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Following Sunday’s 3-0 defeat of old rivals Liverpool, Manchester United have strung together six wins in a row for the first time in 21 months. On the last occasion United achieved such a feat – 2012-13 – they went on to win the league, but can they do so again? Despite currently sitting 3rd and trailing Chelsea by eight points, there are three very good reasons not to discount the red half of Manchester from the title race just yet:
#1 - Van Gaal Is A Perennial Slow Starter
"Yes, yes, everything will be fine." Photo: @shahanLA | Twitter
The history books reveal Louis van Gaal’s teams to be habitually sluggish starters. We don’t just mean one or two points off the pace slow; we’re talking asthmatic sloth after a five-course Christmas dinner with wine, brandy and cigars slow.
While coach of Barcelona in 1998-99, the Catalans were 10th after 14 fixtures. They then went on a run of 19 wins from their next 24 games to win La Liga by 11 points. In his first season as manager of Bayern Munich, he won just five of his first 13 matches, leaving Bayern languishing in 7th. They proceeded to win a domestic league and cup double, while also reaching the final of the Champions League. While coach of AZ Alkmaar, the Dutch minnows were 4th after 11 games but went on to win the Eredivisie by 11 points (only the second time AZ have ever won the league).
So, van Gaal’s approach takes time to bear results; a fact he attributes to his coaching methods and philosophy. To date, United are third in the league without having played especially well. One wonders, therefore, what sort of run they could string together if they do ever hit their stride. We say that looks more likely than not based on van Gaal’s prior record.
#2 - They Are Fit and Fresh
Photo: @EurosportCom_EN | Twitter
Many a pundit – and, indeed, Jose Mourinho – attributed Liverpool’s stellar run of form in the second half of last season to their relatively sparse fixture list. With no midweek Champions League football to concern them, and having been knocked out of the League and FA Cups relatively early, Liverpool played between 10 and 20 games less than their league rivals.
For Liverpool last year, read United this. The Red Devils have already played seven games fewer than City and eight fewer than Chelsea, and that gap is only going to increase if the two in blue continue a strong European run. When you consider their rivals’ key individual players, the difference is even more pronounced:
- Chelsea’s John Terry has played at least 19 hours more football than any of United’s Centre Backs this season
- Man City’s Yaya Toure has played twice as much competitive football as Juan Mata and three times as much as Michael Carrick
- Cesc Fabregas, with three goals and 15 assists for Chelsea, has played 646 minutes more than Robin van Persie, 872 minutes more than Wayne Rooney and a whopping 1,070 minutes more than Angel di Maria
Those are some big differences in competitive game time which, come the second half of the season, will undoubtedly have an effect. With the likes of Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind and the aforementioned di Maria all returning to full fitness in the near future (not to mention the barely-used Radamel Falcao), Manchester United’s squad will be considerably fresher than Chelsea’s and Man City’s for the final stretch of the title race.
#3 - Robin van Persie Is Coming To Life
Everyone – Arsenal fans included – would accept that Robin van Persie won Manchester United their 20th league title in 2012-13. With 26 Premier League goals and 9 assists, the Dutchman was comfortably United’s top scorer, banging in 14 more goals than Rooney and 16 more than Javier Hernandez. What’s more, he scored the match-winning goal in nine of their 38 Premier League fixtures.
One of the key differences between Ferguson’s final title-winning season and the 12-month David Moyes omni-shambles that followed was the form, fitness and enthusiasm of the enigmatic Dutchman. For van Persie, factors one and two in that trio are largely driven by the third: where Ferguson inspired, Moyes dismayed.
There was never any doubt that van Persie would perform for Louis van Gaal, but it has been surprising how long it’s taken the former Arsenal man to overcome his post-World Cup slump. In the last few fixtures, however, United have once again seen glimpses of the van Persie witnessed 18 months ago: with four goals and two assists in his last four games, all the signs suggest that United’s no. 20 is returning to form. A fit, happy and motivated van Persie can only be good for United’s chances of lifting a 21st league title this season.
So there you have it, United fans, our Christmas gift to you: three very good reasons why your team could still challenge Chelsea and City for the Premier League title in 2014/15.
Overturning an eight point deficit against a Chelsea team so well-versed in winning won’t be easy, and much will depend upon United’s ability to field a relatively consistent starting 11 week-in, week-out between now and the end of May. But there are indications that the fear factor is starting to return to Old Trafford, which should make the rest of the Premier League season just that little bit more interesting.
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