The Premier League season is about to reach a pivotal stage in the season for some of the biggest clubs, with managers already feeling the pressure. Two of the clubs that are undoubtedly feeling it more than most are Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Those that bet on them may be forgiven for changing their allegiance to Leicester City to finish in the top-four by using a welcome offer to maximise returns. New customers can claim a Bet365 bonus code from FreeBetInfo.com to make the most of a very open top-four market. But, at this stage of the season, it looks unlikely that any wagers will be getting placed on the Red Devils or Spurs.
Both sides may have had aspirations of a top-four finish at the beginning of the season, but they have quickly had to re-evaluate those chances. But, which side is in the worse position?
Tottenham Hotspur
It has been a dreadful start to the new season for Mauricio Pochettino after reaching the Champions League final last season. The hopes were high at the beginning of the campaign that they could build on that success, and he was given three high-quality players to achieve that. However, it was rather the ones that stayed at the club that have been giving the Argentine headaches. Christian Eriksen was forced to stay at the club after Real Madrid made no official offer, while Danny Rose was also forced to stay after the club rejected a last-minute offer from Watford despite the left-back saying that he wanted to leave.
Pochettino’s mood has been getting worse with every passing week, and the failure of his new signings to adapt to life in the Premier League is a problem. The miserable start to the season was epitomised in one week. Spurs lost by a home record scoreline in the Champions League against Bayern Munich, before being outfought and outclassed at the Amex in a 3-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion. However, they still have the quality to turn the tide in their favour.
Manchester United
That’s more than what can be said at Old Trafford. The Red Devils have a lack of options at present and injuries are beginning to take their toll. The departures of Ander Herrera, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez has left a massive void in the squad depth, and United need to rely on academy players to fill the boots of these international players.
Much of this mess is down to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but the biggest share of the blame goes to the people above him. Unlike Spurs, a managerial change wouldn’t have an effect at Old Trafford since the issues are much bigger than who is sitting in the dugout. The ethos around the club needs to change, and they can’t begin to go forward until a director of football is in place. It could get worse yet for United this season as they have a terrible record in front of goal, which means a top-four finish is almost impossible to see in their future for this season. Tottenham’s issue is a stale squad, whereas United have a broken foundation that needs fixing. There is no quick fix at Old Trafford, and that’s why they are in a worse position than Spurs.
