‘Tis April – The Business end of the Premier League – MANCHESTER UNITED (2)

Today we shall take a look at the fore runner and table topper Manchester United; their journey to the big month of April and what it takes to win the treble  double!

Rewind

• 8/8: Wins first silverware of the season – Community Shield beating Chelsea 3-1
• First 5 games: Set the pattern to consistently drawing games away from home.
• 9/14: Champions League fixture vs Rangers proves costly – Valencia stretchered off with a fractured ankle – out for 6 months.
• 9/19: Berbatov‘s hat trick helps beat Liverpool at home – marked the start of Goal scoring spurts for the Bulgarian.
• 11/27: 7-1 mauling of Blackburn Rovers and Berbatov‘s Five goes into the history books.
• 11/30: Hands off the Carling Cup after holding it dear for the last two years; by an emphatic 0-4 win for West Ham. Ended United’s unbeaten run of 29 games in all competitions
• January: Loses in form Park to Asia Cup; SAF doesn’t indulge in the market; Rooney scores first goal of the season from Open play.
• 1/22: 5-0 drubbing of Birmingham.. the nemesis is once again the Bulgarian joining an elite group of 3 or more hat tricks in a single season.
• 2/12: United clinch the Manchester derby with a STUNNER GOAL from Wayne Rooney
• March: 2 consecutive league defeats is a rarity. Controversial loss to Chelsea followed by a convincing defeat at Anfield.

April so far..

• 4/2: Anti-climax when your highest paid forward returns to form with a hat-trick only to be banned for the subsequent two games for using obscene language.
• 4/12: Removes Chelsea’s hopes of any silverware after advancing through to the semis.
• 4/16: Treble talks put to bed after losing the FA Cup Semi final against the noisy neighbours.

Road Ahead

1. 4/19: Newcastle United (A)
2. 4/23: Everton
3. 4/26: Schalke (A) – UCL
4. 5/1: Arsenal (A)
5. 5/4: Schalke – UCL
6. 5/8: Chelsea
7. 5/14: Blackburn (A)
8. 5/22: Blackpool

Table reads as of now..

Clubs	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Goal Difference	Points
Manchester United	32	20	9	3	+38	69
Arsenal	32	18	9	5	+32	63
Chelsea	32	18	7	7	+32	61
Manchester City	32	16	8	8	+20	56
Tottenham Hotspur	31	14	11	6	+8	53

Inference

• Manchester United need a minimum of 13 points from a possible 18 to ensure they win the title.
• Arsenal have to beat United in London and hope United drop points while taking on the Blues at home. I would rather bet my money on Arsenal slipping tomorrow against Spurs, effectively ending the title race 😛
• United’s track record against German counterparts in Europe is abysmal. Schalke is in brilliant European form and will need some beating, but a final berth is only ours to lose.

Game No. 33 – Newcastle (A) 0015 IST 4|20

on the back of an FA cup defeat against City, United will mount a response against Pardew’s men, watch out for a rout.
Suspended: Kevin Nolan and Paul Scholes will miss the clash.
Injury update: Evans and Rafael return to action; Rooney returns after his 2 match ban.