The odds are stacked heavily against Manchester United to claim a Champions League spot this season.
Anything below a fourth-placed finish would mark yet another dismal campaign post-Sir Alex Ferguson, especially given that the title contenders have been some of United’s fiercest rivals in the form of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal.
City claiming the top spot would see them make history by becoming the first club to win four Premier Leagues in a row, while Jurgen Klopp lifting the trophy means Liverpool would level United’s record of 20 titles.
Optimistic supporters would’ve entered 2023/2024 with hopes that at this stage, the Reds would’ve been up there among the mix for glory. It came on the back of Erik ten Hag’s maiden term, where he led the side to a third-placed finish, the FA Cup final and ended a six-year silverware drought by winning the Carabao Cup.
Now, there stands an 11-point gap between the Old Trafford outfit and Aston Villa (31 matches played) in fourth, as well as nine points between them and fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur (30 matches played).
Ten Hag offers fresh top-four assessment
Regarding his team’s chances of pipping their contenders to the spot, Ten Hag shared a somewhat bleak verdict in his pre-Chelsea press conference.
“I don’t know and I don’t care [about the pressure to reach the Champions League], but also I have high standards,” the manager began, as cited by ManUtd.com. “I would be disappointed if we didn’t qualify but I do know that we are not in a good position. We want to win every game and that is the standard we have here amongst each other. We will keeping going and keep believing, holding that standard. That will be the approach for the games and fighting in the games.
“I know we are not in a good position and we have had to catch up and also I know we have had a lot of problems. I am also a realistic man. In a competition where the teams are so competitive and it is so close with each other in terms of levels, then also you need the players to be available, to make a consistent team, to bring the routines in with the way of play and that depends on the results.
“That is a fact, if you can’t do it and you make compromises, you will drop in levels and when you can play a consistent team, your levels will go up. When you can bring the best players in your squad you will collect more points, that is a fact. I will be realistic, nevertheless, I will keep fighting till the end for every game and I will demand a win because we are Man United and we have to win every game.”
