Why does Mourinho believe Man Utd will catch up with Man City by January 2018?

"The Special One" hopes his experience in dealing with the most intense period of the season will help him turn the tables against Pep Guardiola.

Manchester United will host Manchester City in the Premier League on December 10th. That's when Jose Mourinho believes he and his players will begin a comeback against their city rivals, as he described after the 0-1 defeat to Chelsea last weekend: "We will fly high in November, December and January next year."

"Mourinho believes the harshness of English football during the winter months is his advantage," ESPN commented. Man Utd performed very well during this period in the Portuguese manager's first season. They won all nine matches between December 8, 2016, and January 10, 2017, part of a 17-match unbeaten run at Old Trafford.

During the same period, Man City won only seven of their 15 matches, with four defeats in the Premier League in December and January. Guardiola's team started the season with a run of 10 wins, but only averaged 1.4 points between December and January. Man Utd, on the other hand, averaged 2.3 points.

Mourinho believes Manchester United still have a chance to win the Premier League.

Guardiola and his players have improved their form this season, winning 15 of their first 17 games, including victories against Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal. "But four games in 11 days from Christmas to New Year is a huge challenge even for the best teams," ESPN assessed.

Mourinho has more experience than his opponent during the most intense period of the season. This is his seventh Boxing Day, while for Guardiola, it's only his second.

When Chelsea won the league in 2004-2005, Mourinho's first season in England, they had six consecutive wins by Christmas. The following season, they even had an eight-game winning streak. In their most recent title-winning season (2014-2015), the manager nicknamed "The Special One" won eight of his ten matches during this period.

The Manchester derby could be a turning point in the Premier League title race.

"If Mourinho still hopes to catch up with Man City, the next two months are a golden opportunity for them," ESPN analyzed. "Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Marcos Rojo will return, and Mourinho will have his strongest squad available. The Portuguese manager will be hoping for a dip in Man City's form after their explosive start to the season."

Another reason for Mourinho and his team to bet on this period is that they only have to play 18 matches in 100 days, starting from the home game against Newcastle at Old Trafford on November 18th. In contrast, for the last 16 matches of the season, they only have 59 days to play.

December also sees a number of matches between top six teams. Man Utd visit Arsenal on December 2nd, in an attempt to secure their first away win against a similarly matched opponent under Mourinho. Man City host Tottenham at the Etihad on December 16th, and sandwiched between these two matches is the Manchester derby.

As usual, Mourinho turned his home ground into an impenetrable fortress. After the 1-2 defeat to Man City in September 2016, Man Utd went on a 37-match unbeaten run at Old Trafford. However, Man City also had several important away wins, most recently a 1-0 victory against Chelsea at the end of September.

According to VNE