Wilfried Bony scored the winner for Swansea when these teams met last week
Manchester United’s recent run of form does not make happy reading for fans of the club. Four defeats in six home matches for the first time since 1985. Three consecutive defeats to start a calendar year for the first time since 1932. There is no way to paint a pretty picture of things for David Moyes and his players. They’ve made abject failure in the last few weeks looking utterly boring while do it.
Manchester United v Swansea City Betting Odds
Manchester United win – 1.55
Draw – 3.75
Swansea City win – 6.00
(All odds provided by GR88.com are correct as of today and subject to change)
There has been little notable fight from the squad of players as they have slumped to three 1-2 defeats at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur, Swansea City and Sunderland in all three of the domestic competitions. Swansea are back for second helpings this weekend in the Premier League and after winning at Old Trafford for the very first time in their history with a victory in the FA Cup, they’d be right to fancy their chances of a second victory all inside the same week.
Manchester United are not the way they were last season. Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney have struggled of late with injuries and without them, the Old Trafford club are totally different when they go forward. Unsurprisingly, they don’t score too often without their big name forwards. Unfortunately, the back four isn’t strong enough to be relied upon for a defensive, tight Plan B that might see the club grinding out a string of wins.
Teams visiting Old Trafford are no longer just hoping to nick a goal and do their best to avoid a roaring defeat. For the last two seasons, so even before Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement, teams have spotted opportunities to get at United early. They have conceded the first goal on 26 occasions in the last two Premier League seasons.
Last year, the presence of the manager on the touchline and the firepower up front gave them the confidence to fight their way back into the matches. Robin van Persie featured in all 38 league games and was usually on hand to score goals that ignited the comeback.
With Ferguson no longer looming in the dugout and without RVP and Rooney upfront, United aren’t the high tempo, balls-to-the-wall force that they have been. Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez can’t be relied on for goals and there isn’t the regular service from behind.
It’s clear David Moyes doesn’t have a preferred pivot for his midfield and from there; his ideal system just isn’t going to fly. Without a regular duo to set his plans in motion, the Red Devils don’t move the ball quick enough or with enough precision to cut teams open before they have a chance to set-up camp. After that, the pedestrian rate of passing only helps to concentrate the defensive minds.
Obviously, Man Utd are a side that needs investment. As shown by Moyes’ apparent interest in more than a handful of players during his first summer window at his new club, he knows where the weaknesses are in the squad. Ideally, he’d try to avoid deals in January. Prices are inflated, players are usually cup-tied for European competitions and they aren’t afforded time to settle in.
However, new signings are needed. Even to just get the fans back on side, United could do worse than throw more money than they should at a player to guarantee their signature.
In the short term, David Moyes could really do with a win. Swansea, despite their FA Cup win, have not been in good form on the road this season. Sunday is likely to go down as an exception rather than an upturn in their immediate fortunes. They’ve won just twice in their 11 on the road and failed to keep a clean sheet in any of those matches.
Plus the Manchester United squad are better than they have shown in recent weeks. A reaction to the recent slump can’t be far away and if Swansea are sluggish in the opening 20, an invigorated team should ease to a home win.
Of course, I’ve thought that ever since the home defeat to Everton and they still haven’t produced anything close to a complete display. For now just have confidence that we’ll almost certainly see both teams score.
Betting Instinct Tip - Both teams to score is 1.83 with Bulldog777.com
RYAN KEANEY (RyanKeaney) is a huge sports fan who spends most of his week toying around with sports data. He is the editor of www.thefootballproject.net and a co-editor for In Bed with Maradona.
