Could Manchester United See Invincibility?

By Fabio Q Fallon

United take one more step on ladder to invincibility

Soccer fans are curious to know if Spurs head, Harry Redknapp, was on target when he claimed that he could not see Manchester United playing an entire season unbeaten. His comment was prompted after Tottenham and United battled to goalless tie.

With the season halfway completed, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United is sitting atop the Premier League. United has prevailed in twelve of their matches. And, they have remained undefeated; in fact, they are the only team to lay claim to such an honor. Outside of league play, Manchester has had only one defeat. That loss was administered by West Ham in the Carling Cup.

There were occasions during the match yesterday when it seemed as though Tottenham might be the first to grab up all 3 points off the side from the North West. Rafeal Van Der Vaart and Gareth Bale were both on their games. But as it turned out, the result was a line score of 0-0 even with the final 15 minutes being played with 10 men by the visitors. Rafael, the young full-back from Brazil, was given another bookable offence after it appeared he accidentally tripped Benoit Assou-Ekotto. This brings United to the top spot in the Premiere League. Tottenham’s position remains 5th, just one point behind Chelsea.

There were good chances on both sides to break the tied up score, including a miss in the first half by Peter Crouch. This was a devastating blow since the cross from Alan Hutton was perfect, possibly the game’s best. The visiting team also had an opportunity during the first period, but to no avail. Wayne Rooney, returning to the lineup from injury, missed his shot wide of the post. Van Der Vaart’s best scoring attempt with a missed head from a cross from Bale.

When full time was reached, it is safe to guess that Sir Alexander Ferguson was probably the happier manager of the two. Even after a less than inspiring performance from his team, Ferguson at least watched his team get past perhaps the strongest test they will have to face on the way to winning a title.

Arsenal’s remarkable season of 2003/2004, when they went the entire season unbeaten, has been a benchmark for other teams to match. With United having passed Christmas without a loss, talk now has people wondering if they can equal Arsenal’s record. The prospect of Manchester matching Arsene Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ so soon after 2004 is an astonishing prospect. This is especially true considering that before Arsenal, no team has reached unbeaten status since Preston End’s season of 1888/1889.

Although Man United continue to avoid defeat, there are very few people who believe that they can sustain the record during their remaining 17 matches. They may sit top of the table with two games in hand, but United have been anything but impressive in a number of league games, particularly away from Old Trafford.

On their travels they have often struggled to create clear cut chances in front of goal and their midfield has been fragile to intelligent movement from the opposition. The most notable examples of this came away to Aston Villa and West Brom, against whom they looked especially vulnerable to defeat.

While visiting Villa Park, Manchester found themselves in a rather deep hole. They trailed 2-0. It seemed more than likely that their unbeaten season was not to be. That is when Nemanja Vidic and Federico Macheda were heard from. Both scored late goals to even the match. West Brom posed yet another difficulty. Though United won, it was by the narrowest of margins. They faced a daunting interchanging front four in the personages of Thomas, Blunt, Odemwingie and Morrison. They never seemed to stop moving. United’s center backs had a difficult time of staying in position throughout the ninety minutes. West Brom’s Peter Odemwingie was largely responsible. Odemwingie had an opportunity to put his team ahead with a penalty shot but failed. Javier Hernandez’ goal proved to be the difference as Manchester ultimately prevailed.

The matches against West Brom and Aston Villa do have one thing in common: even while the Red Devils have managed to gain at least one point, even when Man United’s performance was less than great. True to United history of being overtly determined, this team refuses to quit until the final whistle is blown. Even when playing poorly, they are able to score goals and keep clean sheets. And when this happens, the players feel that they have an aura about them that exudes invincibility which opponents find intimidating.

Too often, the football is not magic this year with United. Yet with each win, they grow in a confidence that is obvious to their opponents. This weakens the other teams and builds the foundation for another possible unstoppable Premiere League Team.

Manchester United take one more step on the ladder to invincibility. Get the inside scoop on this super team now in our complete overview of everything you need to know about football.. Unique version for reprint here: Could Manchester United See Invincibility?.

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