Opinion: Fewer games no guarantee of success

There is no dispute to this fact and, with the Reds sitting in fourth spot in the Premier League table, now only three points adrift of Aston Villa in third, expectations are bound to have been raised.

Whereas European qualification was an understandable target, following a 15th-placed finish in 2024/25, the charge for a UEFA Champions League return appears to be in full swing.

All of this is a huge positive but I cannot help but feel annoyed at some of the narrative coming out of the 1-0 win at Everton, last time out.

Firstly, you will not find any air of complacency at Carrington, despite suggestions on TV and in radio phone-ins that securing a place at Europe's top table again next term is turning into a formality.

There are 11 games to go for United, including huge battles with fellow contenders Villa, Chelsea and Liverpool - the clearest rivals at this stage, with Brentford five points further back in seventh.

An awful lot of football has to be played and, despite our 10-game unbeaten run, Chelsea and Liverpool are currently in striking distance to overtake Carrick's men.

Which brings me to my main point. I am hearing a lot of talk that the Reds have a massive advantage over the other challengers because we do not have European or cup football to add to our schedule.

Yes, the 40-game campaign is a shockingly low one and we have all been aware of the benefits of potentially gaining more time on the training ground.

Yet is this supposed boon really going to make as big a difference as some are saying?

There was a 13-day gap between playing West Ham United and Everton, the same wait the Toffees had before the fixture at Hill Dickinson Stadium, and both teams looked, to me, to be a little short on rhythm rather than having noticeably higher energy levels than in previous weeks.

United face Crystal Palace next and it must be beneficial for us that the Eagles have a UEFA Conference League tie against Zrinjski Mostar tonight (Thursday) and I certainly had a lot of sympathy for Oliver Glasner's side around our corresponding game at Selhurst Park, kicking off at midday after an away assignment at Strasbourg a few days earlier.

However, we then travel to Tyneside to take on Newcastle United, who will have had an extra day's rest from their weekend home tussle with Everton, so it's not as though Carrick's side are always going to be in a better position when it comes to workload.

And we all know what is to follow. Another pause, due to the Emirates FA Cup fifth round taking place, and then that big test against Villa, on 15 March. The following Friday (20 March), we travel to Bournemouth but then there is a break that will be a challenge for every United supporter. 

We do not yet know when our home game with Leeds United is being played but there is a torturous 22-day delay after Bournemouth before we are provisionally due to face the Yorkshiremen on 11 April. Obviously, that could be extended slightly further.

And I think this will prove a bigger examination of our Champions League credentials. How do we handle such a lengthy gap and then look to kick on again for the home straight?

More games allow the chance to keep the rhythm going, strengthen on-field connections, maintain morale and utilise more members of the squad. Everybody wants United to return to Europe and we are a club that not only demands it but is built to handle such a calendar.

I do not see it as some huge disadvantage for any of the other sides, being preoccupied by Champions League and Europa League ties, or the FA Cup, and it surely will not mean they are flagging at the business end of the campaign, while United are simply as fresh as daisies.

Considering the position where we finished last term, clinching a Champions League slot would be a great achievement and there should not be any attempts to downplay it or exaggerate some perceived advantage in this race.

There is a long way to go and much work to be done before anybody is getting carried away.

The opinions in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Manchester United Football Club.