da lvbet： Louis Van Gaal encouraged fans and media alike to judge his Manchester United team’s performance after three months of being in charge.
da spicy bet： Now that the three months are up, Manchester United sit in 5th position on 25 points. Although Van Gaal’s start has not been electric, there is the sense that United are finally looking like a team and their recent performances in the league are a clear representation of that.
The Red Devils are currently on a four match winning streak and could rise to third in the league beat Southampton tonight. Although Van Gaal has been quick to dismiss any hopes of a title push, stranger things have happened. A win over Southampton would put Manchester United eight points behind league leaders Chelsea. It may seem like a large gap to close but there is still a large amount of football left to be played this season.
Chelsea have shown that they are not unbeatable and Manchester City’s reliance on the brilliance of Sergio Aguero may not be enough if the striker can’t play regularly throughout the season. However, the inclusion of Manchester United in the title race may be a step too far for some fans. Although it looked extremely unlikely a month ago, there is the opportunity for Manchester United to rival Chelsea and Manchester City for the Premier League crown. Robin van Persie is due a run of goalscoring form and, with the fitness of Radamel Falcao in constant doubt, the opportunity is there for the experienced Dutchman to step up to the plate.
The encouraging form of the captain, Wayne Rooney, could mean that Manchester United have enough attacking prowess to seriously mount a title challenge, especially when there is a wealth of talent in the midfield area as well.
However, it has been well documented that Manchester United’s problems do not lie in the attacking area of the pitch. Defensively, United have looked vulnerable throughout the season. Losing Daley Blind for an extended period of time will do Van Gaal no favours as he looks for protection over an inexperienced back four. Having said that, United’s defence have looked stronger in recent weeks. David De Gea is in the form of his life and the combination of Marcos Rojo and Chris Smalling in United’s last two Premier League fixtures has looked solid. But the defence will be tested thoroughly throughout the season and a strong back four is needed if Manchester United want to win the league this season.
If Van Gaal can manage to get through the winter schedule without losing a game, many will start to consider United as genuine title contenders. A tricky December fixture list includes the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle and Tottenham but, if United can get wins against these sides, it will inject a feeling of fresh impetus for the team in the new year. In terms of the January transfer window, a huge month awaits for Van Gaal and potential player recruitment. The business United conduct in the window could determine whether or not they could seriously consider themselves title hopefuls.
Rumours of Kevin Strootman arriving in January will add a further wealth of talent to an already impressive midfield. However, Van Gaal should be prioritising defensive targets in the winter window. With Luke Shaw now injured and Rafael only just returning from a spell on the sidelines, United are very low on full backs – with the manager often resorting to playing Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young in makeshift wing back positions. In the centre of defence, United need strong leaders and rumours of Mats Hummels and Ron Vlaar would be exactly what the club need.
Many will back Chelsea to win the Premier League and rightly so. They have the best squad and one of the best managers in world football. But, if United can keep up the good form and sign a number of high class defenders in January, the same could be said about Van Gaal and his side.
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