When David Moyes officially took over for Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford last month, he knew the challenge of maintaining Manchester United's strong resume would be a tall order even though the club held an extremely high level of talent.
The task of repeating as Premier League champions certainly increased in difficulty when the league announced the official schedule for the 2013-2014 season.
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Man U's season begins with a brutal five-game stretch, something that Moyes isn't too happy with entering his first season on the Old Trafford sideline. Opening its slate with a trip to Swansea, Man U will also travel to Liverpool and Man City while hosting Chelsea and Crystal Place to start the club's title defense.
"I find it hard to believe that's the way the balls came out of the bag, that's for sure," Moyes said regarding the fact that his team's schedule shapes up to be extremely tough. "I think it's the hardest start for 20 years that Manchester United have had. I hope it's not because Manchester United won the league quite comfortably last year that the fixtures have been made much more difficult."
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Though he voiced his opinions directly to the heads of the Premier League, league officials responded by saying that the process of selecting each club's schedule remains random.
"We have absolutely assured him [Moyes] the process is random and above the board," the league indicated. "He has accepted those assurances."
Facing a Manchester City club that finished second in the league last season, Manchester United will certainly be tested by a team that has aspirations of finishing atop the standings for the first time since relinquishing its throne to their rivals last season.
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Chelsea finished third in the EPL last season but with Jose Mourinho back on the sideline once again, every team in the league will certainly be wary of Mourinho and company each and every game.
Liverpool ended last season in seventh position, 2 points behind Everton for the sixth slot.
Facing those three teams early in a schedule that is usually tough to begin with, David Moyes and Manchester United could certainly jumpstart their title defense with strong performances in each contest.
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