The Telegraph gives an interesting insight into how Manchester United fared against the big boys this season. And, perhaps tellingly, they came out on top.
In a mini league of the top six sides – Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham – Manchester United came out on top with 18 points from 10 games, followed by Chelsea who took 17 points.
Graphic Courtesy of The Telegraph and Opta
While Chelsea only lost once, to Totters, Manchester United did lose out twice – to Chelsea and City away. But they also won more than even the champions, with 5 victories against their major rivals.
So what does this tell us? Well Manchester United clearly aren’t being outclassed by their big rivals, which is a positive.
But we have always been of the opinion that the league is won by beating the bottom 14 sides not the top 6. Manchester United roused themselves at home to City and Liverpool, but they dropped crucial points at Villa, Swansea and West Brom. Sir Alex Ferguson built Manchester United’s success on the constant beating of the minnows. He drew so many of the big games but they were less important because Manchester United held the points advantage due to their record with the other sides.
In short, Manchester United need more consistency.
