After almost two seasons, Manchester United returned to the top of the Premier League table. The Red Devils defeated a hapless Sunderland side 3-0, coupled with a 4-1 defeat of Manchester City by Tottenham, United lead the table by one point from their ‘noisy neighbours’.
Manchester United might not be playing the slick attacking football that they were known for under Sir Alex Ferguson but they are getting the results and that is the one thing that matters in the world of football. Louis van Gaal has got a side that is getting the job done and no one, to be honest, would have predicted this Manchester United side to lead the season at any point of time.
Manchester United seem to have gotten most of their players playing well, not brilliantly, but well enough to get the results and this run of results would be giving a lot of high hopes to Manchester United supporters.
Back to being the best
Manchester United have only lost 1 game this season and have slowly looked to be getting better. One of the reasons why they have done better is thanks to the form of Anthony Martial who has been a revelation since he scored that wonder goal against Liverpool.
The youngster might be 19 at the moment, but he seems to be at the heart of every good attack from Manchester United. United might be leading the table at the moment but staying there might be a little too much to expect from this side.
The biggest issue is in the attacking and defensive departments. Up until this victory over Sunderland, Wayne Rooney had not scored in the league but the English striker got his goal, the second scored by the team today. Wayne and Martial might seem like a great combination at the moment but Martial has not played a complete season in England and that could take its toll on the youngster. United are also extremely lightweight in the striking department and that could come to haunt them during the rest of the season.
Everyone always had reservations about the Manchester United defence and while they are getting the results at the moment, they do not have depth in this department and a few injuries could make a huge difference to their outlook in the league.
Another reason United might not stay at the top is that they have a lot of games to deal with this season and this could hurt them since they do not have cover for the defence and attack. They have a great midfield, but the other two departments needed a bit of bulking up, which sadly went missing in the transfer window.
To be honest, this season has been one of the freakiest in terms of results, not one game seems to go the expected way and predicting a team staying on top till the end of the campaign is extremely tricky. Manchester United have been one of the more effective sides in the league and if they continue playing in this fashion, they should have a chance of being their or their abouts at the top of the league at the end of the season.