Two clubs filled with silverware in their history were struggling to compete for any titles, but not anymore! Both Manchester United and AC Milan are leading in their respective leagues and the footballing world has needed it!
Manchester United, a club which dominated English football for decades, has gone 4 seasons without ANY silverware. Current manager Ole Gunnar Solkskajer had promised the fans that he would deliver something with time but after getting knocked out in 5 semifinals, OGS and his men are desperate to get their hands on an elusive trophy. The club currently sits at the top of the premier league table with Liverpool and Manchester City right on their tail. It is going to be a rough second half of the season for Ole and his men as they cannot afford to drop any points. In a league tighter than we’ve seen for a while with just 8 points separating the top 7 sides, there’s no room for error…no room to drop points that should be there for the taking.
After finishing third in their Champions League table, United now enter the Europa League where they face in-form side Real Sociedad who are battling for a top-four spot in Spain. Another opportunity for Ole and his men to grab silverware this season is the FA Cup but it is not going to be easy. Defeating Watford in the fifth round ensured their qualification to the next one but in their way are fellow title contenders and defending EPL Champions, Liverpool, whom they face on the 24th of January at Old Trafford.
The reason behind Manchester United’s success is January 2020 signing Bruno Fernandes whose introduction to the squad has been extremely influential. The Portuguese midfielder became the first footballer in the English top tier to be awarded the Player of the Month four times in a calendar year and his arrival at united has brought in the creativity that was lacking, which is visibly helping strikers like Rashford, Martial, and Greenwood to get on the scoresheet as well.
Their only persisting problem this season has been their defense. Conceding goals because of silly yet costly errors has become a part of United’s defensive unit and that’s not something that a title fight will allow. The British giants are unable to find that perfect defense partnership but with the signing of Abdou Diallo from Atlanta going through, United could perhaps lift and move away from their defensive woes.
Winning 18 league titles and 7 European Cups, AC Milan, a club which has dominated European football was sadly even struggling to qualify for a Champions League spot. Last season, Milan finished in 6th spot ensuring them Europa League football, but that was certainly no parameter of success.
Things have not been the same for Milan this season, and fans of the side and neutrals alike will be thrilled with the progress they’ve made. Since the appointment of their current boss Stefano Poli, the Italian club is rolling back the years. We have crossed the halfway mark of the season with Milan still on top with 40 points, losing just one game out of seventeen…Now THAT’s impressive! Title rivals and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus who have been dominating the Italian top flight for years, currently sit in 4th with Roma and Inter Milan just a couple of points ahead of them.
AC Milan seems like runaway favourites at this stage given the consistency we’ve witnessed all season long. Plenty of credit has to go to certain individuals in the Rossoneri setup. Gianluigi Donnarumma, the 21-year-old goalkeeper has been in exceptional form and has saved the team on more than a couple of occasions. Reports in Italy however say that the player could leave the club next summer but Milan would do anything to keep his contract alive and secure his services for the near future. Another player who has played an important role in Milan’s success is Theo Hernandez. Milan signed the French left-back from Real Madrid in the summer of 2020 and since his arrival, Hernandez has gone on to score four goals and set up 3 of them in his 15 appearances in the League which is a mighty impressive start for a fullback.
AC Milan’s Cup runs are still on too. In the Coppa Italia, after defeating Torino on penalties, Milan now face arch-rivals Inter in the quarterfinals of the tournament and face Serbian side, Red Star Belgrade in search of European glory.
Rumours believe Manchester United and AC Milan, both looking to kick on from their impressive starts, are ‘battling’ to sign the same player in the form of 21-year-old Lille midfielder, Boubakary Soumare, but whoever whether or not they win that battle, both sides will be hoping to win the war, which is being crowned Champions in England & Italy again for the first time since 2012/13 and 2010/11 respectively.
[Header Image Credit: Manchester Evening News]
Shashank Iyer