It has been a turbulent season at Old Trafford to say the least. There have been some very high highs and some very low lows in Louis van Gaal’s second and presumably last season at the helm of Manchester United. The Dutchman came in during the fall of 2014 the following the disastrous season under David Moyes in which United finished seventh, and got United back up to fourth.
Following Manchester City‘s draw with Arsenal last Sunday, United now controls its own destiny to make the top four again and earn the Premier League’s final qualifying spot for the UEFA Champions’ League.
That said, it will not be an easy task to jump their crosstown rivals. On Tuesday, they have a midweek game in London against West Ham United. The Hammers have had a strong year overall, despite dropping to seventh after a 4-1 loss at Swansea this weekend, breaking a streak of 10 straight league matches without defeat.
The Red Devils have struggled in London this season in Premier League play. They have lost 3-0 to both Arsenal and Tottenham, and drawing 1-1 and 0-0 with Chelsea and Crystal Palace respectively. If they do not get a win in the capital Tuesday, United will lose control of their own Champions League fate.
However, even if they fail to win, not all will be lost. Just two points behind Manchester City but with an inferior goal difference, they will need three more points than City (who have just one game left) from their last two matches. Without two wins, here are the other ways United could make the top four:
1. Draw at West Ham, win vs. Bournemouth, and a City loss or draw at Swansea
2. Loss at West Ham, win vs. Bournemouth, and a City loss at Swansea
There is a possibility that Manchester United could finish third with two wins and an Arsenal loss to Aston Villa. But with Villa already relegated and with just three Premier League wins this season, there is no point for anyone to hold their breath and wait for that to happen.
The Red Devils are undefeated in their last 12 matches against the Hammers with six wins and six draws. The last loss came back in the 2010 League Cup, a 4-0 loss. The last time West Ham beat Manchester United in the Premier League was December 29, 2007 in a 2-1 finish. Both teams played to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford earlier this season in the Premier League and tied 1-1 in the FA Cup, with United winning 2-1 at Upton Park in the replay.
Dimitri Payet has been the catalyst for a late season run for West Ham at the Europa League qualifying spot. In his first year with the club, the Frenchman has scored 12 goals in all competitions to lead the team. He has already scored against the Red Devils, doing so in the FA Cup quarterfinal at Old Trafford. The Hammers are currently at 59 points, four behind the Red Devils, with Southampton at 60 points also chasing the fifth spot.
Meanwhile, fellow Frenchman Anthony Martial has stolen the hearts of the Old Trafford faithful at just 20 years old. He leads the team with 15 goals in all competitions. While early reports said that he was unlikely to play in this game because of a lingering hamstring injury, but will play against West Ham, according to the Manchester Evening News.
With their leading scorer out, the burden will fall to two other double-digit scorers in Wayne Rooney with 12 goals and Juan Mata with 10, while Marcus Rashford has seven goals.
Rashford has scored seven goals in just 15 matches in all competitions, including one of the two goals scored by the Red Devils in the FA Cup replay. Since the 3-0 loss at White Hart Lane, United have won three out of four Premier League games, with the other result a draw against newly-crowned league champions Leicester City.
This will be the final game at Upton Park at the Boleyn Ground for West Ham before moving to Olympic Stadium next season. The home side will want to have a memorable finale while the visitors are looking to make the top four. This should be a close game with plenty on the line for both squads. van Gaal has said that it will be a challenge to play the final game there, even saying that he did not want to spoil their party but that they also needed the three points.
The season finale for Manchester United will be at home against Bournemouth. The Cherries are safe from relegation at 42 points, but they have struggled all season. They currently are at -20 goal differential, fourth worst in the Premier League. They have a 3-3-2 record against the top four teams (Leicester City, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City), but just a 2-2-3 record against the bottom four (Sunderland, Newcastle United, Norwich City and Aston Villa).
Even if Manchester United beats West Ham and takes the fourth spot, it will not be an automatic win on Sunday at Old Trafford. It would however be unlikely for United to fall to Bournemouth twice in one year.
Or course, the lingering question surrounding Manchester United all season has been the future of Louis van Gaal. Many fans and critics have called the style of play that he has brought to the table boring and largely ineffective. Rumors about him being sacked have been swirling most of the season.
The most common name in contention for the job should van Gaal end up getting sacked is former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. He was sacked after 16 games in Stamford Bridge after starting 4-3-9, despite leading the club to the Premier League title last season.
A second straight berth in the Champions League will certainly bolster the chances of van Gaal staying for the final season of his three-year contract.
It has been a rough year, but despite all the turmoil this season, Manchester United has persevered and control their own destiny for next season’s Champions League over the course of 180 minutes this week.
