Football

Patrick Viera Believes Man United Are Serious Premier League Title Contenders

Patrick Viera Believes Man United Are Serious Premier League Title Contenders
12th November 2022; The City Ground, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England; Premier League Football, Nottingham Forest versus Crystal Palace; Crystal Palace Manager Patrick Viera - Photo by Icon sport

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Viera has cautioned Premier League leaders Arsenal and second place Man City of a “different” look Manchester United that could win the division ahead of them this season.

The ex-Arsenal midfielder has said that he believes the Lancashire side are a much more dangerous team since new boss Erik ten Hag took over last summer.

United got off to a tough start under their new Dutch manager, falling to big defeats against Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion but the outfit have progressed drastically as Ten Hag has put his stamp on the side.

Earlier in the season the Red Devils endured a 6-3 defeat to rivals Man City at the Etihad stadium but last weekend the side avenged themselves by defeating the Premier League holders 2-1 thanks to a late comeback.

The Manchester Derby win at Old Trafford has seen the side move into fourth position in the English top-flight, even on points with third place Newcastle and just a point below City. They trail league leaders Arsenal by nine points though they will have a real chance to close the gap when they take on the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Viera’s Assessment of Man United Under Ten Hag

First, the Ten Hag’s side will have to notch another win over Viera’s Crystal Palace side on Wednesday evening at Selhurst Park.  Speaking ahead of the game, the Eagles’ French manager said that he believes the Red Devils are serious title contenders in their current form.

“When you look at their last couple of games, the number of wins and how close they are to the top, I think they can be (in the Premier League title race)’ Viera stated to the media.

“It’s a different United (to the team we saw last season),” the Palace manager added.

ImgMini

Viera’s Crystal Palace in Poor Form

Viera’s side head into the fixture with Man United after three consecutive losses. The team were defeated by Chelsea on a scoreline of 1-0 at Stamford Bridge last weekend while they lost to Premier League strugglers Southampton in the third round of the FA Cup previously to that.

The side were also beaten 4-0 by Tottenham Hotspur in their first January fixture.

That means the club are without a win or a league point since they defeated Bournemouth away by two goals to nil on New Year’s Eve. The side find themselves in midtable in 12th position with a two point buffer between them and Nottingham Forest a place below.

Despite their recent troubles, the side are still in a fairly comfortable position after making a good start to the season. The Eagles have managed to stay out of the ever so close relegation battle that the sides below them have fallen into with half the season yet to go but they will need to see a reboot in their form if they are to maintain their safe position.

A fixture versus Man United is not the ideal tie for Palace with this in mind, as the Red Devils have gone nine games unbeaten and lost just one game in their last 19 competitive games.

Ten Hag’s side will look to maintain their prospective title challenge versus Palace and live up to Viera’s billing of a ‘different’ United side under Ten Hag’s guidance.

 

 

 


Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!