With a straightforward dismissal of Arsenal last Sunday, Manchester City continued to apply a vice-like grip on this season’s Premier League. In what was the third big-six match-up Pep Guardiola's side have featured in, their third win put them an imperious eight points clear at the top of the table after just 11 games.
The platform they have already built may well be insurmountable. However, the question of which team is the best of the rest remains open to interpretation. The early exchanges saw Manchester United full of goals and thrills, and in winning six of their opening seven fixtures, some even thought they were likely contenders for title glory alongside their city rivals.
Just weeks on and after a wobble in form, title talk has waned and the question is now whether they are even the second best team in the division. Ironically, the side currently best placed to challenge that notion, Tottenham, are the one team they have beaten in their recent mini slump. That United’s form should fall away can easily be explained by the schedule - three of their last four games have been against direct rivals when none of their first seven games were. However, the trips to Liverpool and Chelsea, have been characterised by long spells of ineffective play and an inability to limit the opposition’s shots.
Against Liverpool, United didn’t have a shot after half-time; in the Chelsea game they didn’t manage a shot for around 40 minutes after the half-hour mark. They were generally better against Tottenham overall, but even that game featured just two United shots in the first half. It is fine to interpret Jose Mourinho’s strategies and understand that this is how he has tended to approach these games, but with City in fantastic form, results in these matches were always going to have a huge impact on United’s ability to truly contend.
The signs have been there in other games too. Against Southampton, they edged a win 1-0 but created very little (eight shots) and when travelling to Huddersfield, found themselves defeated having taken just 10 shots, though perhaps slightly unfortunate with the opposition managing to score two goals from five attempts.
Paul Pogba’s absence has been cited as a contributory factor. As is often the case, superficial analysis tends to focus on players not involved rather than players who are. While Pogba has no doubt been missed, he’s been gone since the visit to Stoke in week four, so the timeline doesn’t quite add up. As much as anything, the absence of something else has been every bit as costly: Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s decisive contributions.
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The Armenian schemer started the season in electric form. His first three games featured seven shots, 13 chances created and five assists. It looked like after a hit-and-miss first season with United we were finally seeing the player who lit up the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund in 2015/16.
Alas, Mkhitaryan’s influence has waned and his appearances are getting shorter too. His last eight league outings have seen a smaller contribution than those first three put together, with just six shots and ten chances created, no assists and a solitary goal. He also hasn’t made it past the 66th minute of any of the last five games, most notably getting hooked at half-time against Huddersfield.
Is Mourinho’s tactical straight jacket entirely limiting Mkhitaryan’s ability to contribute to positive actions? Or is it poor form? Most likely it’s a combination of the two and United’s next three games against perceived “lesser” opposition may give their attack some opportunity to shine. That said, the four teams demolished by United earlier this season shared vulnerabilities. West Ham, Swansea, Everton and Crystal Palace all lost 4-0 to United and have all been beset by serious problems: they occupy the bottom three and only Everton’s late and erratic 3-2 victory against Watford this last weekend extricated them from the relegation zone.
After the international break, Newcastle and Brighton visit Old Trafford, followed by a trip to Watford. The two promoted teams have shown admirable organisational skills during the opening weeks of this season and may not be pushovers, while Watford have been fun and hard to predict - and not unsuccessful thus far. After that United face Arsenal at the Emirates before the biggest test of all; the visit of Guardiola and his rampant Man City team. Potential banana skins followed by big games. There are easier runs for sure.
The pre-season idea that United could progress to a title bid so quickly after a sixth-place finish seemed slightly far-fetched. Although their opening months have been solid and the opening weeks drove real hope, there is little to suggest that they are on the verge of becoming a truly superior team, at least within the confines of the top positions of this league. Recent performances and their lack of on-pitch dominance have only re-emphasised that.
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