Last year’s conquest of Manchester was more exciting.
While the Champions League has brought plenty of positive results, Tottenham Hotspur is still winless in its last six Premier League contests, with many of those against the bottom of the league. However, the dramatic 2-2 draw last weekend inspires some hope going forward, which is crucial for this very tricky run of fixtures that continues on Saturday.
Trouble in the league has not been the recent story for Manchester United. Since Michael Carrick took over, the Red Devils have won three in three — including wins over the best two teams in the country — snapping a stretch of three straight draws and jumping up to fourth in the table. Spurs have a modest amount of momentum to build on, but the home side holds the majority of confidence heading into this one.
Match Details
Date: Saturday, February 7
Time: 7:30 am ET, 12:30 pm UK
Location: Old Trafford, Manchester
TV: USA Network (US), TNT Sports 1 (UK)
Table: United (4th, 41 pts), Spurs (t-14th, 29 pts)
These sides met in North London back in November before the wheels had completely fallen off. Thomas Frank’s group was trying to respond after the abysmal Chelsea loss, but found themselves down a goal with under 10 minutes remaining. Mathys Tel equalized in the 84th minute before Richarlison nodded in the apparent winner shortly after, but unfortunately United scored at the death to end the match 2-2.
Two Things to Watch
Care-rick effect
The caretaker bounce was to be expected, and United look like a completely different side. Wins over City and Arsenal are hard to discredit, and while last weekend against Fulham was a bit frenetic at the end, the fact of the matter is that the former Tottenham player has done something that Spurs have failed to achieve all season: win three in a row (even across all competitions).
The reasons for this run are many, including just a general vibes boost from the managerial change, but it is hard to ignore that five of the eight goals scored over these three matches came from summer signings (specifically Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko). This really stands out after yet another uninspiring transfer window from Spurs, where consistent scoring remains a big gap.
Speaking of vibes, it is no secret which dressing room is behind its manager right now and which one is nearing revolt. Cristian Romero’s complaints are not directly at Frank, but there is plenty of blame to be spread all around. Spurs finished well last weekend and should be ready to show up for this one, but doing so would probably be in spite of their leadership, not because of it.
The right opportunities
United’s goals under Carrick have come in all sorts of forms, with counters, defensive lapses, and long-range strikes all finding the back of the net. Self-infliction is what worries Spurs supporters most, and after conceding two goals in each of the past three matches, and 10 over the last five, it is fair to question the defense’s ability and focus. Having both Romero and Micky van de Ven would certainly help, but the defensive issues are deeply embeded into this squad.
On the flip side, Arsenal scored twice against the Red Devils, as did Fulham. Tottenham is not scoring a ton, but does have multiple goals in three of the last four, so there could be opportunities on the other end as well. Relying on its center backs would seem to be a bad strategy, though it has cashed multiple times; instead, the return of Dominic Solanke is a very welcome addition.
This should be a match that sees both teams willing to attack, and perhaps comes down to which defense succumbs to the pressure. I am probably ready to retire the Spurs road narrative after just two points over the past three away trips, but Frank does have a history performing well against bigger sides. Under Carrick, United seems to be just that, perhaps setting the stage for a positive outing early Saturday.
Category: General Sports
