheets: 3
Despite suffering a 6-1 loss to José Mourinho’s Tottenham at the start of the season, United have been able to turn things around in recent weeks.
They have won six of their first seven away games in the Premier League and are also one game short in the top three teams.
2019-20
Games: 14
Wins: 4
Drawn: 6
Lost: 4
Position: ninth
Points: 18
Goals for: 21
Goals against: 17
Clean sheets: 2
End point count (final position): 66 (3rd)
United beat Chelsea 4-0 in the first weekend of 2019-20, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came under increasing pressure following losses to Crystal Palace, West Ham, Newcastle and Bournemouth.
However, the arrival of Bruno Fernandes in the January transfer window helped transform their fortunes and United finished the season in third place.
READ: Seven Remarkable Statistics From Bruno Fernandes From His First Year At Man Utd
2018-19
Games: 14
Wins: 6
Drawn: 4
Lost: 4
Position: 7th
Points: 22
Goals for: 22
Goals against: 23
Clean sheets: 2
Total Finishing Points (Final Position): 66 (6th)
After United failed to sign the players they wanted, José Mourinho had his inevitable implosion during his third season at the club.
Defeats to Brighton, Tottenham, West Ham and Manchester City left United in seventh place after 14 games and Mourinho was sacked a few weeks later.
2017-18
Games: 14
Wins: 10
Drawn: 2
Lost: 2
Position: 2nd
Points: 32
Goals for: 32
Goals against: 8
Clean sheets: 9
Total Finishing Points (Final Position): 81 (2nd)
United were among the favorites to win the Premier League title in 2017-18 after winning six of their first seven games.
However, defeats to Huddersfield Town and Chelsea allowed Manchester City to open up a lead at the top of the table and United were never able to catch up.
2016-17
Games: 14
Won: 5
Drawn: 6
Lost: 3
Position: 6th
Points: 21
Goals for: 19
Goals against: 16
Clean sheets: 4
Total Finishing Points (Final Position): 69 (6th)
United won their first three league games in 2016-17 before suffering back-to-back defeats against Manchester City and Watford.
José Mourinho’s team then drew six of their next nine league games also lost 4-0 to Chelsea in October 2016
2015-16
Games: 14
Wins: 8
Drawn: 4
Lost: 2
Position: 3rd
Points: 28
Goals for: 20
Goals against: 10
Clean sheets: 8
Total final points (final position): 66 (5th)
While Louis van Gaal’s football may have been as enjoyable as watching the paint dry, United got off to an impressive start in 2015-16.
The Red Devils beat Tottenham and Liverpool at Old Trafford, but also suffered a 3-0 loss to Arsenal in their first 14 league games.
READ: Where are they now? The 15 Children Delivered To Man Utd Debuts By Van Gaal
2014-15
Games: 14
Wins: 7
Drawn: 4
Lost: 3
Position: 4th
Points: 25
Goals for: 24
Goals against: 16
Clean sheets: 4
Total Finishing Points (Final Position): 70 (4th)
Despite spending over £ 100 million on new signings, United scored just two points in their first three Premier League games with Louis van Gaal in 2014-15.
They also lost 5-3 to a newly promoted Leicester City, while their best result after 14 games was a 2-1 win against Arsenal.
2013-14
Games: 14
Wins: 6
Drawn: 4
Lost: 4
Position: ninth
Points: 22
Goals for: 22
Goals against: 18
Clean sheets: 3
End point count (end position): 64 (7th)
David Moyes replaced Ferguson in 2013 and suffered losses to Liverpool, Manchester City, West Brom and Everton in their first 14 Premier League games.
United got a point against Chelsea and Tottenham and beat Arsenal 1-0 at Old Trafford thanks to a header from Robin van Persie.
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