Manchester United: Still the Team To Beat and Why

Manchester United's Derby victory on Saturday against Manchester City was an important victory in the race for the Premiership crown.

United now hold a four-point lead over Arsenal and an eight-point lead over City with a game in hand.

Fans of Manchester City and Chelsea are asking the question: “How are United in such a strong position?”

Over the last few seasons, United have been affected by the Glazer takeover. They are paying off a huge debt and, compared to the two blue teams, have not had much cash to spend on new players.  

The difference is the players that United have brought in and developed.

Manchester United’s greatness comes from having a core of players who have the same desire to win—players that have worked together for years and developed their skills together and grown a team spirit.

For years, this team spirit has come through to propel United to win trophies. This has been seen through the years, as last-minute equalisers and winners have become a common theme for United’s results.

The reason for this is that, as a team, they never stop believing.

When I look at other Premiership teams, they don’t have that passion and fire about their play. Chelsea and City have spent millions on buying some of the best players in the world. However, as a team, neither of them gel as well as United.

Chelsea and City players start to argue amongst themselves when they go behind or the game starts going away from them. Both teams have world-class players who expect to win.

To my mind, that is the difference between United and the rest: United’s mentality is that they want to win, not that they should just win by default because they are the best. They work hard and play to the whistle.

I often hear people complain about how much time there was at the end of a game and that United managed to score in extra time. The time added on is no different in United’s games as any other—the only difference is that United play to the whistle.

When Chelsea and City develop a core of players who want to work together and united in their ethos and work ethic, they will be unstoppable.

Until that happens, United will still be the English team to beat.