Manchester United‘s hopes of fighting for the Premier League title this season died long ago, and the club has been staring up at the top four for far too long. The additions of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, and Raphael Varane haven’t turned United into the world-beaters that many expected.
Ralf Rangnick has been trying to salvage something from the season since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer paid the price in November.
The aim should be to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League once more, but have United overworked themselves? We’re nearing the end of the 2021/22 season, and United are still in contention for a top-four finish, but the issue is that their destiny is out of their control.
Qualify for the Champions League
There is no certainty that United will finish in the top four even if they win all of their remaining matches. Chelsea has moved away in third, leaving United, Tottenham, Arsenal, and West Ham in a four-way fight for fourth place.
Ralf Rangnick has been told it is imperative Manchester United qualify for Europe next season even if they miss out on a place in the Champions League. [@RobDawsonESPN] #MUFC
— MUFC Scoop (@MUFCScoop) April 12, 2022
United’s chances are the slimmest of the four. They’re in seventh place in the standings, with no points, games played, or goal differential to their name.
United have a game against Arsenal on April 23 that, if they lose, will virtually probably kill their chances of finishing in the top four. The Gunners have a game in hand over United and don’t even need to win it to finish ahead of them.
With Liverpool and Chelsea on the list, United will have to be at their peak for the rest of the season if they are to have even a remote chance of qualifying. Rangnick’s team has to score as many points as possible, but they also need their opponents to score plenty of points.
Manchester United Premier League fixtures
- Manchester United Utd vs Norwich (15:00) – 16/04/22
- Liverpool vs Man Utd (20:00) – 19/04/22
- Arsenal vs Man Utd (12:30) – 23/04/22
- Manchester United vs Brentford (20:00) – 02/05/22
- Brighton vs Man Utd (17:30) – 05/05/22
- Manchester United vs Chelsea (15:00) – 15/05/22
- Crystal Palace vs Man Utd (16:00) – 22/05/22
No champions league football next season. Ronaldo and Pogba possibly leaving. Erik ten Hag joining the club. Rangnick moving upstairs. Perfect time to rebuild again and get Manchester United where it belongs.
— jαck (@UtdOptimist) April 4, 2022
Finishing in Fourth Good enough?
Even fourth place will not be adequate for United on paper. Fans, on the other hand, do not need to be concerned. The only way Chelsea would not qualify for Europe’s premier competition was if they finished fourth and won the Champions League, while West Ham failed to make the top four and won the Europa League at the same time. That’s a possibility, but the chances are as tiny as you can imagine. The goal is still to finish in the top four for the time being.
