January
United will be playing two away matches, West Ham and Stoke city, and a home match against Liverpool in between as they start the New Year 2017. They lost both of these away ties last year. The loss against the Hammers potentially ravaged UCL hopes and it is highly anticipated that Mourinho will turn the results in United’s favor this time.
The match against Liverpool will be a mouthwatering encounter between the two distinguished clubs and the two managers – Mourinho and Klopp – will make it an engaging and tasty battle.
February
The squad may feature few new faces as the transfer window closes, and United heads to a critical period in the title race. Two home matches, one against Hull and the other against Watford on 11th, will be easy affairs for United. However, they play away to Leicester City on 4th and Mourinho takes his men to The Etihad stadium on 25th for the return derby.
Unlike the 1st derby, it is expected that both Pep and Mourinho will go for the kill, as the title race inches closer. Both the Manchester teams have already reshaped their squad handsomely with quality signings and a high tempo match will be on the cards.
March
United have three relatively unchallenging encounters in March, as they will look to win all 9 points available. But this stage of the league will demand the players to be highly professional and more committed to get the jobs done and avoid slipping up. A home match against Bournemouth on 4th is followed by two away trips to Southampton and Middlesbrough.
April
A grueling period awaits Mourinho and his men as they play six matches in April. The results can have a significant say in their title charge. In a space of 7 days, United will hope to see off West Brom and Everton in their own ground, before they travel to play Sunderland on 8th.
A real challenge awaits for United as Mourinho welcomes his former team, now managed by Conte, on 15th with just 5 games to follow. The remaining two fixtures will be an away match against Burnley and a home tie against Swansea on 29th, which United hope to win convincingly.
May
As they say, all’s well that ends well and United have to do really well in May, so that the season doesn’t end in another disappointing season. If United manage to be in the race for the championship till then, they face a stiffer task to complete the assignment. Taking on Wenger’s men away will not be an easy job. The tie was a bitter experience for the United players last year, when they lost 3-0, leaving the fans in utter dismay.
If United battles out a positive result against the Gunners, they play their north London derby rival, Tottenham Hotspur next, with confidence. It will be another daunting task for United considering how Pochettino’s men have evolved in the last year or so.
United will be playing Crystal Palace on the last day of the fixture. Given a situation that they need a win to clinch the title, they will take it happily indeed.
It has been quite a while since United fans have been happy with their team’s performance. But with Mourinho in charge this time, it is almost certain that there will be no shortage of intensity, something which United lacked under Van Gaal. With all these quality signings already sealed, an EPL championship title is very much achievable.
Predicted finish: Champions/Runners-up
It’s too good a squad with a more than potent manager in charge to finish outside top four for United. Anybody will be a fool to rule out Manchester City under Pep, and Chelsea under Conte, from clinching the title. Arsenal will always be a potential threat, but given the lack of squad depth compared to others, they may fade away at the fag end of the league.
There will be competition from holders Leicester, but it’s improbable that we will see the same story unfolding this year. Spurs will also provide nightmares to the big teams but that may not turn out to be enough for a title. A terrific season for Klopp and Liverpool may be anticipated, but it seems they are still in the process to achieve something big, which may not get materialize this season.
It all comes down to Jose competing against Pep and Conte for the title. Teams managed by Conte have been performing over and above their capabilities, and Mourinho will be up against two managers who are supposedly the best in the business. It’s too difficult to predict the winner between the two Manchester teams, but one can confidently place a wager that Manchester United under Mourinho will be in the thereabouts in the title race.
