Manchester United may be having a torrid 2016/17 Premier League campaign and many believe they are already out of the title race. However, there is one man who thinks that the Red Devils are still in title contention and should not be ruled out just yet. The statement comes from none other than Arsenal custodian Petr Cech.
United started the season quite well with three wins in a row under their new manager Jose Mourinho and were hot favorites to go all the way. But Jose Mourinho and his men saw a sharp decline in their form and managed just five points in the next six matches, which is simply not impressive.
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The downfall started with a home defeat to their bitter derby rival Manchester City and they followed it up with another defeat against Watford. Though United came back strongly against the defending champions Leicester City winning the match 4-1, their successive draws against Stoke and Liverpool and the humiliating 4-0 demolition by Chelsea have put them far behind the league leaders.
Petr Cech, however, is not ready to rule out the 20 times champions and thinks otherwise. In a recent interview with talkSPORT Cech said, “I still count them as a title contender, even if they are a little behind now because it is a long-term competition and I know the manager very well.”
“He will do everything to make sure, if they can, that they can close the gap and we need to make sure we don't give them the chance. He spent a lot of money. They bought the players he wanted, so it is how well they find a way to compete and put it on the pitch,” the keeper added.
Speaking of his own team Arsenal, he seems highly optimistic and had this to say, “We are a well-balanced team. We have young players coming in, we have experienced players and mid-aged players in football terms, and we have a good strength in depth.”
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“This is what could be our advantage. We have been rotating in every competition and we have been on a really good run in every competition. If we stay fit and keep everybody on board, we are ready to compete,” he continued.
Having won the title 3 times with Chelsea while Mourinho was in charge of the Blues, Cech knows the Portuguese quite well and believes that Jose will bring out the best of United in the coming months and they will pose a serious challenge to the other teams in the race to the championship.
