Manchester United Showing Signs of Potential Champions

After another league win, this time over Aston Villa, Manchester United are showing all the signs of champions.

The Red Devils won all five of their Premier League fixtures in March, and if they are able to do the same in April, then the Premier League crown will once again be headed to Old Trafford.

But the month of April holds in store a visit from Arsenal and a trip to Stamford Bridge, a match where the destination of the title could be decided.

United are currently five points ahead of Chelsea and six ahead of the Gunners with six games remaining, but no one at Old Trafford will be getting carried away quite yet.

And with such tricky fixtures still ahead, the Old Trafford outfit can’t afford any slip-ups.

Cristiano Ronaldo supplied yet another brilliant performance on Saturday as he scored the opener and provided three assists in his man of the match display. The goal took his tally to 26 league goals and if the Portuguese winger can maintain his form up until the last game of the season against Wigan, United will have a great chance of retaining their title.

Back among the goals at just the right time is Wayne Rooney, who scored two over the weekend and came inches away from bagging a hat-trick. If Rooney is able to find the net on a continual basis, nothing will be able to stand in the way of United and the Premiership title. Because let’s not forget, there’s also the threat of Carlos Tevez, who was also among the goals on Saturday.

United’s backline is as solid as ever despite the changes in goalkeeping duties because of Edwin Van Der Sar’s injury. All three of United’s top three goalkeepers were utilized during the month of March and all three managed to keep a clean sheet at one point or another.

After all, the Red Devils went the entire month without conceding a single goal in the league. Is this an impressive statistic? Certainly. Is this a sign of a championship team? Most definitely.

United’s backline has been so solid that fit-again Gary Neville has been unable to force his way back into the side. The United captain has been sidelined for over a year and has finally overcome his injury problems.

But with Wes Brown making the right-back position his own in Neville’s absence, there is no reason why Sir Alex should risk playing his captain at such a pivotal point of the season.

United may be unyielding in the back and relentless on the attack, but let’s not forget the array of talent available to Sir Alex in the midfield area.

With Darren Fletcher the only midfield player out nursing an injury, the United boss has plenty of options in the center of the park. Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves, and Paul Scholes have all been in terrific form recently, but its Brazilian starlet, Oliveira Anderson, who has really been catching the eye this season.

Aside from his goal scoring ability, the teenager has given every indication that he could become an integral part of United’s first team over the next couple of years. Anderson has already had a remarkable debut season and at such a young age, there is still so much more to come from the former FC Porto playmaker.

The only thing missing from Anderson’s game is goals and he will certainly be hoping to change that before the end of the season.

“I’m hopeful that when I start scoring I will score some important goals in important games. I’ve certainly got some good celebrations planned!” he said.

But before Anderson can think about wheeling off in celebration, he needs to focus on finding the back of the net.

In the meantime, Manchester United will be continuing their march towards the Premiership title as they also maintain their hunt for European glory.

The Red Devils have situated themselves in a good position to achieve success in both competitions. United are in great form but are set to embrace one of their most challenging weeks of the season.

A second consecutive quarter-final match-up with AS Roma is next up on the agenda. The Red Devils travel to Rome knowing their Italian opponents are capable of providing a surprise. United suffered defeat in the first leg in Rome last year before winning the second leg 7-1.

A trip to the Riverside for a match against Middlesbrough awaits Sir Alex’s troops this weekend. With both Chelsea and Arsenal breathing down their neck, United must continue displaying the attributes of potential champions if they are to capture their 10th Barclay’s Premiership crown.