MANCHESTER United have two shots at reaching the Premier League summit this week and whether that’s achieved at Turf Moor on Tuesday or by winning at Anfield for the first time in five years it will amount to a highly commendable feat.
Six games into their campaign they were a club mired in crisis, with a manager whose P45 was seemingly rubber-stamped so to top the table in the new year is testament to the outstanding transformation that has occurred at Old Trafford. It takes them to Burnley unbeaten in ten.
Yet, for all the praise Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his squad thoroughly deserve some perspective is needed also, especially when we anticipate the media-generated hysteria that will accompany their temporary reclaiming of a perch they once owned. In the weeks to come we can expect a substantial number of articles to be written across broadsheets and websites alike, all positing the opinion that Solskjaer’s United should now be viewed as serious title challengers while this spring it is entirely possible they might be crowned Premier League champions.
To save you the bother of reading all of them here’s a spoiler: they won’t.
Streakiness
They won’t for a good many reasons but primarily because all the evidence points to the Norwegian being a streaky manager who presides over a streaky team.
When he first took charge back in December 2018 his infectious positivity proved to be a welcome antidote to Jose Mourinho’s toxicity and the effects were immediate with the Reds embarking on an unbeaten run that lasted from Christmas to March.
Only then the wheels came off and quite spectacularly so with just two wins from nine acting as a harsh reminder of United’s underlying flaws.
Last term saw a similar split in personality as Solskjaer’s side forlornly searched for a semblance of identity amidst a raft of draws and eight losses going into February. Post-lockdown however they were brilliant. Ruthless and well-organized they accrued 21 points from 27.
This time out we once again see them inhabiting extremes. In the space of five short months United have endured their worst start to a season since the Moyes era and presently find themselves at their highest point mid-way through a campaign since Sir Alex Ferguson prowled touchlines, chewing furiously on gum.
As impressive as they have been in recent weeks even a conservative estimation has Mr Hyde due to make another appearance very soon.
No defence for their defence
For the first time in a long time Solskjaer has been afforded a settled centre-back pairing this season, relatively free of injury, in Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof. The problem unfortunately is they are simply not good enough.
“I see moments in games where they get opened up, they get physically dominated at times, especially in terms of pace.” That was Rio Ferdinand’s brutal assessment at the end of October concluding that he fears for his life when a lack of midfield protection leaves either player exposed.
United’s succession of wins may have masked the defensive frailties of late but the problems are still there, forever in danger of undermining any vibrant attacking display.
So far this season United have conceded a goal every 60 minutes. At this same stage the previous five champions had between them conceded a goal every 107 minutes.
Roy Keane: "It's not easy winning trophies. Fernandes has had great praise, over the last few months he's been compared to players like Cantona, but Fernandes didn't really do much against City.
Top players turn up in big occasions that's what you have to do to win trophies." pic.twitter.com/CGVhKs6vD4
— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) January 7, 2021
No number 9 of note
Marcus Rashford’s seven goals in 16 is a very credible tally but stationed wide half the time he is not the true out-and-out goal-scorer United will be looking to when the pressure builds and games become ‘must-win’.
That onus falls upon Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani and though the veteran Uruguayan offers a genuine threat in cameo form his two colleagues have severely underwhelmed, scoring a goal every 484 minutes between them. Worryingly, for Greenwood the chances aren’t even coming to miss with even Wan-Bissaka and Lindelof enjoying more goal-scoring opportunities to date. As for Martial, his form can be found at the bottom of a cliff.
So it is that United turn weekly to Bruno Fernandes and even if far too much is made of their supposed ‘over-reliance’ on the schemer – aren’t most teams dependent on a single creative outlet? – their leaning on his ability to find the net is problematic.
Between them, the leading marksmen of the last five champions have averaged 21 goals in their title-winning season. For United to come close they will need Fernandes to become the first non-striker to grab 20+ goals since Yaya Toure in 2014.
United are 43/20 to draw a blank against the reigning champions
Late goals and rousing comebacks
To anyone not of a Liverpool persuasion it really felt like Jurgen Klopp’s mentality monsters perfected the art last season of a late, late heart-breaker, scoring crucial goals in the dying embers of games.
In fact, only 12.9% of their entire haul in the league was converted in the 85th minute or later.
Compare and contrast that figure with the astonishing 21.2% of United’s total tally scored late on – a figure that rises to 26.3% across all competitions – and we can surmise that a key factor to their recent success is a welcome ability to pull rabbits out of hats when the final whistle is near.
It’s a habit that has produced numerous thrilling comebacks and a staggering 18 points gained from losing positions and while this suggests the squad is imbued with a never-say-die attitude there is a greater truth that quietens the title talk to a whisper. Such drama is surely not sustainable.
Strength of their rivals
In hindsight we may have got a bit carried away with the much-heralded duopoly of Manchester City and Liverpool that was set to straddle English football for years to come. Still though, both creations are clear favourites to win the league this year for distinct reasons.
Even when nobbled by injuries both sides have lost just twice each so far, a reflection on their imposing squad depth. It is telling that United have deployed 14 players on five or more occasions this season. City and Liverpool have used 17 apiece and remain firmly in the title reckoning.
Furthermore, last week’s Carabao Cup win at Old Trafford showed there is still a gulf in class between the Manchester giants with the home side chasing shadows for the most part. Will the same be true at Anfield this Sunday?
