“May I have your attention, please?
May I have your attention, please?
Will the real Man United please stand up?
I repeat, will the real Man United please stand up?
We’re gonna have a problem here”
These might not be the original lyrics, but with the current form of Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s men this season you also cannot say it’s totally untrue.
United have picked up 12 from a possible 18 points against the current top six, including stunning rivals Man City 2-1 at the Ethiad earlier this month. They also beat Tottenham and drew with Arsenal, two sides with top four ambitions of their own. With form like that you would be rightfully stunned to see the red side of Manchester languishing in eight place.
A lot of that comes down to their form against the so called lesser sides. They have picked up a measly 6 points from a possible 18 against sides currently propping up the league table, including a 2-0 loss against Watford on Sunday.
Some people have claimed they adjust their levels to that of their opposition, but really it might be a lot more simpler than that and very much fixable.
Against the top six sides United have, for the majority, had to play counter attacking football. When they break on the counter the pace of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Daniel James and Jesse Lingard can cause any defense in the land problems, especially when outnumbered.
Against the bottom six United have, again for the majority, dominated the possession with the opposition placing ten men behind the ball. When this happens United have been unable in most cases to break them down. They even struggled against Colchester in the EFL Cup recently, until Rashford broke the deadlock.
This should be easily fixed, go out and buy a player who can unlock defenses. A modern day Paul Scholes. The only problem is United are in, what hockey pundits would call, rebuild mode. They can’t afford the big name signings, as evident by this summer, and will be hoping a diamond in the rough is found soon.
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Otherwise a long stay outside the top four of English football could be just around the corner for the 13 time Premier League Champions.
