Although there is a Merseyside derby falling in the same game week, Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur is the stand-out tie.
Jose Mourinho shocked the world of football when he took over at Spurs and in only his fourth game in charge, makes a return to Old Trafford.
United have not fared well since the Portuguese’s departure. Mourinho’s replacement, Ole Gunnar Solskjær has only picked up 18 points from the opening 14 games. The Red Devils can, however, leapfrog their former manager’s new team with a win
However, it is not looking great for United fans at the moment. They have drawn their last two Premier League games against two newly promoted teams.
A 3-3 draw at Sheffield United and then a 2-2 draw at home to Aston Villa. United have made their worst start to a season in the Premier League era, and it looks like it will be a long time before they are competing for titles.
Previous to those draws, United had won two of the previous three seeing off Brighton and Norwich. They won both these by 3-1 scorelines and have bagged 21 goals this season; so it is not all doom and gloom.
In saying that, it is their record at the back that is more alarming. Since February, they have managed to keep only two clean sheets in 25 games and conceded 36 times.
Spurs, on the other hand, are going in the right direction. With results going against him, at the start of season, Mauricio Pochettino was replaced by Jose Mourinho.
And so far, the appointment looks a good one. The lily whites had not won on the road all season with their first one coming in Mourinho’s first game in charge away to West Ham. In fact, Mourinho has gone on to claim three wins from three, scoring 10 in that time.
Similarly to united, however, Spurs defence has been leaking goals. Although Mourinho’s side have won three games, they have let in two goals in each of those games. Spurs have the joint-worst record for goals conceded in the top ten of the table. On top of that, they have the worst record in the league for clean sheets this season, only stopping Crystal Palace back in September.
Mourinho will be confident going to his old home, but would be cautious. – premierleaguepress.com
