MANCHESTER UNITED’s cold start to the Christmas period could be about to get worse if a statistical omen is realised when they face Chelsea.
It is no secret that Erik ten Hag‘s side have struggled against top teams this season.
And this has been laid bare after their 1-0 defeat to Newcastle on Saturday.
The Red Devils have lost all five games they have played this season against teams in the top half of the table going into the match.
Those defeats have come against Tottenham, Arsenal, Brighton, Man City and now Newcastle.
And means every team they have managed to beat this season have been at the bottom end of the table.
Chelsea’s win over Brighton on Sunday elevated them into the top half.
So, based on the current trend, Man Utd would be staring down another defeat on Wednesday.
And they have Liverpool at Anfield to come in December too.
While the stat is being highlighted this season, it is actually something which has been symptomatic of Ten Hag’s time at Old Trafford.
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Of the 99 Premier League points he has picked up so far, 75 of them have come against teams in the bottom half of the table.
Ten Hag struck a defiant tone when he was asked about the club’s dire record away against the top eight.
He said: “I was waiting for that question. There are always issues. I know it’s your job to see that.
“Or we have the away form or we have the home form. Now we have this issue. We also will overcome this issue.
“This is the truth. If you lose, you are always unhappy.
“This team is resilient and we have to pick this up.”
Man Utd fans may find some comfort in the fact their midweek match-up is at Old Trafford and not Stamford Bridge.
The home side won that fixture 4-1, though a repeat result with that scoreline seem unlikely given Chelsea‘s newfound strength under Mauricio Pochettino this season.
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