Manchester United: Where Will They Finish?
By Jake Knox
After this weekend’s humiliating defeat at the hand of West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford, Manchester United Fans are starting to question where will their club finish this season.
Manchester United’s loss meant that the Premier League Trophy went across the city to the Etihad Stadium.
The defeat also gave Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea the opportunity to reduce their deficits by 3 points. A feat which only Liverpool took advantage of with Spurs losing and Chelsea only managing a draw.
So with an FA Cup Semi Final coming up this weekend against a Spurs side looking for their first FA Cup final appearance since they defeated Forrest in 1991. What does Manchester United have left to play for in the league?
Last Five Fixtures
United currently sit in 2nd place with 4, 6 and 14 points separating them from Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea respectfully.
With Chelsea having 15 points left to play for it’s mathematically possible for United to miss out on Champions League Football next season but highly unlikely.
United only have one game left in April, the visit of Arsenal on the 29th.
May sees United travel to both Brighton and West Ham before hosting Watford at Old Trafford in the last game of the season.
Everyone knows it’s getting harder and harder to predict the outcome of games, but United should really be taking a minimum of 10 points from their remaining games.
This would leave them finishing an up and down season on 84 points, 5 more than the treble winning season of 99.
How Does That Stack Up Against The Competition
Liverpool
With seemingly free-scoring Chelsea reject Mo Salah surprising everyone by firing Liverpool into third they are United’s biggest threat for 2nd place.
Liverpool have games remaining against West Brom (A), Stoke City (H), Chelsea (A) and Brighton (H). So it’s fair to say most people would expect a minimum of 9 points.
This would take them to 79 which should be enough to secure 3rd place.
Tottenham
Spurs have been constantly in and around the fourth spot this season having failed to push on from last seasons runner-up spot.
Tuesday’s 1-1 draw against Brighton leaves them on 68 points with 4 games remaining. Following this weekend’s FA Cup Semi Final against United, Spurs face Watford (A), West Brom (A), Newcastle (H) and Leicester City (H).
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Taking into consideration that West Brom are fighting for their lives, Spurs are likely to pick up a minimum of 5 points. This will leave them with 73, so Champions League qualification could come down to the last game of the season.
Chelsea
Chelsea have a game in hand against their Champions League rivals, away at Burnley tonight. Which, given Burnley’s record at home this season could well see the London side returning home with zero points.
Currently 8 points behind Spurs and 6 ahead of Arsenal in 6th, it looks increasing unlikely that Chelsea will qualify for Champions League football.
Out of the top 5 they have arguably the hardest run in facing Swansea (A), Liverpool (H), Huddersfield Town (H), before a final day trip to St James’ Park.
Taking into account Swansea are fighting for their lives and have really turned things around since the arrival of Carlos Carvalhal, Liverpool’s form and Newcastle’s recent home form.
Chelsea could well end up with a handful of points which could even see them drop down the table.
Final Standing
Taking everything into consideration, it would take a massive upset for United not to qualify for next seasons champions league. They are looking likely to finish 2nd. Additionally, this is a position they have been in for the majority of the season despite some unexpected losses to the likes of Huddersfield, Newcastle and West Brom.
The season, however, will be regarded by most at Old Trafford as a complete failure should they fail to lift any silverware, the only remaining possibility is the FA Cup where they will have to overcome a strong Spurs side before most likely meeting Chelsea in the final on 18th May.
Next: Predicted starting XI: AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester United
Overall it’s highly unlikely that the top 4 is going to change much in the coming weeks as players start thinking about the upcoming World Cup.