Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Don't say Manchester United are amazing after 2 matches, but they really look it

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:43 p.m. ET

Ryan Rosenblatt

It's been two matches. Just two of 38, or 5.4 percent of the season. Basically, it's silly to make any big proclamations now or start thinking that you have any idea how the next nine months are going to play out.

That said, MANCHESTER UNITED LOOK DAMN TERRIFYING.

However good the Red Devils thought this season was going to go -- and let's be real, they were way too optimistic because Jose Mourinho, Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined a club that spent a season listening to Louis van Gaal talking about being horny -- they've already raised their expectations. It took them two matches, and we can't even make fun of them for it.

Six points, five goals, one conceded and not a single scare had. They're so good in defense that David De Gea has been largely anonymous. That's Best Goalkeeper In The Premier League David De Gea. And Ibrahimovic has ignited the attack unlike even the most devout parishioners of the Church of Zlatan could predicted. He's made things so good going forward that Wayne Rooney even passes the ball in the right direction upon occasion.

Maybe most impressively, it took one single match for Paul Pogba to make the midfield work. This is the same midfield that made a habit of starting Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini together for several years and hoping no one would notice. A midfield that even Sir Alex Ferguson didn't bother fixing and just decided, "it's cool, we can play around them." The mere word "transition" doesn't make the Red Devils pee themselves anymore. And Pogba did that while playing next to Fellaini. Who knows what the midfield could look like with two real players.

So far every Mourinho signing has hit. Ibrahimovic and Pogba are gimmes, while the defense's turnaround can be attributed in large part to Eric Bailly. For all the praise that the Red Devils' stars have rightfully earned, Bailly has actually been Manchester United's best player. He was the Man of the Match in United's first match and impeccable in the second. Henrikh Mkhitaryan hasn't even started a match yet, but has been good off the bench and ranks as the team's biggest "failure" among their signings so far, which is absurd considering that players are supposed to have trouble fitting in immediately after switching clubs.

In case that doesn't do enough to make you think that power is shifting back to Old Trafford, remember that Manchester United haven't even played well yet. They're still figuring out what they're doing, haven't bothered with any sophisticated tactics and players are still unsure what their new boss wants. Manchester United are still struggling and on top of the league because of their supreme individual talent.

This is the Manchester United beta. Now imagine what they'll be like when they can play well and get Ibrahimovic, Pogba, Bailly and de Gea (if they ever need him) to put on their Superman capes?

Before the season, we thought that it would take Mourinho some time. He usually peaks in his second season and, yeah, the Red Devils have been mismanaged over the last three years, but they've also had pretty bad rosters. That couldn't be fixed in one summer. And maybe that's still true. Common sense says so.

It's just been two matches. It's just been two matches. It's just been two matches.

Tell yourself that over and over again because you can't start overreacting to two matches. You're not that dumb.

Just sit there and keep telling yourself it's only Bournemouth and Southampton at home. They haven't done a damn thing. The transfer window isn't even closed yet. A stray Rooney shot could still concuss three teammates and leave them shorthanded for months. Manchester United aren't really that good.

Now keep that in mind and don't watch their first two matches. You might want to jump to conclusions. Sweet, convincing, tantalizing or maybe even terrifying conclusions.

Damn, they look good.

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