Manchester United have secret weapon that Liverpool FC lack in Premier League title race – Tyrone Marshall

The final time there was a shock Premier League title win the supervisor gathering the garlands on the finish of the season was the unique tinkerman, Claudio Ranieri.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may not be getting that moniker simply but however on this Premier League season he is proving to be the king of rotation, having made 42 adjustments to his Premier League beginning XIs in simply 15 video games to this point.

That tinkering is not inflicting an issue for Manchester United due to the depth of their squad and it may properly show to be a secret weapon when the run-in begins in March. If United are nonetheless in competition then it’d give them an edge over Liverpool and, let’s be trustworthy, the title returning to Outdated Trafford for the twenty first time this season could be a shock.

Not a 5,000-1 shock like Leicester, however United had been as huge as 50-1 to win the league after their humiliation by the hands of Tottenham at first of October. Now they’re 6-1 to be champions this season.

United’s nine-game unbeaten run has moved them as much as second as 2021 dawns and even in these fixtures, Solskjaer has made 32 adjustments to his beginning line-up. With seven of these video games gained it is had no discernible impact on performances, though the choice to go away Bruno Fernandes on the bench at West Ham is unlikely to be repeated any time quickly.

Solskjaer’s tinkering together with his facet means solely six gamers have performed greater than two-thirds of United’s 1,350 Premier League minutes to this point. A kind of is goalkeeper David de Gea and three extra are within the defence, the place recent legs aren’t essentially as crucial. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof would all be classed as regulars.

So of United’s forged of game-changing attackers, solely Fernandes and Marcus Rashford have performed greater than 66% of Premier League minutes this season. Paul Pogba (57%), Anthony Martial (55%), Mason Greenwood (46%) and Edinson Cavani (22%) have all had their minutes rigorously monitored.

A few of that’s accidentally fairly than design, with Martial lacking video games by means of suspension, Greenwood by means of sickness and type and Cavani on account of his late arrival, but it surely additionally exhibits that Solskjaer has choices to rotate his squad with out doing an excessive amount of harm to the requirements of efficiency.

There isn’t any doubt Fernandes and Rashford are the heartbeat of the facet, the 2 actual undroppables when it comes to United’s attacking play, however they are often rested in cup competitions and within the Europa League in 2021.

That sort of workload compares favourably with league leaders Liverpool. 9 of Jurgen Klopp’s facet have performed 66% or extra of their Premier League minutes to this point, together with the entire entrance three and the full-backs, with Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold key weapons for the champions.

Manchester United left it late to beat Wolves 1-0 within the Premier League, due to Marcus Rashford’s injury-time aim.

The outcome took United as much as second within the Premier League and their unlikely title hopes got an extra enhance when Liverpool had been held to a 0-0 draw by Newcastle the next day, which means the hole between the 2 sides is simply three factors, with United having a sport in hand on the champions.

United’s first sport of 2021 is at dwelling to Aston Villa on New 12 months’s Day.

MEN Sport will deliver you all of the build-up to and response from each United match. You’ll be able to have all of it delivered straight to your inbox by signing as much as our every day publication. Simply put your e-mail handle within the sign-up field on the high of this text, or simply follow this link. It is free and solely takes just a few seconds.

Sadio Mane (86%), Mo Salah (87%) and Roberto Firmino (91%) have all been regulars this season and their possibilities of relaxation are diminished till Diogo Jota returns in February. They will even have the Champions League to take care of then.

This season was at all times going to be a marketing campaign that was going to tax gamers like by no means earlier than and throw up some shock outcomes. Momentum is with United in the meanwhile however retaining gamers recent is significant as properly. Liverpool’s absence from the Carabao Cup quarter-finals means they’ve had only one free midweek to this point, whereas United’s first free week is not till January 11 and they are keen on playing the rearranged game at Burnley then.

The workload on gamers goes to be brutal proper up till the ultimate salvos of this season, so whoever has essentially the most fuel left within the tank come March, April and Might may properly have a key benefit and proper now that appears like being United.