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Paul Scholes knows all about winning Premier League titles. He won 11 with Manchester United, including the club’s 20th and last league championship in 2013. Eight years later, he believes they can finally win again this season if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team overcomes the psychological hurdle of beating Liverpool at Anfield. on Sunday.
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The former United midfielder has been a staunch critic of the team’s performances and progress under a succession of coaches – David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, José Mourinho and now Solskjaer – since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement eight years ago, and His views on the team have echoed the frustrations of the fans. But with United moving to the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win at Burnley on Tuesday, a victory that means visiting Anfield with a three-point lead over the champions, Scholes tells ESPN that, for the first time time. Since 2013, he can see his old club win the title again.
However, for that to happen, he believes they must fix a few key flaws and be able to trust World Cup winner Paul Pogba rather than the inconsistent and underperforming player who has defined his last four-and-one game. Half-year tour of Old Trafford.
“It feels weird to say, but actually I think United can win the league because it’s been a very strange season,” Scholes said. “But now it’s about winning the big games.
“They haven’t done that yet. People can say they won at Leicester on the last day of last season to qualify for the Champions League, but that wasn’t a great match like going to City, Liverpool or Chelsea and winning when the match came. moment”. matters.
“United have lost four consecutive semi-finals and were eliminated in the Champions League with a really bad loss to RB Leipzig. That failure to win big games has to change if they want to win anything, but there is no better place to start than at Anfield. “.
“Man United will never have a better chance of winning at Anfield”
Sunday’s trip to Liverpool has naturally been seen as a litmus test for United’s title credentials. Solskjaer’s side travel to Anfield without losing any of their 15 Premier League away matches since losing 2-0 to Jurgen Klopp’s side almost exactly a year ago, but United have been unable to win in their last five visits to Anfield, and his last victory came. exactly five years ago on Sunday.
Liverpool meanwhile have not lost a Premier League home game since losing to Crystal Palace in May 2017, an unbeaten sequence of 67 matches, but Scholes insists United can, and must, put an end to that streak this weekend.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is ready to see his table-leading Manchester United put to the test at Anfield.
“United will never have a better chance of winning at Anfield,” he said. “It is a huge advantage in their favor that there are no fans on the pitch and, in my opinion, more important than Liverpool’s injury problems on defense.”
“Whenever I played at Anfield, the crowd was the biggest influence on the game. It was always very difficult to go there because of that, but it is not a factor on Sunday,” added Scholes.
“However, it is still a big challenge for United. Liverpool have great forwards who can score out of nowhere, but the biggest threat comes from the wingers Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson and United have to find a way. to stop them.
“United have players to win at Anfield, but this is the moment where they have to show that they can deliver in the biggest games. They haven’t beaten any of the so-called Big Six this season and they won’t win anything until they do.
“Psychologically, United doesn’t seem to believe in the big chance, but they also face better players, so it’s a lot harder to beat those teams if you don’t have everyone performing at their best. But when you win against your rivals, Especially away from home, it’s huge for the confidence, yours and theirs. When we used to go and win at Arsenal, we knew it would be a dagger to the heart to win instead. “
The psychology of winning close matches
It is also an art to win in close matches. United converted a point into three at Burnley midweek when Pogba scored a late goal at Turf Moor, and has also surpassed games by one goal at Brighton, Southampton and Sheffield United this season. But Scholes says a title-winning team has to learn to do the same against opponents of all levels – another question mark looming over this United team.
“It’s not about going to Liverpool or City and winning with a great performance or a lot of goals,” he said. “When we won titles, many of our victories in Liverpool were 1-0 or 2-1 after having to dig for 80 minutes. You accept that you are going to have days like this against the best teams, when not” I do not dominate the game and I have to fight to stay in it, “he said.
“You have to be able to defend yourself properly and resist the attacks of the opposition, but I am still convinced that this United team can do it.”
“As full backs, I am concerned about how good they really are. As a full back, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is about defending, which is fine for a game in Liverpool, but I’m not sure what Luke Shaw brings. The team. middle, Ole has yet to find Harry Maguire’s best partner. Eric Bailly has pace but is reckless and suffers too many injuries. Victor Lindelof plays the position better and seems to be Ole’s preferred choice, but again, not totally convincing .
