Life after the much hyped up “Red Monday” clash, where Manchester United went to Liverpool and drew 0-0, leaves both teams in pretty much the same place that they were before international break. It was a dull match devoid of entertainment value, but there’s more time to think about it as United have now started a stretch that will see them go no more than three days without match from here to November 6th
This week, they take on Fenerbahce in the Europa League tomorrow night, and appetizer for Saturday’s mouth-watering fixture for Chelsea. Where do United currently stand in the eyes of the football wagering community, regarding their chances for a Premier League title?
They are tied with this weekend’s opponent, Chelsea for the fifth best title odds, at 12-1 (source: SkyBet, partner of Sky Sports). It’s a considerable drop from where they were in the preseason, when United consistently received the second best odds out of all. Only their local rivals Manchester City were given better odds.
Manchester United and England Captain Wayne Rooney still believes his team to be strong title contenders however.
“I think we’ve got a great squad,” Rooney is quoted in Sky Sports. “I said before the season we’d be challenging – we’ve still got that belief, even stronger after working with this manager and the players over the last few months.
“I think we’ve got a fantastic squad, who are ready and capable of challenging.”
Although Rooney himself has been dropped from the first team, and now finds himself with dwindling playing time opportunities, he maintains an optimistic outlook on the season. The Premier League title chase is a marathon, not a sprint so we’ll see how close he comes to being right.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication andBold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.