Andre Villas-Boas believes Manchester United have a favorable fixture list in the coming weeks, which will allow them back in the title race.
David Moyes has found life at Old Trafford difficult since succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer, despite the steady progress being made in the UEFA Champions League. A 1-0 win over Real Sociedad on Wednesday keeps the Reds well on course to make the last sixteen, but their form in Europe hasn’t been reflected in results closer to home.
United have already lost at Liverpool and Manchester City, whilst West Bromwich Albion stunned the footballing world with a 2-1 win at the home of the champions. And last weekend, a late equaliser ensured Southampton travelled back south with a point, a result which places Moyes and his side tucked away in eighth position.
There is no doubt that of all the top teams, the Reds have had the most difficult of fixtures in the opening eight matches of the season. Yet on the flipside, Tottenham Hotspur coach Villas-Boas believes this could work in the favour of the champions, who can at least draw comfort from the fact a number of tricky games are already out of the way.
“The Premier League looks extremely open this season,” he said. “It’s so open. Everyone is so tight together. I don’t think it has that kind of impact, we will see the big fixtures coming for Arsenal, they have only played us and they will play other big teams. So I would suppose the fixture list at the moment is in favour of Man United because they have played all of the big teams so far. That will give them a chance to bounce back for sure.”
United will certainly be looking for maximum points from their next two matches, at home to Stoke City and then away at Fulham. But then comes another test when Arsenal, who lead the table and have an eight point lead over the Reds, visit Old Trafford. A trip to top-flight new-boys Cardiff City follows, and then it’s Spurs at White Hart Lane. Ahead of the visit of Hull City on Sunday, Tottenham are just three points behind the Gunners.
