Having failed to take all three points from Hull’s trip to the Old Trafford, Manchester United are currently in the 6th place in the points table, a position around which they have finished in each of their two previous Premier League campaigns. The hierarchy bought in one of the most reputed managers in Jose Mourinho this season and after spending close to £150m and breaking transfer record, the Red Devils are still 14 points off Chelsea at the top of the point table. They are 4 points off their nemesis Liverpool in the 4th place but with consistency getting hard to find, the fans of the club are now fearing that they might have to endure yet another season in the Europa League. But do they have what it takes to break into the top-4 at the end of the season?
The Portuguese manager, who was signed in the summer, was expected to bring immediate success but with the likes of Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan taking their time to settle, Manchester United have just not been able to win games consistently. Pogba and Mkhitaryan are yet to show what they can do while Bailly has been hit by some injuries issues.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in top gear even at his age and has single-handedly kept United in the race for the top-4. The squad, along with the additions, is one of the strongest in the league and though they were not expected to bring home the title right away, they were at least expected to entertain Champions League football in a year’s time.
Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Herrera have all been exceptional at certain times and if Mourinho can get them to play consistently well, Manchester United have a great chance of breaking into the top-4. Their strength, however, has been the way they have defended against the strong sides this season.
Mourinho, after using a number of backlines, has now settled with Valencia, Jones, and Rojo with Blind and Darmian taking turns at left-back. Bailly and Smalling are waiting in the ranks, making their squad strong in most areas. Pogba, Herrera, Carrick and Fellaini have been decent in the midfield and though they will need an addition in the summer, this is a squad that should be able to break into the top-4.
The biggest trouble for United has been the lack of players who are ready to convert half chances into goals. Zlatan has been in superb goalscoring form but the players around him have not been coming up with enough goals to blow opponents away. On more than one occasion, like against Hull recently, United failed to take all three points from games they dominated and that might come back to hurt them at the end.
In the end, it might all come down to the performances of the other teams. Antonio Conte’s Chelsea are front runners for the title and are surely playing Champions League football next season. Tottenham Hotspur are expected to keep up their good run and book a place in the top-4 while Arsenal and Manchester City are also on the fringes.
Liverpool, active only in the PL will also push for the Champions League spot making it very difficult for Mourinho’s side to make it all the way. But there are just around 15 games to go and if United can get positive results when it matters the most, they can easily finish in the top-4 at the end of the season. Any more slip ups now and the Europa League will be their only shot at Champions League football next season.
Do you think Manchester United has what it takes to make it into the top-4 this season?