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Manchester United will have to be taken seriously as Liverpool’s main rival for the Premier League title if they come out of their Leicester visit with another away win, according to Paul Merson.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s position came under scrutiny in November following the defeats of Arsenal and Istanbul Basaksehir, and his team’s early elimination from the Champions League intensified the pressure around his position.
But United climbed to third place in the Premier League after a chaotic 6-2 win over Leeds last weekend, and Merson believes a seventh straight win this season away from Old Trafford on Boxing Day would represent a historic result. .
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Former Manchester United goalkeeper Mark Bosnich does not believe the club will win the Premier League this season despite being four points behind leaders Liverpool with one game less.
“If United go and win in Leicester, this would be a bigger statement than beating Leeds 6-2,” Merson said. Sky sports. “If they can come out with a win I’d think ‘wow’. I’d turn my head and if they win, they’d be Liverpool’s main rivals.
“I think with Manchester City, later in the season when it comes to the commercial final of the Champions League, if they are playing the quarterfinals on Wednesday, I cannot see Pep Guardiola playing with his strongest team in the Champions League. It is the one he wants and City is already many points away from Liverpool.
“With United, I don’t feel like they have the necessary coverage in the middle half to win the Premier League at the moment. I’d probably say United are the closest threat to Liverpool, and I wouldn’t have said that three weeks ago.
“When you look at the games Leicester have lost this season at home [against West Ham, Aston Villa, Fulham and Everton], have been defeated by teams they were expected to try. They were all games that they were expected to win so this should be a good fit for Leicester, as did the game at Tottenham. “
Inconsistency is the problem for Manchester United
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Solskjaer shuffled his package against Leeds, giving Daniel James an unusual start in place of Mason Greenwood. The tactical alteration came as no surprise to Merson.
“Against Leeds, I was not at all surprised to see James play,” he added. “When you play in Leeds, you need players who are fast and capable of beating opponents as they like to set up one on one. West Ham did the same with Said Benrahma in Leeds, but was not a starter against Chelsea: Certain players they will be used against Leeds that their clubs do not necessarily use every week.
“I would be surprised if James played Leicester because normally you would play Mason Greenwood over him, but James is a better one-on-one player with better rhythm. When it comes to tighter matches and you need a goal, I would play Greenwood. United have squad, but inconsistency is the problem.They left the Champions League at RB Leipzig and have been giving teams an advantage all season.
“United are on the hunt, but they haven’t played well. They have firepower that other teams just don’t have. But people are talking about Scott McTominay like he’s the next Roy Keane all of a sudden. I just played Leeds. If they could pick one team to play each week it would be Leeds, they need to produce these performances consistently.
“Leeds will have their own chances. They would if they played Bayern Munich, but no team will have no chances against Leeds when they play enthusiastic football. Leicester will be completely different. This will be a challenging game for United, as Leicester it will not come and go. “
Man Utd next matches
- December 26: Leicester A
- December 29: Wolves H
- January 1: Aston Villa A – Live on Sky Sports Premier League
- Jan 9: Watford (FA Cup third round)
- January 17: Liverpool A – Live on Sky Sports Premier League
- Jan 20: Fulham A
‘I would be surprised if Arsenal beat Chelsea’
Mikel Arteta has presided over eight Premier League defeats this season at Arsenal
United’s visit to King Power Stadium is part of a busy schedule of Premier League matches on Boxing Day, which includes Chelsea’s trip to Arsenal, live on Sky sports.
The corresponding game saw Mikel Arteta suffer a loss in his first home game in charge as Gunners boss, but another setback at the Emirates would add to the pressure on his position after a torrid start to the season.
Arsenal have earned 14 points in their first 14 games, their worst record at this stage of a season since the 1974/75 campaign, and Merson is struggling to see beyond a Chelsea victory.
He said: ‘You’d be surprised if Arsenal won, and that’s where it has to go. That can’t be right. I can’t even defend Arsenal’s win. I saw them against Southampton and I was thinking how many Arsenal players would get into the team of the Saints. Burnley went to the Emirates and he liked it, the Wolves went there and experimented! They played four in the back, which they never did before.
