Manchester United have not been their old selves ever since Sir Alex Ferguson left the managerial role at the club and the Red Devils fans had hoped that the arrival of Jose Mourinho along with a number of high profile signings such as Zlatan Ibrahinovic and Paul Pogba would change all that.
The start of the season had been turbulent for United and some unfortunate results had led to them falling behind quite a bit. However, the Special One did manage to turn things around and with Ibrahimovic taking on a roll of a true leader, United are once again looking like a side who can threaten to win the title… but perhaps not this year.
United’s poor start and a couple of back to back draws in their last two games now have them 15 points behind the leaders Chelsea while only 5 points separate them from Liverpool in fourth. This means that while Mourinho will have a hard time actually entering the title race, Champions League spot is certainly still on the cards.
Ibrahimovic Conquering England
When he was first signed, many had questioned if Zlatan Ibrahimovic could really still compete at the top level in the league of the EPL’s profile. The first few months at the Old Trafford were not easy for the Swede but he has since established himself as a household name at United and showed that he is truly one of the best strikers in the world, even at the age of 35.
Zlatan has already managed to score on 14 occasions for United, which is an impressive feat for his first season, and with 16 games still left to go, it is likely that he will score quite a few more. If United can put up some strong performances as a whole, the Swedish striker may actually win the best goal scorer title as well, which would be more than impressive.
Who Else Is Scoring?
The big issue for United is of course not that Ibrahimovic is not performing at top level, but that the rest of the squad have been far from effective. Ibra has scored 14 of the team’s total of 33 goals, which means all other players have only bagged 19 in 22 matches, which is quite poor.
When we consider how much money was spent on the likes of Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan and the fact the pair has only scored 6 goals in total this season, Mourinho’s problems become apparent. The remainder of his squad is playing at sub-par levels and while we may have expected United to be poor at the back, they have actually only conceded 21 times in 22 games, meaning that scoring goals has actually been their biggest issue.
The short answer to the question of who else is scoring is not too many other players and this is a very troubling fact for the Special One.
Where Can United Realistically Finish?
At the moment after the mid-week fixtures where they were held to a goal-less draw by Hull City, United are sixth behind Man City in 5th by 4 points. Of course, they are also only 4 points behind Liverpool in fourth, which is the position Mourinho will be desperate to secure in order to qualify for the Champions League next season.
The bookies currently have Manchester United at 33/1 to win the league but even money to finish in the top four, which may prove to be a very good bet all things considered. You can follow this link to see all the odds for all the EPL teams and follow all updates in real time as well as place bets with the very best bookmakers on the internet.
Do you believe Manchester United under Mourinho have what it takes to make the top four or will the Special One be looking to win the Europa League to qualify for next year’s Champions League. If he remains with United, do you believe he has a realistic chance of winning the EPL next year? Write in the comments section and remember to place your bets while the odds are still reasonable.