For a team so used to success, having won 12 league titles, four FA Cup titles and two UEFA Champions League titles since the creation of the Premier League in 1992, Manchester United are no longer satisfied with just the league title. However, with Monday's listless performance against Chelsea in an FA Cup quarterfinal, the league title is all United have left to fight for.
In the past month, United have lost a home lead to Real Madrid in its unceremonious exit from the Champions League, and lost a two-goal home lead to Chelsea en route to being knocked out of the FA Cup.
Watching this Manchester United team the last few weeks, something seems off. The players look tired, and are lacking any sort of clinical consistency in front of net. They have only scored five goals in their last five fixtures, which include matches against Reading and Sunderland, teams both in danger of relegation. In fact, United needed a Sunderland own-goal to avoid dropping points against a team they have not lost to in over 12 years.
This drop-off can be largely attributed to Dutch striker Robin van Persie's recent dip in form. The former Arsenal man was the midseason favorite for Premier League player of the year. His ability to will United to victory was something to behold early on in the season, scoring eight game-winning or game-tying goals before the New Year, including brilliant stoppage-time winners against Southampton and Manchester City. Then, suddenly, the production stopped. Van Persie has not scored since Feb. 10, and only once has he assisted a goal - this coming from the man just two assists behind league leader Juan Mata of Chelsea. In two of United's most important matches of the season - against Real Madrid in the Champions League and against Chelsea in the FA Cup - van Persie had notably poor showings, missing clear-cut chances, and influencing the games very little.
While there are likely several reasons for van Persie's recent poor form, fatigue is the most likely cause. The striker has only completed all 38 games in a season without injury once, and has never otherwise completed more than 28. He has played the full 90 minutes in 77 percent of his first 30 games this season, but has completed only four of the eight games in which he has featured since Feb. 10. It's normal for players to see ebbs and flows in form throughout a season, so placing any sort of blame on van Persie for United's difficult stretch is irrational. The more worrying trend is United's clear overreliance on van Persie's scoring in order to be successful. The Dutchman's weekly man of the match performances glossed over United's glaring deficiencies as a team. Up until Feb. 10, United had allowed more shots and more goals than any of the other top seven teams, with late goals and late winners often saving poor defensive performances.
Additionally, van Persie and fellow attacker Wayne Rooney make up 44 percent of the team's goals and 32 percent of the team's assists. So much reliance on two players to create and score becomes a serious crutch, especially when playing top teams that can take certain players out of the game.
Holding a 15-point lead over second-place Manchester City, there is little doubt that Manchester United will win their 13th Premier League title this season. However, in order to compete against the other top teams in Europe and win the most prestigious cup competitions, the club simply needs more match-winning talent. Right now, United doesn't have that talent, and until they findsthose players, the red side of Manchester will be limited to battling for the Premier League title every season.
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Jason Schneiderman is a sophomore who is majoring in quantitative economics and computer science. He can be reached at Jason.Schneiderman@tufts.edu.
