MU can not enter TOP 4?

(Baonghean.vn) - Letting the visiting team Swansea 'steal' 2 points when the official time of the match was entering the final minutes was a very regrettable thing for the home team at Old Trafford. Almost, the goal of entering the TOP 4 Premier League 2016/2017 is out of reach for coach Mourinho and his team.

» Up to 8 MU players are injured

Looking at the rankings, the Red Devils of Manchester still have many opportunities to surpass the opponents above (MC, Liverpool), when the gap is only 1-2 points. If the Old Trafford team gets favorable results in the upcoming matches (necessary condition), while the direct competitors stumble (sufficient condition), then the ticket to participate in the most prestigious arena in Europe next year will belong to them. In theory, that is true, but the reality before the eyes of coach Mourinho and his team is not that simple.

In the necessary conditions, MU players will also find it difficult to achieve with the stormy journey ahead. The opponents that Rooney and his teammates must face include: Arsenal, Tottenham, Southampton, Crystal Palace. We can ignore the two teams that have run out of goals, Southampton and Crystal Palace, the team led by coach Mourinho still has to face Arsenal and Tottenham in rounds 35 and 36. These are extremely difficult obstacles, not easy for MU to overcome.

Sigurdsson's equalizer (Swansea) put MU in a passive position in the race for the TOP 4. Photo: Internet.

Arsenal is also in a more dire situation than MU when the London team is temporarily ranked 6th with 60 points (only 33 matches). To get into the TOP 4, coach Wenger and his team have only one way: to win all the upcoming matches. Therefore, the match at Emirates Stadium in round 35 between Arsenal and MU is a life-or-death battle for both teams. Maybe in the past time, MU has not been afraid of Arsenal, but at present, the players from Manchester city can hardly make a difference against the home team that is equally thirsty for points.

Right after the battle with Arsenal, in round 36, MU will continue to visit another North London representative, Tottenham. Unfortunately for the home team at Old Trafford, coach Pochettino and his team are fiercely competing with Chelsea for the Premier League title and are in extremely good form. Meeting Tottenham at this time, for MU players, is like walking into a tiger's den. If the Red Devils of Manchester can get 1 point away from White Hart Lane, it will be considered a great success.

Remember, before marching to North London to visit Arsenal and Tottenham, coach Mourinho and his team had to go through 2 semi-final matches with Celta Vigo in the Europa League. Last April, the Old Trafford team had to plow through all 9 matches on all fronts. It was the high frequency of matches that caused MU players to fall into a state of physical exhaustion. The injuries of Ibrahimovic, Pogba, Rojo, Jones, Smalling, Luke Shaw, Bailly... turned Old Trafford into a miniature hospital.

After the MU - Swansea match ended, coach Mourinho shared in frustration: "We lost people (Luke Shaw and Bailly were injured - PV) and lost points. Today was not a good day. I am not satisfied with the 1 point we got but the players played their best. We have a team of 22 people but can only use 12 or 13 names. The players are not tired or exhausted, they are really tired and exhausted (...) Nowadays, we can break our legs even when going to the toilet." With the storm of injuries raging, MU will find it difficult to complete the goal of entering the TOP 4 when this year's season ends.

Bailly is the 8th injured soldier so far at Old Trafford. Photo: Internet.

In sufficient conditions, it means that direct opponents MC and Liverpool must stumble in the upcoming matches. This is also unlikely to happen, because the upcoming opponents of MC and Liverpool are only teams that have almost run out of goals. Liverpool will meet Watford, Southampton, West Ham, Middlesbrough in turn.

Most likely, coach Jurgen Klopp and his team will not miss the opportunity to win a ticket to the Champions League 2017/2018. Besides, the Etihad team also has an easy time with opponents that are not highly rated, including: Crystal Palace, Leicester City, West Brom, Watford. It is hard to believe that coach Pep Guardiola and his team lost the opportunity to be in the TOP 4.

From that, it can be seen that MU is falling into a passive situation in the race for 1 of the first 4 positions of the Premier League 2016/2017. Simply, from the score to the force (injuries) and the opponents they have to face, coach Mourinho and his team are at a disadvantage compared to MC and Liverpool.

It seems that to participate in the prestigious Champions League arena next season, the only way left for the Old Trafford team is to win the Europa League./.

Thanh Hung