Need to win to hold on to hope in the top 4 of the Premier League, but MU is difficult to overcome the crisis to do something against Chelsea.
Losing to Arsenal 1-3, not long after being crushed 0-4 by Liverpool, was like rubbing salt into the pain of those who love MU . Those are two of the biggest rivals of the Old Trafford owner in the history of English football. Not only that, but they were also six points behind by their own opponents while kicking more than one match (54 points versus 60 points). To take fourth place, “Red Devils” must win the remaining four matches and hope Arsenal and Tottenham stumble.
Confronting the third-placed team – Chelsea in the early match of the 37th round is like putting MU in a corner. If they lose or draw, Ralf Rangnick’s teachers and students can widen the gap by Arsenal to at least 11 points if the “Gunners” win both matches. That gap cannot be filled when the season is only three rounds. After Chelsea, Man Utd will meet Brentford, Brighton, and Crystal Palace.
The atmosphere at Old Trafford was full of doubts, and the positive effects of the appointment of coach Erik ten Hag lasted only a moment. A reshuffle is bound to happen in the summer. But instead of fighting to score points with the new coach, the Man Utd player’s performance was quite bad. The British press even suspected Rangnick was powerless to control the dressing room.
However, the German military leader is still optimistic. He said that he had a strong belief that many things at Man Utd would get better when the new manager arrived. Hopefully, that will come from a few new players and some new energy. Depending on the demand group, with that new player, along with the quality staff already in place and the new manager, he was optimistic that the new season would be much better. He hoped to be able to help Erik as much as he wanted as a player question.
Man Utd won only four out of 15 maximum points in April and have lost three in the last four matches. But they are unbeaten in seven consecutive home matches in the English Premier League. Since Louis Van Gaal in 2015, “Red Devils” have not lost three consecutive rounds.
Christian Pulisic’s 90th-minute goal helped Chelsea beat West Ham 1-0, thereby recovering after losing to Arsenal. Thomas Tuchel’s teachers and students were under less pressure from the fourth team because they had more than five points and played less than one game. The problem with Chelsea now is to get good results in four matches against Man Utd, Everton, Wolves, and Leeds, but they must ensure the force to prepare for the FA Cup final against Liverpool on May 13. This is the only title Chelsea can compete for this season.
“Chelsea’s stability is being challenged,” said Tuchel. This is the first time Chelsea has faced such great difficulty. They are all committed to giving, showing passion on the pitch. But obviously, they cannot compete for the whole season, but only for a few periods.
Chelsea enters this match with a streak of nine consecutive away victories in all competitions. However, it has been nine years since the last time the London team won at Old Trafford. Earlier this season, under the direction of interim coach Michael Carrick, Man Utd drew Chelsea 1-1, extending the home team’s winless streak against Man Utd to eight matches. The last time Chelsea beat Man Utd was a 1-0 victory at home in 2017.
Man Utd is without captain Harry Maguire due to a knee injury, besides the absence of Edinson Cavani, Paul Pogba, Fred, Jadon Sancho, and Luke Shaw. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Mateo Kovacic, Ben Chilwell, and Ross Barkley sit out on the Chelsea side. Antonio Rudiger and Reece James are back in training and can play.
Man Utd is going through an unprecedented difficult season in the Premier League era, despite replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with interim coach Rangnick. They were eliminated from the League Cup, FA Cup, and Champions League, respectively. They are currently sixth in the Premier League with 54 points, six points behind, and one game more kicking than fourth-placed Arsenal. This will be the fifth consecutive season of “Red Devils” empty-handed in all areas.
Rangnick admitted that United had run out of doors to the top four this season but asked the players to maintain professionalism. “Losing three of the last four games made the spirit and energy of the team not as good as I would have liked,” he said. But they still have to give their best. That’s what they did to get paid. That’s important to the players. They already know who the new manager is and have to prove in front of 75,000 spectators that they can beat a club the size of Chelsea.
The match Man Utd – Chelsea is in the 37th round of the Premier League but was pushed to play early for Chelsea to play the FA Cup final on May 13. In addition, the “Red Devils” have three more matches, against Brentford on May 2, Brighton on May 7, and Crystal Palace on May 22.
Rangnick will then cede the head coach position to Erik ten Hag – who is expected to carry out a major personnel reshuffle at Man Utd. According to British media, the Old Trafford owner will probably spend about 200 million USD for the upcoming transfer period, and one of the priorities is to refresh the defenders.
Besides Maguire, Man Utd’s injury list today also includes Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Fred, and Luke Shaw. Therefore, Rangnick expects the reserves and young players to shine when given the opportunity to score points with new coach Erik ten Hag at the end of the season. He said that they should take advantage of the opportunity to play well. This was the right time. They would try to put on the strongest team. But currently, Man Utd only has 14 players in the first team and maybe three or four players from the youth team.