Ahead of United’s clash with Palace, Mourinho was asked whether he believed his side could overcome the seven-point gap that had opened up between them and fourth place, following a frustrating start to the season. The Portuguese was confident in his team’s chances – but insisted they had to capitalise on a busy run of fixtures at the end of 2018 and make their move now.
“It is a big gap but I know that until the end of December we have eight Premier League matches to play,” said Mourinho. “We are speaking about 24 points for us to fight for and the other teams that are in the top four. I believe we are going to be there.” On paper, Mourinho’s men have a favourable run-in to the New Year – but, as their struggles against Palace showed, there are no easy games for this United side right now. Next up is an out-of-sorts Southampton side who are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference. United also have each of the bottom three on their schedule before the year is out, plus Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth, who have kept pace in the league with United this term.
There are also the two standout fixtures against their Big Six rivals. Home to Arsenal and away to Liverpool. United have taken just one point from meetings with Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City so far in this campaign and they cannot afford to give away more points to the sides they’re aiming to overhaul. So how are United going to bounce back from their Palace stalemate and deliver the performances they need to push for a Champions League qualifying berth? Mourinho picked out two key areas of concern on Saturday night: United’s chance-taking in front of goal and their attitude.
Both problems have been hallmarks of their campaign to date. With just 20 goals from 13 games this season, United still have a negative goal difference. When it comes to finishing clear-cut chances, United are 14th in the Premier League for conversion percentage, according to Opta. Lead striker Romelu Lukaku is badly out of form, too, and on an 11-game goal drought for his club but he was also starved of service against Palace. Mourinho and his midfield creators must find a way to carve out more openings – especially against sides determined and organised in defence.
The second issue may not be so quickly resolved. Mourinho has publicly criticised the mentality of his team several times this season and the Sunday Supplement panel suggested he has only exacerbated the problem. Mourinho demanded more aggression, ambition and intensity from his side after the 0-0 with Palace, and he won’t have been surprised to see United out-run and out-sprinted by their visitors at Old Trafford.
So can they do it? While United’s trip to Anfield is a daunting challenge on the horizon, they have an ideal opportunity to make up ground on the teams above them, with fixtures against four relegation-threatened sides in their next seven. Rejuvenating form and confidence will not be so straightforward, though – and United can ill afford any more slip-ups.
