After over three years of waiting, Man United are finally back at the top of the Premier League, but for how long?
It’s been no secret that since Ferguson retired, United have been nowhere near the level they once were. Their highest finish in the Premier League was second under Jose Mourinho, however, this was 18 points behind Man City.
Since the 2012/13 season, United have never been top after 17 games in the season, until now. On top of this, the last time they were top of the league was September 2017, again under Jose Mourinho.
After finishing fourth this season and a long way back from Liverpool, the aim this season was to bridge that gap. A title challenge was never the aim and it still might not be. However, they find themselves in one after 17 games as they are three points clear at the top of the table.
Not many would have suspected this to happen after winning just two out of their opening six games. A lot of this is down to the influence of Bruno Fernandes. Since his arrival in January last season, his side have won 63 points in the league, no side has got more!
Now they are top after nearly halfway through the season, can they sustain this or will they crumble and just look for a top-four finish?
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Can Man United win the league?
Solskjaers side are currently three points clear at the top of the table and head to Anfield on Sunday to play second-place Liverpool. United are priced at 11/2 to win this Premier League this season and we think it’s a big ask.
They have a good squad with a lot of quality, but they are very reliant on Bruno Fernandes. Should something happen to him then they could find themselves struggling. On top of this, they haven’t beaten any of the top six sides so far this season. If they want to win the league this needs to change, but when they play these sides, Ole likes to go into the game’s defensive.
Man City are the favourites currently and if they win their games in hand they can go one point behind United. The side priced at 8/11 seem to be getting back to their best recently and have the best defence in the league at the moment. They will take some beating to this seasons title and it’ll be tough for United to do so.
Last years winners are at 11/4 and their biggest issue so far is injuries. Liverpool lost Van Dijk and Gomez early on in the season and they have already dropped 16 points already, which is more than they dropped all of last season. They are by no means out of this title race and will be up there come May, but again they’ll need to be at their best to challenge City.
