UNITED STARTING TO SHOW TITLE AMBITIONS
OVER the first six days of the Premier League’s Project Restart United have proved their own Project Maintain Momentum has been an overwhelming success.
An 11-game unbeaten run has been stretched to 13 and few sides have looked as smooth and as confident as United in what are unusual and exceptional circumstances.
City have twice impressed at the Etihad and Liverpool were excellent in demolishing Crystal Palace, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have been up there in terms of performances.
They were clearly the better side in the draw at Tottenham and the performance against Sheffield United was one of their best of the season.
The Reds have quickly picked up where they left off and they’ve done it in two testing and crucial fixtures in the race for the top four. Now the challenge is to not only reel in Chelsea, but to also put pressure on Leicester City on third.
City and, especially, Liverpool, are long gone into the distance, but over the next month and a bit United can at least make a statement as far as next season is concerned. Rather than an unlucky 13, it should only be a staging post on this unbeaten run.
The fixtures certainly fall well for United, beginning tomorrow with the FA Cup quarter-final against a dispirited Norwich City side they’ve already beaten comfortably home and away this season. In the Premier League United face Bournemouth, Southampton and West Ham at home and Brighton, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace away, before a final-day fixture against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
On the evidence on Wednesday’s performance of total domination, with composure in defence, control in midfield and creativity in attack, none of those fixtures should instil much fear into this side.
But if they are to prove Pep Guardiola right and emerge as genuine title challengers next season then these games are a litmus test of those ambitions.
Remain unbeaten heading into the final day and continue to play with a freedom and confidence on display against the Blades and belief that United are on the right track under Solskjaer will grow.
For much of this season these fixtures have been a disaster waiting to happen. Of their remaining games United have already lost to Bournemouth, West Ham and Crystal Palace and drawn with Southampton and Aston Villa. The £47m signing of Bruno Fernandes has helped to solve the creativity deficit that cost United against deep defences and the return to fitness of Paul Pogba will aid that, but this is a chance for the Reds to prove they can now swat aside the also-rans with ease.
That is what they will need to do week in and week out to maintain a challenge at the top of the table next season. City and Liverpool have raised the standards to the point where very few setbacks are allowed. It makes the margin for error minuscule.
Next season will probably come a little too soon for United, but if they finish this season with the momen
Over the next month and a bit United can at least make a statement as far as next season is concerned
Tyrone Marshall
tum they’ve quickly regathered then that theory could change. Some commanding victories and continuing that unbeaten run between now and late July could alter the narrative.
What United can do in a transfer window that will be full of unknowns this summer will play a considerable role in setting ambitions for next season, but the momentum from one campaign to the next could be more crucial than usual. With their Europa League commitments not finishing until August and the 2020/21 season potentially beginning in September, United could make the most of their head of steam as they go into the new campaign.
None of the seven seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson retired have involved a realistic title challenge and there have been far too many false dawns for United fans to get carried away just yet. But turn a 13-game unbeaten run into one approaching 20 games and continue to play with the cohesion and confidence on display on Wednesday and this side might at least be in the discussion ahead of next season.