MANCHESTER UNITED MATCH DAY TALK
How much more positivity is needed by Manchester United after the clubs current unbeaten run of nine games in all competition ?
Fifth place standing in the Premier League table might not be a completely good reflection on the complete revitalization Manchester United have experienced under the watchful eye of interim manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer. However, taking into account that Manchester United are currently sitting in fifth with a point difference of 6 from third place dwellers Tottenham Hotspurs and anyone can understand why all the positive vibes surging from Old Trafford is possible. With loads of football still left to be played from January 2019 to May 2019, teams such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham will be constantly looking over their shoulder as Manchester United will be expected to continue to barrel through to make their way as high as third place in the Premier League table.
The Red Devils experienced a massive bump on their last match against Burnley as Manchester United fought back to salvage a point against Burnley thanks to two very late goals by Paul Pogba and unexpected goal scorer Victor Linderlöff. Given the massively improved quality Manchester United have been operating with since the month of December 2018, the expectation was that Manchester United would be able to secure three points against a Burnley side sitting in 15th place in the Premier League table. 2 points were lost last week Tuesday but the massive test received at the hands of Burnley should be a massive wake up call that reminds Manchester United of the constant high-performance level demanded in every single match of the Premier League season.
This weekend sees Manchester United travel to the Craven Cottage stadium to take on yet another resilient football club in Fulham. Manchester United have shown continues difficulty in securing victories against teams sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table, therefore the strong possibility of Ole Gunner Solskjaer leading his team into yet another difficult match this Saturday is almost inevitable. During last week’s post-match press conference to the Burnley caretaker manager Ole Gunner was revisited with a question that was thrown to his direction earlier during his interim period- can Manchester United come back from a losing position? And the Norwegian manager threw a withy answer with a smile back in the direction of the reporter who presented the question “ I think you got your answer today”. The answer might seem short and straight forward but to true red Manchester United fans, the answer is more than just a one-dimensional statement. Not only does the straight forward nature of the answer show preciseness and definitiveness but the answer gives a little glimpse of Ole Gunner Solskjaer wants to continue to implement in his short term as Manchester United manager.
Also, should the true long term Manchester United fans have listened to the statement from Ole Gunner Solskjaer once more they might have a little bit of a Sir Alex Ferguson type of response in Ole Gunner Solskjaer’ answer? This might continue to remind the Manchester United fans of the speculation which Ole Gunner Solskjaer himself has already all but confirmed that although Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson might have left the hot seat in the Managerial position at Manchester United, his influence on Manchester United is most likely beyond perishable. Nostalgia is a vital aspect in sports today because nostalgia can always play a part in rejuvenating a team from a losing position to a massive victory at the sound of the final whistle in a match. While the importance of nostalgia can never be underestimated especially when Manchester United is concerned, Manchester United team and the Manchester United fan base will be much more concerned about minimizing situations where the Red Devils find themselves behind and scrambling for a point towards the end of the game.
Most spectators are still waiting for the ball to be dropped by Manchester United as the new 2019 Manchester United continues to move forward game after game without recording a single loss in their calendar ever since December 2018 that people are starting to question if a 3rd place position in the Premier League is slightly possible to come end of the current season? With lots of matches still left to be played from now until the month of April safe to say a victory at Craven cottage must be of the utmost importance should the target still be a place in the top four of the premier league table come end of the season for Manchester United especially with even more difficult games lurking around the corner for Manchester United. The month of February is set to be a very difficult period with matches against Liverpool in the Premier League, Chelsea in the Emirates cup and Paris Saint-German in the Champions League all waiting to played will imply that the month of February is set to be a very defining month in Manchester United’s season. Therefore, with very difficult matches heading Manchester United’s direction, 3 points against a relatively conducive Fulham team tonight has to be considered 3 points Ole Gunner Solskjaer men must grab with both hands and not let go. A part of Fulham’s match strategy is pretty straight forward, move the ball to their big striker Alexandre Mitrovic and support Mitrovic with other Fulham teammates.
Players such as Herrera, Matic, and Pogba are sure to do a lot of work in containing Fulham midfielders but Manchester United will have a lot of ace in the hole if Manchester United effectively use the quickness of Rashford, Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez and Lingard or Martial to keep the Fulham defenders busy for the most part of the match.
