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Manchester United are among one of the massively improved sides this season. The Red Devils currently sit second in the English league and enjoy their best spell in the post Fergie era. The United boss, Jose Mourinho has finally bought the winning mentality to the club and the bars have been raised at the Theater of Dreams.
In his first season in charge at the club, Jose managed to lift three trophies in the form of Europa League, League Cup and the Community Shield. The 2017-18 season was filled with promise as it was the "Jose-year" and United were tipped to win the Premier League in the Portuguese's second season in charge.
However, United have crashed out of the title race (not yet technically, though) as Man City appear to be unmatchable. Left to compete for is the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League, either of them would turn Old Trafford sparkling again.
But the road to silverware appears dodgy for the Red Devils at the moment. On that note, let's take a look at the factors which could prevent United from lifting any silverware in 2018.
#1 Not so much in the Champions' League
If United in any way manages to pull out a UEFA Champions League victory it would be simply sensational given their current form. The Red Devils would host Sevilla in the second leg of the round-of-16 next month after a goalless draw in Spain.
Assuming United do progress to the quarters, they would be up against the likes of Real Madrid, PSG, Barcelona or Bayern, the teams which are playing an altogether different brand of football. United could be humbled against these teams given their domestic shambles off late.
Jose is known for his tactical prowess but it could prove extremely difficult to get past such teams especially when United have struggled to break the likes of Newcastle and Southampton in England. At Sevilla, United managed just one shot on target throughout the match.
It would not be unfair to say that Jose's men are still a work-in-progress when compared to other elite of Europe. Thus, the road to Kiev would not be a fairy-tale for Red Devils if they are eyeing to lift the prestigious trophy.
#2 Big names misfiring
One of the main reasons behind United's struggles in front of the goal has been the poor form of their star players- Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba.
When United announced Matic's arrival from Chelsea, Paul Pogba was expected to be a free man in Jose's team who would be destroying the opposing defences with his trickery. However, that has been proved only to be a conjecture this season.
Paul Pogba is being reported to be involved in a rift with the manager over his playing position. On the other hand, Lukaku the star number #9 was bought for a record fee from Everton to give Jose the striker of his dreams.
Lukaku has netted 21 times for United this season but the reason for concern is his form in the crucial games. The Belgian has failed to score a single goal against Premier League's top six sides and has been misfiring often.
Jose bolstered his attack with the arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January and this indicated the boss's worry regarding the team's attack. The team's display at Sevilla was shameful where they were struggling to get into the final third of the home team
United need their star players to fire if they hope of progressing in Europe this season.
#3 Defensive disarray
Manchester United like each one of Jose's sides have been brilliant defensively. They boast the best defensive record in the league where they have only conceded 19 goals so far.
The headache for Mourinho, however, is the frailty of the duo of Smalling and Jones. In their pairing, United have two centre-backs who are heavily undependable. Eric Bailly's absence has exposed the disorder in the United back-line.
Moreover, Pogba's forward venturing runs have left Nemanja Matic exposed in front of the back-four who also appears to be rusty at the moment.
Forget the Champions League, the lower league opponents like Wigan in the FA Cup capitalize on the slightest of errors committed by their counterparts.
In such a scenario, even hopes of lifting the FA Cup might seem far-fetched. Jose needs to figure out a way to solve the defensive mess in his team in order to land the domestic cup.
