After the last weekend of football, Manchester United has been level on points with the leaders Chelsea. However, they sit on second spot on goal difference, as Chelsea scored a lot many goals especially during the opening weeks of this season. Nevertheless,
United had worked very hard in order to be in this position and their season is full of surprises and excitement.
Unlike the other teams in English Premier League, Manchester United is the only unbeaten team in the whole league. However, this is not as promising as it sounds initially. If we look at Manchester United’s record in this season we would see that they have
drawn a lot many matches which could have been won easily. Out of 14 matches played so far this season, Manchester United has won only seven and drawn another seven matches. Manchester United has done better in the past and this is not a standard worthy of
a team like United.
In some of the matches, United were chasing the game but they eventually worked hard to save a point. The biggest match was against Aston Villa, at Villa Park, in which United went two goals down but rallied in the end to draw level. However, there have
been cases contrasting in nature to the result against Aston Villa. For example, United was looking comfortable for a win against Everton but the opposition levelled the match in the end, taking advantage of complacency and self-satisfaction of United’s players.
There is no doubt that on paper Manchester United’s squad is inferior to the other teams like Manchester City, Chelsea or Arsenal. However, they are still managing to keep their title contention alive despite facing difficulties, such as injuries to key
players and old age inhibiting the performance of other players. United deserves some credit for their achievements but most of the credit goes to other teams that have dropped many points unnecessarily.
At one point, Chelsea had a strong lead over Manchester United but they lost a few matches in recent weeks, while United kept on saving at least a single point in their matches. Similarly, Arsenal and Manchester City has failed to produce good performances
day in and day out, helping Manchester United to keep their noses ahead of them. Nevertheless, most of the credit goes to other teams who have helped United in moving to the top of the table despite having a squad full of average players.
Most of the credit for United’s success goes to Sir Alex Ferguson, who has proven himself once again as the greatest tactician in English Premier League. Ferguson has kept his squad together and despite having a majority of average players, has been able
to get results out of his team. Also, as Wayne Rooney struggled, Nani and Dimitar Berbatov have improved their game and became match winners. The inspiration definitely comes from the manager who plays an important role in keeping the morale of his side high
in adverse conditions.
However, it would be very hard for Manchester United to keep hanging to the top of the table. At some point in the season, they would have to get victories especially in away matches. Their away form has been extremely poor and United cannot go for a title
challenge unless they do something about it. At this stage, Sir Alex Ferguson must have realised the shortcomings of his side and he needs to buy in January in order to keep his title dreams alive.
Already, a goalkeeper has been added to the Manchester United’s side, while a couple of midfielders are still required. In the absence of injured Ryan Giggs and Owen Hargreaves, there is no one in United’s squad that can be called as a genuine playmaker.
Sir Alex Ferguson must get the right players in the centre of the midfield in order to compete with the teams stronger than his side.
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