Premier League contenders Manchester United have wind in sails thanks to stunning away form
- United’s domestic away form is staggering, having won 18 of their 20 games, drawn two and lost none
- No one is laughing now at talk of Old Trafford giants being in first title race since Alex Ferguson left club
Manchester United’s team coaches edged out of Goodison Park away from the temporary dressing rooms, past signs saying ‘red zone’, splashing through puddles in the road works by the statue of Everton legend Dixie Dean.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Nemanja Matic and Harry Maguire had fulfilled their post-match media duties, smiling and confident after another away victory. Six weeks ago on the same spot, the Norwegian was fuming because of the 12:30 kick-off at Goodison in the league following a midweek trip to Turkey, even though United won.
Despite another victory this week, his stance hasn’t altered on 12:30 kick-offs. It’s an issue he’s prepared to fight over, despite his club being partly responsible in agreeing to a contract which allows such times.
United’s next game is a 12:30 start at second-place Leicester City on Boxing Day. The games are unrelenting, but at least Solskjaer has a big squad that has largely avoided injuries. That meant he could make nine changes from Sunday’s 6-2 victory against Leeds which pushed United to third, a point behind Leicester but with a game in hand.
United’s recent record against Leicester is excellent; indeed, United are the form team in the Premier League after a faltering start and the improvement is clear. The team have won eight of their 13 league games so far. After 14 games last season, United had won only four. Combine that with rivals dropping far more points than a year ago and talk of Manchester United being in a first title race since Alex Ferguson left the club isn’t laughed at.
Solskjaer will rightly play expectations down. He’s delighted at the positive form, the goals, the football, but still thinks his side needs strengthening to challenge the best. He knows he needs a trophy after two years in the job and that’s one reason he played such a strong side at Everton, one which started far better than his team had in so many away games – United have gone behind in every away league game. And won them all. It’s one of many bizarre United statistics in a bizarre year for football and the world.
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“I’d swap those three semi-finals last season for one trophy,” he told me after the match – another win against an Everton side who are fourth in the league and were desperate for their first trophy since 1995. He was in form, too. Asked how he’d seen the game, he replied: “With my eyes.”
Manchester City again await in another semi-final, but since winning at the Etihad in the semi-final second leg of the same competition in January, United’s domestic away form is staggering. The team have won 18 of their 20 games, drawn two and lost none. This season alone, United have won all 10 of their away games in England, scoring an astonishing 27 goals. United have scored three goals in seven of their 10 away games.
Never in Manchester United’s history has their away form been so good. Having no home fans for many of those games is doubtless a factor but this is an increasingly confident team playing far better football than under previous managers. Manchester United are exciting to watch.
There have bumps along the way and there will be many more ahead. When United last went out of the Champions League in Germany in December under Louis van Gaal, the team’s form collapsed and they lost their next three matches. It would be the beginning of the end for the Dutchman. When Jose Mourinho’s side went out to Sevilla, in the Champions League in 2018, it was the beginning of the end for the Portuguese.
Solskjaer’s side have won their last three matches. The setbacks are getting fewer, yet there are still a considerable number waiting to say “I told you so” when United lose a match, vindication that the Norwegian is a callow coach not fit to be compared to the best. Instead, his sides just defeat them.
Some of the critics will never go away. They feed off the negativity, they want their pessimism to be justified. It’s as if past United sides didn’t lose any games. No one remembers the games the treble winners lost: five domestic matches before the Christmas of 1998. The current side have lost three domestic games up to this Christmas.
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This team isn’t yet fit to be compared to the treble winners. They’ve won nothing and the season could unravel as quickly at it has began to knit together, but there are so many reasons for optimism. There are now two players for almost every position that can be played against any team.
Left back? See Luke Shaw and Alex Telles. There are two goalkeepers, though David De Gea hasn’t had his best calendar year and Dean Henderson is still a work in progress. The central defence still causes concern, yet Eric Bailly had a rare start at Goodison and was as good against Everton as he had been during the February victory at Chelsea. If only the Ivorian could avoid injury more often.
The midfield can cause concern too and it still doesn’t feel like Solskjaer has hit on his absolute best combination there, but there’s no shortage of talent in the middle and even Paul Pogba, so often a curse rather than a blessing, is fit and playing well.
In attack, United finished the game at Goodison with Edinson Cavani, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Pogba on the field. Little wonder a breakthrough was found. When it was, the players hugged each other in one group in front of the empty Park End stand.
“Come on!” they shouted in English, these boys from around the globe. “Come on!” Manchester United are coming on all right.
