Manchester United will be looking up the table toward Champions League spots as Aston Villa are hit with further problems under Unai Emery.
With Michael Carrick now at the helm, Manchester United have set their sights firmly on qualifying for the Champions League next season.
The former United midfielder recorded a brilliant 2-0 win over Manchester City on the weekend during his first game in charge of the current squad, and has been tasked with securing a spot in Europe’s elite competition next campaign.
What spots will be given spaces is currently unclear. The Premier League has four guaranteed places, given to the top four teams in the league at the season’s end, although a fifth may be granted depending on how well English teams fare in European games.
English football was given a fifth spot following Arsenal’s Champions League run, United and Tottenham getting to the Europa League final, and Chelsea winning the Conference League. If English teams dominate in Europe again, 5th place in the domestic league will also be treated as a spot.
Villa falling apart amid Champions League race
Arsenal and Man City are widely considered the clear favourites to finish in the top two, which means there are two or three Champions League spots left. United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Newcastle are seeking the space, with Brentford and Sunderland also surprise contenders.
However, Villa manager Unai Emery stunningly came out after the side’s 1-0 loss against Everton to claim that his side were not contenders for the top five Premier League spots, as other teams had ‘more potential’ than them this season. 3rd-place Villa are currently eight points clear of United in 5th.
Villa still have Europa League and FA Cup games to play, but to add to their woes amid Emery’s bizarre claim, The Athletic have broken the news that Boubacar Kamara, who has played 1,418 of a possible 1,980 minutes for Villa this season, will miss the rest of the campaign with a knee injury.
Last campaign, Villa bottled Champions League qualification on the final day of the season with a 2-0 loss at Old Trafford, and despite their incredible winning form in the last few months, losing Kamara and Emery’s comments is a significant blow, and therefore a big boost for United.
United’s poor start is a blessing for Carrick
There is no doubt that, given the choice, all of those at United would rather be competing in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup across the second half of the season. However, losses to Grimsby and Brighton in their respective competitions saw them knocked out in the first round on both occasions.
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But, with Carrick focusing on the Champions League, United have just one game a week to deal with for most of the rest of the season, which provides him with the ultimate boost.
Not only will it give players plenty of rest time, but it will also give them a lot of time on the training ground to work on their moves and develop game plans to beat all that stands in their way.
With United also thin in some areas, such as midfield, Carrick may not have to worry about too many selection problems unless injuries arise.
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