Are they, or are you assessing united against a set of idealised footballing attributes that are perhaps of lesser importance than the way the strengths they do have sit against the ability of the other teams in the Premier League to cope with them? I would argue that it doesn't matter that they don't have much of a build up plan and that they aren't the quickest to resume defensive shape. They're a gigantic physical team with blistering pace in the final third, and attacking players who thrive running against isolated defenders, and those are precisely the strengths they utilise. If they face a parked bus, they rain whipped crosses in to an assortment of giants until something breaks for them by accident or design, and then they rape you on the counterattack thereafter. When they face decent opposition capable of outplaying them - limited pretty much to City and Spurs - they park a massive bus of their own.
There's no great finesse to it, but it's hugely effective and they have a squad full of expensive players ideally suited to that MO.
As we saw last season, it's rare that they lose anyway, but I think the draws that blighted them against the lesser lights will not be an issue this time around. They may not be a great side in the traditional sense, but they will be hugely effective
