Guest Post By Karl Matchett.
Manchester United have drawn criticism from some quarters this season for their style of play, for the manager not using his resources to eke out the best of their ability and for generally not scoring enough goals, but the pure fact is they sit two points off top spot in the Premier League, three months into the campaign.
Louis van Gaal may not have the team playing scintillating, free-flowing football for 90 minutes at a time but United have once again become incredibly difficult to break down and beat, something which for 18 months at least was most certainly a missing-in-action aspect of their DNA. Like joint-leaders Arsenal and Manchester City, the Red Devils have lost just two of their 12 league games this term and, especially with Chelsea floundering near the relegation zone, are considered certainties for a top-four finish again this term.Â
Style and offensive mindset aside, what van Gaal will see now is an opportunity to lift his side from European spot makeweights to genuine title-challengers, an improbable rise given the uncertainty toward the end of last season and lack of goals this term. United rank only eighth for goals scored, with their tally of 17 comfortably outstripped so far by the likes of West Ham United and Everton, but they also have the best defensive record in the Premier League.
Now, with that defensive base in place and functioning astutely, United can begin to focus a little more on the attacking side of their game perhaps-and over the coming weeks in domestic play, have upcoming fixtures which are inherently winnable and should allow van Gaal's side to close the gap on those above them.
Come the end of 2015, it isn't at all outlandish to suggest Manchester United could have overtaken at least one of their key rivals above them, as well as Leicester City who currently sit third.
A run of games against Watford, Leicester, West Ham United, Bournemouth and Norwich City over the next six weeks should yield a huge volume of points for van Gaal and his men, naturally with the double bonus of overhauling the Foxes if the scoreline is favourable United's way. None of those fixtures will cause undue alarm to the United backline other than the Leicester game, especially with West Ham suffering an injury to Dmitri Payet recently and the promoted teams among the lower end of the scorers this season.
Even allowing for an unexpected slip-up, 12 points from that run of games heading into and over Christmas will keep United on par for a two points per game average for the season, well inside the average required for a top-four finish in the usual scheme of things and headed closer toward title-winning form since September.
There'd be a long way to go, of course, before the tag of "title challengers" could reasonably be given to the Old Trafford club-but the closer they are to top spot heading into the new year, the greater the temptation must be to spend further funds in the transfer window to bring in another quality player and aid the push over the remainder of the season.
Champions League progression to the knock-out phase is a probability at this stage and would represent a serious step forward for the club after the ignominy of missing out on qualification two seasons ago. It is, however, league position and capability to challenge for the title again which will determine, on English shores at least, when they have truly recovered from the post-Ferguson slump.
With consistency in their solid defence and a gradual improvement offensively over the winter run of games, United could find themselves a step closer to that eventual goal in van Gaal's second season-even if the method of how he goes about attaining those results hasn't yet been to everyone's taste.
