Reds must make hay away from big boys
THERE was a period last season when United played nine consecutive Premier League fixtures without facing any of their top six competitors.
The advantage was accentuated by Chelsea playing Liverpool and Arsenal over five days, Liverpool hosted Tottenham in early February and Arsenal visited Anfield less than a month later. City welcomed Liverpool in their last game before the March internationals and returned for back-to-back away games at Arsenal and Chelsea.
Yet between Stoke away on January 21 and Sunderland away on April 9, United won four and drew five, four of those stalemates inevitably coming at Old Trafford.
United’s failure to capitalise on that advantage was maybe just as damaging as the run of two wins in 11 which began with the derby defeat in September, a run that took in fixtures at Anfield, Stamford Bridge and Goodison Park, as well as the visit of Arsenal.
Now United have another, albeit much shorter, fixture advantage as they attempt to build up a head of steam before the lunchtime date at Liverpool on October 14.
After the England internationals, the Premier League recommences on Saturday with top seven sides City hosting Liverpool and Tottenham travelling to Everton on Saturday.
Arsenal head across London eight days later for their inevitable annual pasting by Chelsea and then two weeks later City are at the Premier League champions.
Tottenham have already lost their first top six game of the campaign to Chelsea at Wembley and will end October with successive games against Liverpool and United, with Arsenal to come in mid-November. Chelsea and Burnley’s results at Wembley have quickly extinguished any momentum Spurs might have hoped to build. Arsenal have already lost two league games and the ‘Wenger out’ protests might be more intense at Chelsea this month. Chelsea’s top six games in September are supplemented with testing trips to Leicester and Stoke. United have their own top seven meeting this month with ambitious Everton on September 17 but the fixture computer has not paired them with any of last season’s top six sides during a hectic month. United have seven games within a three-week period and it is easy to see why Jose Mourinho promoted Scott McTominay to the senior squad after Andreas Pereira’s change of heart. Mourinho used fixture congestion to shield him from criticism during that unfulfilling run in the winter and spring, as United had to contend with the Europa League knockout rounds, the EFL Cup and the FA Cup.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic got suspended, the physio room became crowded, United took just one striker to Chelsea for their FA Cup quarter-final in March and come late March there was reserves midfielder, Matty Willock, checking in at The Lowry for the West Brom match.
The depleted state of the United squad convinced Mourinho he needed to end the summer transfer window with at least 26 fit first-team players. He has 25 after Ed Woodward failed to recruit the mythical ‘fourth player’ Mourinho craved and that number is dicier than it might seem.
“It looks like our group is big but it is not,” Mourinho stressed in July. “Look at Marcos, no chance before December as an example, so our squad is not so big.”
United are about to embark on a crucial spell – but they have an advantage.