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“Of course, confidence is not very good at Arsenal and that can play a role. Man Utd looks like a different team with confidence, but Arteta needs to go back to what led to Arsenal’s success: the tactics against Man City. in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. -final, the match against Chelsea in the final.
“They need to go back to that way of playing, but he’s in a position now, as a young coach, new to the game, he feels like he needs to keep impressing. He has to be tough to beat again, using the rhythm on the Counter. At the moment, it seems that Arteta is avoiding using what are considered negative tactics and focusing more on trying to entertain, not good.
“Leeds are like the old Arsenal of the last eight or nine years. Arsenal won nothing, but everyone loved them because you knew you would see a good game. Arteta needs to go back to what brought him success in the first half. from Asking. They beat a really good Man City team at the time and Arteta needs to show the players that video and get back to it. “
Chelsea is still looking for the perfect balance
Chelsea was unconvincing in their 3-0 win over West Ham last Monday
Chelsea’s progress was slowed by back-to-back losses on the road to Everton and Wolves before Frank Lampard’s side got back on track to victory at home to West Ham. Merson has his own reservations about visitors to the Emirates this weekend.
“Chelsea had a chance to get to the top a couple of weeks ago if they won at Everton, but two games later against West Ham it was a cup final,” added Merson. “If they had lost to West Ham, they would have been out of the title race. In three football games you can be out of it. No team can afford to lose three games in a row.”
“Chelsea won 3-0 against West Ham, but if they had beaten them you wouldn’t have been surprised. It just didn’t seem like they had a plan. It seemed like 11 very good players had been told to come out and it just doesn’t seem like the balance is there yet. .
“This is a huge game for both teams. Arsenal are in disarray right now. They did well, I felt against Everton, but they lost. This is Arsenal, so it’s not enough to say they did well. That’s right. what I would say about a team that you hope is at the bottom. It’s just getting longer now. You can’t see anything but a Chelsea win, and Chelsea are not playing very well. “
Willian ‘shocking’ could fall
Arsenal’s Willian has struggled to stay fit since his summer change from Chelsea
This weekend will also see Willian take on his former club, but after a promising Premier League debut for Arsenal against Fulham in which he provided two assists, the Brazilian has struggled to justify his summer trade from Stamford. Bridge.
Merson doubts the 32-year-old will be selected in his current form.
“It has been shocking,” he said. Sky sports added the expert. “I’m a huge fan of Willian and in Chelsea he was amazing. Sometimes, he was unplayable, but he’s a shadow of what he was and I don’t know what he is.
“He’s the only one you can ask and again, it all comes down to confidence. I’m not sure he’s going to play. He’s had enough opportunities to play, more than the other younger players.
“Arsenal’s big name players haven’t been playing for the last six weeks and this is the problem Arteta has had. [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang scored the other day, but didn’t really seem to score. His body language hasn’t been great, Nicolas Pepe doesn’t even start all the time and Willian seems to be carrying him. “
Tierney deserves the Gunners captaincy
Paul Merson believes that Kieran Tierney should be entrusted with the captaincy of Arsenal
The Gunners appear to have suffered from a lack of leadership on the field and Aubameyang himself admitted that he has not been expressive enough as the club’s captain during their recent goal drought and the overall decline in team results.
The team also suffered from the absence of David Luiz during the losses to Tottenham and Burnley, while Granit Xhaka’s red card in the loss to the Clarets underscored the poor discipline of Arteta’s squad.
Merson believes that Kieran Tierney has been Arsenal’s most consistent player this term and deserves to be presented with the bracelet.
“I’d give it to Tierney while he went through a brick wall for you,” he said. “He is the only player I see who gives his all, and I would give him the captaincy. There is a way to show how much you care, and the relationship he is building with Bukayo Saka on the left seems decent.
“Arsenal need that all over the field, and right now they are in a relegation battle. For me, I don’t see them doing what Burnley is capable of, rolling up their sleeves. Arsenal are looking for the perfect victory, but they need to start. to get results. “
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