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Manchester United battle on four fronts is tantalisingly hectic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic
[Image by Dan Mullan/Getty]

The FA Cup has a habit of providing a banana skin for clubs that are trying to duke it out on a number of fronts. Sometimes this test comes courtesy of an unneeded replay, or after a squad rotation gone awry leads to a surprise early exit, while even a regular defeat can sometimes curtail progress.

Having been drawn against Championship sides Reading, Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers in the competition Manchester United were always likely to be given a difficult tie at some point, and that arrived on Sunday in the shape of a trip to Stamford Bridge.

As arguably the two form sides in the Premier League, it’s a tantalising tie for the neutral. But for Jose Mourinho and Manchester United it’s the latest addition to an already hectic schedule that after Wednesday’s second leg of their round 32 Europa League tie with Saint Etienne sees one crucial game follow another as they battle on four fronts.

First and foremost, Jose Mourinho’s most prominent task is to make sure that Manchester United return to the Champions League next season. But while they’re now just two points off Tottenham and Arsenal in third and fourth, respectively, their run-in is likely to throw up many difficult hurdles that they’ll need to eclipse in order for the season to be regarded as a success.

In the Premier League alone they’re facing five of the top seven (City, Arsenal, and Tottenham are away from Old Trafford, too), as well as Burnley and Southampton away, both of which have been imperious at home. In fact, West Bromwich Albion are the only side they’re facing that have nothing to play for, as their other contests are against the relegation threatened Bournemouth, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Swansea, and then Crystal Palace on the final day.

All of which will be further complicated by the fact that they’re favourites for the Europa League, which will inevitably see their opponents raise their game as they try to claim such a prominent scalp. United also have an EFL Cup final against Southampton and then their FA Cup trip to Chelsea to contend with, too.

Having lost just once in their last 24 games Mourinho and his team will know that the best way to juggle their pursuits is to maintain their unbeaten for as long as possible. Something that’s likely to prove beyond them. But if United suffer defeat, they need to heed Sir Alex Ferguson’s remarks and make sure that they react and don’t lose two in a row. Because if they do, with so many important games so soon after each other, the consequences could be dire, and might even snowball into a crisis that would obliterate their season.

While the top four and Europa League battles need to turn into title and Champions League quests in the very near future, their European qualification, EFL Cup, FA Cup, and Europa League pursuits are proof that, for now at least, Jose Mourinho has Manchester United on the right track. How he and the club handle this stretch of games is a test that could ultimately shape and define his tenure.