Why Manchester United’s Champions League hopes may not be dead and buried

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Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure from Manchester United in 2013 was the beginning of the end of the Red Devils’ dominance in English football.

No longer are they competing for Premier League titles every season as they did multiple times under his reign, winning 13 in total during his spell at the helm. Since he left the club, they have only won three major honours, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Europa League.

A decline in their standards has been clear to see over the years and their ‘noisy neighbours’ Manchester City have now started to establish themselves as the most dominant team in English football, with three league titles in the last four seasons and surely another on the way come May.

This season, in particular, they have struggled to put pressure on their closest rivals, even with the amount of money they spent on talent in the summer transfer window. They are nowhere near the quality the likes of City, Liverpool and Chelsea possess and have shown this season, but they are not yet out of contention for one of this year’s top four spots.

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United’s season began with a bang. They thumped their rivals Leeds United 5-1 in their opening Premier League fixture and soon rose to the top of the table, albeit after just one matchday. Other wins against Wolves, Newcastle United and West Ham further strengthened this.

The Red Devils also witnessed the return of club and football legend Cristiano Ronaldo, arriving from Juventus having also been linked with a move to City and he scored twice on his homecoming at Old Trafford.

However, their form soon took a dramatic dip. They were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by West Ham at home and then lost to Aston Villa at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ just three days later, with Bruno Fernandes blazing a penalty way over the crossbar in the final moments of the game to cement the loss even more.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who had been in charge of his former side on a permanent basis since 2019, was once again having questions raised over his future and whether or not he was the right man to continue the job. They won just three of their next nine games in all competitions, two of those victories were late and fortunate wins against Villarreal and Atalanta, with the other coming against a lacklustre Tottenham Hotspur.

The following results included 5-0 and 2-0 embarrassments at home to Liverpool and Manchester City respectively with the 4-1 loss away at relegation-threatened Watford being the final straw for Solskjaer. Michael Carrick took charge on an interim basis before the club appointed Ralf Rangnick as their new manager, with his first game coming in the win against Crystal Palace.

During their poor run of form earlier in the season, Champions League football for the next campaign appeared to be a long lost cause, but with the recent introduction of Rangnick, a top-four finish may now be an achievable prospect.

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They are currently fourth in the Premier League table, nine points behind Chelsea who sit in third. It is a decent position to be in at this stage of the season, even more so when you consider the fact they have two games in hand over the Blues due to postponements in the last few weeks. However, teams around them have also suffered a similar fate and it could make a push for the top four even more difficult.

Rangnick’s side have an extra game in hand over West Ham who currently sit below them but the two teams beneath the Hammers are the ones they should be concerned about. Sixth-placed Arsenal would overtake United if they win their single game in hand, leading the Red Devils by just a point in the table.

The Gunners’ arch-rivals Spurs, who are seventh as it stands, have two games in hand over Manchester United, and like Arsenal, they would also overtake them should they win both matches.

From the outset, this may seem to be a concerning scenario for them, but this may not be necessarily true in reality. United’s squad could be argued to be a lot stronger and more talented than their top four competitors. Solskjaer was somewhat out of his depth in the role and his dismissal soon proved that, with the atmosphere surrounding the club towards the end of his tenure being far from ideal.

Although Rangnick may not be one of the most successful managers in world football and still has a lot of work to do with his squad, he has seemingly improved them over their recent games. As well as this, Arsenal have a tendency to go on great runs of form before they inevitably slip up again, which United could exploit.

Spurs have a world-class manager in Antonio Conte, but their squad may not be good enough to compete for a spot in next season’s Champions League, something that has certainly been noted given the Italian manager’s comments on the quality of his players and the need for new signings. They have improved from the days of Nuno Espirito Santo, but three losses in a month against Chelsea prove that they can still struggle against the top sides.

Considering their transfer activity in the summer and their second-place finish in the league last season, a battle for a spot in the top four is not exactly an ideal situation for a club like United to be in once again. However, given their start to the campaign, it would be a success to finish at least fourth.

Rangnick has 16 games remaining to ensure they return to the pinnacle of European football next season, and even though the teams competing against them may have short-term advantages, United possess the ability to have the last laugh come May.

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