“If I were Ole and could sign a defender this month, I would go for Wesley Fofana in Leicester. He’s only 20 years old, but he’s been outstanding and has the potential to be whatever he wants to be. United have done well on their backs. this season, but they have been exposed when they play against the big teams and that is another problem that they must solve. “
All eyes on Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba
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Janusz Michallik chooses between Paul Pogba of Man United and Jack Grealish of Aston Villa in a hypothetical transfer scenario.
The flip side of the challenges for United to overcome is the positives in midfield and attack. When United won the title in 2012-13, Ferguson’s team only managed 16 goals from midfield all season, with Shinji Kagawa scoring six of those. But Solskjaer’s United have already eclipsed that total with 17 so far from just 17 games. Bruno Fernandes leads the way with 11 Premier League goals, but Pogba, Scott McTominay, Daniel James and Donny van de Beek have also scored in the league.
Fernandes has been United’s most consistent player since his arrival from Sporting Lisbon last January, and Scholes believes his presence is now helping Pogba perform at his best.
“Bruno has definitely helped Pogba,” Scholes said. “Sometimes Paul seemed to play with the expectation that he had to win a single match and do everything, but Bruno came in and became a winner and match maker. All the stats show how important Bruno has been to the team, but his presence has brought out the best in Pogba.
“Since his agent said he wanted to leave United last month, [Pogba] it has really worked. He’s lowered his head, removed all the flashy stuff, and now resembles the Pogba playing for France, the one who won the World Cup, in that he keeps it simple and performs consistently. I hope he continues because if he does, he can be a player that really makes the difference between now and the end of the season.
“He has all the skill in the world, he showed it in a good team at Juventus and with France, so now it’s up to him. Ole will sometimes wonder if he can trust Pogba, but his recent performances have been nothing but positive. “.
Greenwood should have more chances on Cavani
As the last team to win the United title demonstrated, when Robin van Persie scored 26 league goals, every potential champion team must have a forward capable of scoring at least 20 times in a season. This season, none of United’s forwards have reached double figures yet, with Marcus Rashford leading the forwards with seven goals, four behind midfielder Fernandes. Last season, Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood scored 44 league goals between them, but collectively they have managed just 10 so far this season, with Edinson Cavani also scoring three times.
Cavani’s impact since he arrived as a free agent in October has surprised many, including Scholes, but he believes Greenwood, more than the Uruguayan, is the key to United’s goal production.
“I think Ole really needs to start playing Mason more regularly now,” Scholes said. “He’ll score goals every time he gets a chance and he’s the type of forward that could score 25-30 a season when he’s more experienced. But he’s not going to score if he’s not playing, and he’s at a stage where he needs to be there. It’s similar to Phil Foden earlier this season at Man City: Pep Guardiola was holding him back, but he obviously had the talent to play a key role and he’s showing it now. Mason is on the same level.
“Cavani has surprised me. I thought he had run out of strength at Paris Saint-Germain, but I still don’t think he’s a player who should be a starter. He’s the guy you take off the bench in the last 20 minutes when you need a goal. , and I think that has become evident in the games that have started, when it has not looked so good.
“But I love Ole’s best three forwards – Rashford, Martial and Greenwood – because I think they all offer a lot. People think I don’t like Martial, but I actually rate him. I just think, right now, his confidence has lost a little and needs to get it back. “
United’s depth, rather than talent, is likely to be challenged between now and the end of the season if Solskjaer and his team can maintain their title push. But Scholes, for his part, is refusing to rule out United winning their 21st Premier League title in May.
“Ole has to run his team because you can’t ask the same 10-11 players to perform every week,” he said. “He made changes to the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea last season and lost a lot, a warning about what can happen once it goes beyond the best XI.
“But it’s in United’s hands and that’s the best place to be. They have some tough games to come at Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal, but it’s their away form that has put them on top of the league. table”.
“If they can win those games, they will have answered the question of winning when it matters. And they will be much closer to winning the title by doing so.”
