The Premier League is reaching its business end of proceedings, and while the title looks to have been sewn up for Liverpool; the race for a place in the top four will be going down to the wire.
Chelsea and the current favourites to achieve that finish according to the sportsbooks, and this bonus and this code could ensure that you win more on bets for the Blues to land a top-four spot. However, they will come under pressure for the closing months of the season as Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Sheffield United and Wolves are have the eyes on that fourth spot too.
With the amount of competition current surrounding the top-four places, could we see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer take a leaf out of Jose Mourinho’s book and prioritise the Europa League as the preferred route to get into next season’s Champions League?
Simpler Route
Manchester United need to be playing in the Champions League next season. They have hopes of bringing Jadon Sancho to Old Trafford in the summer, and the only way that could be achieved is by offering the winger European football. Since United have got through the group stages, the Europa League could be the most straightforward way, as they will only have to get through four rounds to make the final.
During that season in 2016-17 when Mourinho won the Europa League, during the final two months of the season, he played weaker sides in the Premier League to ensure his top stars were fit for the European clashes. Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial were all rested, and Solskjaer could do that once again to increase the chances of winning the competition.
United’s Competition
There are a lot of good sides that have dropped into the secondary European competition from the Champions League. Ajax and Inter Milan are the two notable names. However, the good thing from United’s perspective is that both of them are locked in a title race in their domestic countries. That would especially be the case for Inter, as they are trying to win the Serie A title for the first time in ten years, and that would certainly take precedence over the Europa League.
Sevilla will be an obvious side that United will be looking to avoid as the Spaniard’s have won the competition five times in their history. Roma will also be in the same situation as United, as they may believe that this competition is their best route into the Champions League. Arsenal and Wolves are also leading contenders, but neither have the same European pedigree as the Red Devils.
The decision that Solskjaer makes in the closing months of the season will have a lasting impression on whether he is able to keep his job. If United get into next season’s Champions League, then he will likely be given another season in the hot season. However, if they miss out, then he will likely be given his marching orders and replaced over the summer.
