Manchester United must get through their mini-season with minimal damage

Moyes has a tough task on his hands

Manchester United’s hopes of retaining the Premier League title are as good as over but the Red Devils still have a huge task on their hands which is to fight for a place in the top four in order to play Champions League football. United suffered a defeat against Stoke City followed by two draws before they departed for Dubai for some warm weather training.

David Moyes’s team put in a commendable performance in the stalemate against Arsenal and defended against them excellently, probably their best defensive performance of the season, which gives the fans something to smile about in what is turning out to be an extremely bleak season.

There are some tricky fixtures coming up in the next few months and the Red Devils must fight it out in order to restore hope at Old Trafford once again.

United have a game against Crystal Palace coming up which they should have no problem winning and a Champions League fixture against Olympiacos on Wednesday which they should get through with ease. The real problems start after these two fixtures. The Red Devils face West Bromwich Albion, Liverpool and Manchester City in March and these teams could act as a stumbling block for United’s Champions League hopes.These 3 teams have bested Manchester United in the Premier League this season so they must work very hard in order to overcome them.

David Moyes’s men have a chance beating West Bromwich Albion and Manchester City as they have gone a bit slack but the main problem is in the form of Liverpool. The Reds, who beat United 1-0 at the start of the season, recently thrashed Arsenal 5-1 and gave them quite a fight in the FA Cup tie which they lost 2-1. A win would be very difficult to achieve this season but if United are serious about the 4th position, they need to go for it.

United also face Aston Villa and West Ham United in March and should beat them as they did so comfortably earlier in the season.

April also has a few difficult fixtures in store for Manchester United as they are set to face Newcastle United, Hull City, Everton and Norwich City along with one of the European teams in the Champions League if they get through. Newcastle and Everton have had wins against United this season while Norwich and Hull City are teams that have frustrated the Red Devils before.

Newcastle United have been struggling following the sale of their key player Yohan Cabaye, who scored the winner against United, so there is a glimmer of hope in that area.

Coming back to the Champions League it is safe to say that United have had it extremely easy so far this season. The real challenge will come in the later stages when they face teams like PSG, Bayern Munich or Barcelona. Manchester United will be without record signing Juan Mata in the competition this season which could be a problem. The Spaniard has not hit full form yet but has got 3 assists in 4 games which could have helped on the European stage. His absence can be covered by Adnan Januzaj who has been nothing short of brilliant this season.

All in all I would say Manchester United will have a difficult but not impossible time as they prepare to face the upcoming storm. It remains to be seen if United will get swallowed by the storm or ride it successfully.