Despite being eliminated from the Europa League, MU still has a certain advantage in the race for a place in the top 4 of the English Premier League. However, that does not mean that this team has the right to be subjective.
Perhaps not many MU fans thought that the beloved team could make such an impressive breakthrough after round 31. The recent elimination from the Europa League, making the ticket to next year’s European C1 Cup of the “Red Devils Red Devils”. ” depends entirely on the performance in the Premier League. The army of coach Ten Hag defeated Nottingham at the same time when the top 4 competitors such as Newcastle and Tottenham simultaneously stumbled.
Climbing to 3rd on the current English Premier League table brings countless advantages to the “Red Devils”. They increased their self-determination right at the time that is considered the most difficult in the number one tournament in the foggy country.
It is worth mentioning that MU is creating momentum to break through when they receive a lot of bad news from the pillars. A series of “Red Devils” stars were injured, and even the British media managed to arrange a quality squad from the “sick soldiers” of the Old Trafford team.
However, the joy “is not short-lived”. In front of MU are the huge challenges that the “Red Devils” have to face.
MU’s competition at the end of April and early May was quite heavy. They face Tottenham (April 28), Aston Villa (April 30) and Brighton (May 5). These are all difficult opponents to deal with and still have the opportunity to compete for the top 4.
Among these teams, Aston Villa is the name with the highest performance. This team rose up very quickly, when from the bottom half of the rankings climbed straight to 6th place with 7 wins in the last 8 matches.
Brighton doesn’t fit either. This team earned 10 points in the last 5 rounds, a better number than Tottenham, the club is ranked above “Seagull”.
Aston Villa and Brighton each defeated MU in the first leg. This will give them a lot of confidence in the encounter in the second leg. These are probably the two opponents that Ten Hag’s army must be most wary of.
After the above period, MU will be somewhat easier to breathe. They mostly meet opponents who don’t have many competing goals. However, not so that the “Red Devils” are allowed to stumble continuously
Just 1 to 2 rounds without good results, MU will no longer guarantee the 3rd position currently held. They may even fall out of the top 4. Remember that the “Red Devils” have the advantage of score, but the goal difference – the goal is not comparable to the opponents.
Not only MU has a challenge in the top 4 race, the rest of the opponents all have an equally difficult schedule. Statistics in the remaining rounds, “Red Devils” face 4 teams that are considered “hard to chew”.
Looking to Brighton, Tottenham and Aston Villa, they also face the same number as MU. Newcastle is somewhat more leisurely when only meeting 3 unpleasant teams, Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea.
The current problem lies in which teams are the most stubborn to be able to finish in the top 4. In this regard, the “Red Devils” are highly appreciated.
Many times MU fell into a difficult position, when the performance went down, not to mention the squad was affected by injuries and penalty cards. But until now, “Red Devils” are still on the right track.
MU has 8 more matches left. In case they lose 2 matches, they will still be in the top 4 if they win the remaining 6 matches.
At that time, the Old Trafford team owned 77 points. If Tottenham win all their remaining matches, they will hold 74 points. Meanwhile, the same number of Brighton as well as Aston Villa is 76 points and 71 points respectively.
Only Newcastle can rank above MU if this scenario happens. But it should be remembered that the top 4 still have 2 seats left for the teams to compete and the “Red Devils” no longer have to meet “Chicken” anymore.
Tottenham, Brighton and Aston Villa will face each other in the near future. This makes the race for the top 4 even more unpredictable and of course the scenario where they win all the remaining matches cannot happen.
MU can lose 2 matches and win 6 matches for the rest of the season and still secure a place in the top 4. But coach Ten Hag cannot guarantee that scenario will happen for sure.
First, a failure at the present time can lead to a failed domino effect. At that time, coach Ten Hag’s army could face more than 2 defeats, thereby suffering a huge disadvantage compared to other opponents.
MU races to the top 4 in the Premier League: Which opponent is Ten Hag afraid of the most? – 17
If MU can control the loss of only 2 matches for the rest of the season, will the “Red Devils” be sure to win all the remaining matches? Football can’t predict anything, especially at an extremely sensitive period like the present.
Even MU can win against direct competitors such as Aston Villa, Tottenham or Brighton. But in the final rounds, if the “Red Devils” lose to names that no longer have goals to strive for like Chelsea or Fulham, MU may still fall out of the top 4.
Arsenal’s lessons from last season are still there for MU. The “Gunners” held an advantage over Tottenham by 4 points in the race to the top 4, but lost that in round 37 and could not correct the mistake.
MU is not only fighting in the Premier League, they are also ambitious in the FA Cup. This creates a difficult schedule for the “Red Devils” players.
Meanwhile, MU’s force is not thick enough to ensure good play in all arenas. They lost many pillars due to injury, making it difficult for coach Ten Hag to rotate the squad.
This is the time for coach Ten Hag to clearly differentiate the goals of the home team. The English Premier League will probably be the most preferred playground by the Dutch teacher.
Concentrating troops for the FA Cup is to lower the book for MU. They have to meet Brighton in the semi-finals on April 23, not to mention the risk of facing Man City if they reach the final.
As in the FA Cup, coach Ten Hag should put away some important pillars, or just let them on the field at the end of the game. It is better for MU to “try to eat sticky rice” in the Premier League at this time, instead of “trying to eat sticky rice” of the championship.
Challenges with MU are many. Let’s wait and see how coach Ten Hag will show his talent to help “Red Devils” break through in the “sprint” stage of the season
