Top-Four unlikely but Man United’s Champions League fate can definitely still be secured

Top-Four unlikely but Man United’s Champions League fate can definitely still be secured

The midweek results were disappointing for Manchester United, who dropped points against Everton and saw Arsenal leapfrog them in the Premier League standings once again. With Liverpool and Manchester City also dropping points, Jose Mourinho’s side have missed a real chance of boosting their top-four hopes.

With nine games remaining, the Red Devils sit four points behind the top-four spots and Manchester City- who they crucially have to play in their game in hand. However, even victory there may not be enough.

Whilst defeating the Citizens in the derby will see the Red Devils move to just a point behind their arch-rivals, it also opens the door for Arsenal to hold the same deficit- and the Gunners have a more favourable run of fixtures.


Manchester United cannot overhaul Liverpool’s position without the Reds dropping points either, which means the Red Devils have found themselves in a tussle for the final spot in the top-four; and Mourinho’s side look the least likely to achieve that spot.

With Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur all to play, United face a daunting task ahead of them and they’d need to pick up points in all of those clashes- which would seem unlikely to even the most optimistic fan.

Fortunately, Manchester United have a second avenue ahead of them in their path to the Champions League via success in the Europa League- which is something the Red Devils have a real chance of achieving.

Jose Mourinho’s side tackle Anderlecht next week in the first-leg of a quarter-final tie where they stand as huge favourites and the Red Devils shouldn’t be too concerned by the other sides remaining in the competition.

Lyon, Besiktas, Ajax, Genk, Ajax and Schalke are the other six sides remaining in Europe’s second-tier competition and the Red Devils will fancy their chances of beating any of those sides- particularly as Lyon are no longer the French powerhouses they used to be, whilst Schalke are lingering in 12th spot in the Bundesliga.

On paper, that pair would be Manchester United’s toughest opponents left in the Europa League but even they should be no match for the Red Devils- so focusing on winning this competition should be the priority.

Manchester United are now just four games away from the showcase final and the concern is that fighting on a European front could affect their Premier League charge. Whilst the reality is that’s true, the Red Devils need to see Europa League success as their priority.

As mentioned, the chances of United finishing in the top-four this season are incredibly slim and when you consider their European exploits, their chances look even less likely. Therefore, they should abandon that aim.

Whilst finishing outside the top-four would see the Red Devils fall short of their pre-season expectations, they would have bitten your hands off for success in the League Cup and Europa League- which would see Jose Mourinho’s tenure at Old Trafford get off to a superb winning start.

Inclusion in next season’s Champions League would be the icing on the cake, especially with winning 2 trophies and the Red Devils should be optimistic of what lies ahead of them, as they boast a fantastic squad bursting with talent the best of which is yet to come especially when you consider the youthful core of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Paul Pogba et al.