5 reasons why Manchester United can win the FA Cup
The FA Cup is there for Manchester United’s takingThe Manchester United of 2014 is slowly showing signs of emulating the spirit of the side under Sir Alex Ferguson. Although their play has been far from convincing, they have been consistently grinding out results. Manchester United’s recent record has been a case of the glass half empty, glass half full.Whether you look at it from the brighter perspective where they’ve lost only once in the last 14 games or whether you look at it from a bad light that they’ve won just twice in the last six matches, it ultimately boils down to your expectations from the team but one thing everyone can unanimously agree on is that a club like Manchester United can do much better. This is indeed turning out to be a strange season for the Old Trafford faithful. From the embarrassing 4-0 defeat to MK Dons in the League Cup and a 5-3 loss against Leicester City in the Premier League to their impressive victories over teams like Arsenal and Tottenham, there is an air of unpredictability surrounding this new Manchester United side under Van Gaal. Despite spending more than 150 million to bring in Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao, Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw, the team is yet to truly hit its stride.However, the recent upsets have opened up a window of opportunity for the club, especially to win the elusive FA Cup which has been missing from their trophy cabinet for quite a while.They may have played out a disappointing draw against Cambridge United, but they did not crash out of the tournament like some of their other high-profile counterparts. It could also go a long way in dispelling some of the negativity surrounding Van Gaal’s first season at the helm.Let us take a look at some of the reasons why Manchester United should be a prime contender for the Cup this season:
#1 A 10-year gap
It is indeed surprising that Manchester United despite being the joint record holders of the FA Cup along with Arsenal, having won it a record 11 times, last won the tournament in the 2003-2004 season.
The parallels between Manchester United’s drought in the FA Cup and Arsenal’s drought in well, every tournament (which was broken last year with their victory in the FA Cup) are uncanny. The last time Arsenal won the Premier League with the historic ‘Invincibles’ was the same season when Manchester United last won the FA Cup. Maybe it’s just destiny.
On a serious note, a 10-year drought in the FA Cup is unbecoming for a prestigious club like Manchester United who have been a dominant force in the Premier League and Europe. This is one record they must be working on setting right.