Capital gains can help push for top four
The Reds must qualify for the Champions League and the next two weeks will be fascinating
Steven Railston
SIR Jim Ratcliffe didn’t mince his words when he sat down with journalists in February.
The new United co-owner was asked about the importance of qualifying for the Champions League and said: “We really, really want to get into the Champions League next year – it’s quite important for FFP. It’s a two to three-season challenge to get the organisation and environment right to produce results.”
The British billionaire struck all the right notes in his different interviews that week and reiterating the importance of Champions League football was a message to Erik ten Hag.
United were behind Aston Villa and Tottenham but they’d recently won at Villa Park and when Ratcliffe spoke, the unbeaten run in 2024 had yet to be brought to an end.
Fulham won at Old Trafford just a few days later, which felt like a potentially significant setback in the top-four race, however, the March international break is about to conclude and the Reds are six points behind Spurs and trail Villa – who they have a game in hand over – by nine points.
For a large part of the first half of the campaign, qualifying for the
Champions League seemed out of reach, but momentum has swung and a few results have gone United’s way. February felt like a seasondefining month and the Reds came through it smelling of roses if you ignore the Fulham blip. Next month has a similar feel and the next few games are crucial.
You could suggest the remaining 10 games are ‘cup finals,’ just as Ten Hag has, but the next two against Brentford and Chelsea feel particularly important for a number of reasons.
To begin with, United take on Brentford on Saturday for an 8pm kick-off in London and the 4-3 win over Liverpool before the break must be built on. The words ‘turning point’ have been overused this season but that special extra-time display should inspire some momentum.
Tottenham and Aston Villa play Luton and Wolves respectively at home this weekend and dropping points against Brentford could hurt United by the end of the season. A loss at the Brentford Community Stadium – Thomas Frank’s side should have won against United in October – would increase the pressure on the visit to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea will play Burnley at home on Saturday and they are expected to win that game. If they do, and United lose at Brentford, they will be just five points adrift of the Reds going into Thursday’s match and they still have a game in hand to play. That means by the end of next week, Chelsea, who are a basketcase club and have endured a disastrous, torrid league campaign, could be just two points behind United. Obviously, there are a lot of ifs and buts in that argument and a lot would have to go wrong, but it highlights how quickly the narrative and tide can turn in the Premier League. On the flipside, if United win consecutive games against Brentford and Chelsea, their next game is against Liverpool at Old Trafford and they will have the wind in their sails. Confidence would be high and
they would be in an excellent position to record back-to-back wins against Liverpool at home. The added incentive of taking points from Jurgen Klopp’s side, who are fighting to win their second Premier League title with the German, would also be there.
There will be just seven league games left to play after United’s clashes against Brentford, Chelsea and Liverpool across the next 11 days, and if struggling through those matches, the point gap to Spurs and Villa could be too wide to close down in the remaining fixtures.
Brentford were only denied a win against United at Old Trafford by a late Scott McTominay masterclass and Chelsea created enough chances to leave with a result in December. Both London clubs will be hungry to atone for losing those games, the evening kick-off times will help their crowds and United don’t exactly play their best football on the road.
The Reds must qualify for the Champions League and the next two weeks will be fascinating.