They say the Premier League table never lies, and after just three matches, Manchester United’s season is off to a shocker.
Manchester United have played three, won one, and lost two. The team rank 14th, with a -3 goal difference.
Already that’s six points behind leaders City, and four points back from a top four spot. And there’s the context of a home loss to Liverpool to factor in.
OK, it’s just three matches, so let’s not panic. By the end of September, after the international break, we should have a clearer picture. Hopefully
Manchester United’s next five matches
We now head into an international break, and when Manchester United return, there are five matches lined up in all competitions in September.
Three of these games are in the Premier League, two away from home, and one at Old Trafford.
There is one Carabao Cup tie, and one Europa League game, both home fixtures.
Saturday September 14, 12.30pm: Premier League – Southampton vs Man Utd
Week beginning September 17, date/time TBC: Carabao Cup – Man Utd vs Barnsley
Saturday September 21, 5.30pm: Premier League – Crystal Palace vs Man Utd
Thursday September 25, 8pm: Europa League – Man Utd vs FC Twente
Sunday September 29, 4.30pm: Premier League – Man Utd vs Tottenham Hotspur
Next five games pivotal for Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag will hope to get Luke Shaw and Rasmus Hojlund back from injuries, and also avoid further setbacks over the international break.
Here’s a look at the best case scenario…
Five wins would reset the balance and put Erik ten Hag back in a strong position. There are nine Premier League points up for grabs, which should course-correct and take us into the top six or seven.
A victory at the end of the month over top four rivals Tottenham would also count for a lot, and will be essential in the only home league fixture at Old Trafford, to really keep, or get, the fans onside.
The worst result of last season was the 4-0 loss at Crystal Palace. If we can go to Palace and win, that would genuinely show some positive progress.
Meanwhile a comfortable win in each cup competition will inject some positivity into the players and potentially build some positive momentum.
And if it all goes wrong…
A home defeat to Barnsley in the Carabao Cup would be unthinkable. Let’s now dwell too much on that, other than to say, it would really pile the pressure on the manager, and also remove one possibility of silverware.
United need to win the first game back, an early kick-off at Southampton. That kind of long away trip to the south coast is not ideal for players returning from the international break.
Another away trip to Palace is clearly fraught with danger, while Ten Hag’s side took just one point against Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham.
There is a scenario where United take just four points from these three games, which simply would not be good enough, with only three collected so far.
That will leave Ten Hag under real pressure, which he has found himself battling amid two early defeats.
September is either month where United get back on track and get the season up and running, or this negative spiral gets even worse.
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