[ad_1]
Say it quietly, but Manchester United have built a streak in recent weeks that has all the makings of a team preparing to try and win the title.
The 15-game mark is about to be reached in England’s top flight as the holiday period approaches, and United are unbeaten in their last seven games, having won six of them.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team seems to have entered a sort of purple patch at the perfect time and, importantly, they sit just five points off the top after having played one game less than rival teams.
Now, however, with anticipation and excitement everywhere, the Red Devils face the first of a series of tough obstacles in the form of Leicester City.
Brendan Rodgers’ men have big ambitions of their own and will enter the Boxing Day showdown knowing that victory will not only open a breather between them and United, but will also provide a boost that will build confidence and move closer to the league leader. Liverpool.
With the stakes at stake and so many opportunities for progression on the line, Sportsmail takes a closer look at the match that both sides will be desperate to win.
Fit man
United know all about form at the moment, but one man who has apparently not had a period of inactivity for the last 12 months or more is Jamie Vardy.
The Leicester talisman is aging like fine wine, and it still has a beat to burn despite preparing to turn 34 in just over a fortnight.
Vardy has 11 goals and four assists to his name in the league this season, after just 11 games played. He is averaging one goal every 100 minutes and shows no signs of slowing down.
Vardy is likely to be crucial to Leicester’s approach, given that United enjoy the opportunity to play counter football.
Bajo Solskjaer is what the Red Devils know best, although in Vardy Rodgers he has an ideal tool to combat it.
The electric pace and frenzied movements of the veteran forward are likely to send United into King Power Stadium with an air of caution; counterattacking with too much commitment and Vardy’s ability to run behind at a pace could be a killer.
Several weeks ago, before United solved several initial problems, their naïveté to commit a complete forward saw a hugely embarrassing ruin against Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League.
Leicester are even more explosive around the corner than the Turkish side, meaning there is little room for error for United at the early start on Saturday.
Vardy is hunting the golden boot once again with fierce intent, and any Christmas mistakes or hangovers will be properly exploited.
The return home
It’s been a year for Harry Maguire, but now the great central defender seems to be back on the happier side of life.
The summer controversy on the Greek island of Mykonos is long gone and Maguire has been able to eradicate the careless mistakes from his game that plagued the first part of his ill-prepared season.
Confidence is back and so is the player United saw when they succumbed to Leicester’s lawsuit and paid a world record fee to sign him.
The only problem for United is that Maguire already has a lot of football on his legs. The English international has played 19 games in total so far, and every minute of United’s league campaign.
He returns to his old pitch on Saturday as a man with much to prove, having earned worldwide recognition as United captain.
But returning to a former club is known to have adverse effects on a footballer – just look at the return of United goalkeeper Dean Henderson to Bramall Lane for a perfect example.
At Maguire United we have a robust defender who will put his body on the line, although he’s not the fastest when it comes to a smash and grab foot race.
The combination of Vardy’s pacing and the creative rope pulls of James Maddison and Youri Tielemans sitting right behind will therefore raise a real concern, especially as the lactic begins to build on what are Maguire’s already overloaded legs. .
The United captain will have to be in his game A and remind Leicester exactly why they were reluctant to give up his services.
Cool foxes
The match will not only be a test of United’s form, but also of their endurance.
Leicester will enter the game on six days off, compared to United’s two.
Solskjaer’s side have played an additional match at Leicester this month, and while it has certainly helped both confidence and momentum, the rigors of the Premier League can take their toll.
In two of their last three games, against Everton and Brighton, Leicester took most of the possession.
United, given how they have faced strong opponents so far this period, is likely to offer this majority stat to the Foxes once again at lunchtime on Saturday.
For all its virtues, like allowing the opposition to separate itself with careless mistakes before crafting a quick counter, what United’s key tactic requires is running hard.
Of their last three league games, against Leeds, Sheffield United and local rivals Manchester City, United were only beaten by Marcelo Bielsa’s men.
To keep up with an opponent who has possession and orchestrates their key counter-attack moments, United must stay fast and cover ground.
Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup quarter-final win against Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton may have been cause for celebration, but players like Maguire, Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba put their bodies in 90 minutes plus extra time.
To watch the match, Solskjaer also turned to Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, meaning every key member of his attacking squad and his top two midfielders put in the effort in the spirited Merseyside showdown.
History on the red side
Without a doubt, the clash is huge for United, with a possible victory that will turn into the perfect dopamine hit before facing Nuno Espirito’s Lobos de Santo three days later.
Solskjaer will be aware that United’s away form has been much stronger this season, with the Red Devils seemingly acting without pressure when they find themselves outside the historic Old Trafford bleachers.
Of their seven home games in the league so far this season, Leicester has only won three times.
By comparison, of United’s away games this season, Solskjaer’s team has won five times out of six.
It’s wildly impressive and coupled with recent history, all bets would be stacked on United to win this one.
Of the last five Premier League meetings between these two teams, United have won each of the last four and tied for fifth; the last of which also fell in the festive period (December 23, 2017).
It is not since that festive day of 2017 that Leicester has gotten anything out of this meeting, and on that occasion it was none other than Maguire who rescued the point for the Foxes with a header in the 94th minute in injury time.
For whatever reason, Leicester always seem to detach from United and have a mental block when it comes to facing them.
Christmas is said to be the time of good news and Rodgers and his men will surely be waiting for the first whistle to come.
If United prevail, rumors of a title tilt will win in decibels.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
[ad_2]
