Time For United To Show Spirit At Christmas

Manchester United are unaccustomed to losing three games on the spin but the Christmas period offers the perfect chance to get back on track.

Rather than stewing on the disappointment, as would happen in some of the continental leagues where a winter break extends well into January, the traditionally packed festive programme can provide some much-needed cheer and dramatically alter the picture in the same manner that December's results, thus far, have affected the Reds' standing.

Exiting the Champions League may be irretrievable, even if the Europa League does provide an alternative route to a trophy, but the domestic situation is far from lost. Leicester City are nine points clear of Louis van Gaal's men and sit proudly at the summit of the Barclays Premier League. In a remarkable turnaround by the Foxes, who were bottom on 25 December in 2014, they surely now have to be considered genuine title contenders.

Claudio Ranieri's side have a tough test away to Liverpool on Boxing Day before welcoming Manchester City to the King Power Stadium on 29 December. Arsenal are the bookmakers' favourites for the championship after beating City 2-1 on Monday and they face South Coast duo Southampton and Bournemouth within the space of a couple of days.

City, who remain only three points ahead of us, entertain Sunderland on Boxing Day before their showdown with Leicester while the other side currently above the Reds, Tottenham Hotspur, meet Norwich City and in-form Watford. Crystal Palace, who are level with United and Spurs on 29 points, come up against Bournemouth and Swansea City.

Of course, these results will have a huge impact on the placings and shake things up in a season more unpredictable than any other in recent memory. And, crucially, the most important fixtures are our own - the trip to Stoke City on Boxing Day and the home clash with Chelsea on Monday tea-time.

There is no escaping the fact that, since a third win on the trot, against Watford on 21 November, United's form has dipped. The draw at Leicester does not look a bad result in context but the successive defeats to recently-promoted Bournemouth and Norwich have piled on the pressure ahead of the final two matches of 2015.

Ex-Red Mark Hughes has assembled a Stoke side very different to the muscular unit of the Tony Pulis era and the impressive mauling of Manchester City showed the Potters' capabilities. An early kick-off provides echoes of the opening fixture of the year when United took a hard-earned point thanks to a Radamel Falcao goal. Any draw at the Britannia Stadium can never be considered a slip but United need to show the collective spirit required to pull off victory.

Many people may see that as unlikely given recent form but it is a time to stand up and be counted. It is no coincidence a home game with Norwich is chosen as Match of the Day's opening game when the visitors have sprung a surprise, in preference to the current league leaders shading a five-goal affair at Everton. After such a prolonged period of success, neutrals naturally rejoice in any downturn in the club's fortunes and that is to be fully expected.

This should simply be another reason why there must be the determination to reverse the slide and accruing maximum points at Stoke and Old Trafford against Guus Hiddink's Chelsea will provide a massive surge of optimism just in time for the New Year. Playing for Manchester United requires an inner steel to cope with times of adversity and added pressure when the odds are stacked against you. This will hopefully be in evidence at a time when most of us are fortunate to be relaxing and indulging in traditional seasonal festivities.

While the Christmas spirit will be plentiful in many households, it is a different spirit, one on the field, that can provide the boost all United supporters are desperate for. The reaction to losing at Swansea was to beat Liverpool. The loss at PSV Eindhoven was followed by a 3-2 triumph at Southampton. In early October, the 3-0 scoreline in Arsenal's favour was reversed at Everton. Three consecutive losses have hit morale but there is no reason why there cannot be another response in this critical period. If it comes against Stoke and Chelsea, the final league table of the year could make for much better reading.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be considered as representative of Manchester United Football Club.

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