What a difference a couple of weeks makes for the champions

Manchester United go into this afternoon’s derby match with Manchester City in desperate need of a victory to keep their hopes of the Premier League title alive.

What a difference a few weeks makes in the grand scheme of football.

A few weeks ago United were top of the Premier League still in the Champions League and hoping to claim both trophies.

Now they are out of the Champions League after an away goals defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich and a home defeat by Chelsea. They now trail the Blues by four points.

Tricky

Their game against city rivals Manchester City certainly won’t be easy. The bad blood between the two clubs has gone up a notch this season. The derby earlier this season and United’s 96^th minute winner still irks City fans and everybody involved with the club want revenge.

City are also chasing a big prize fourth place and a Champions League spot next season. The crucial detail in this match could be if United talisman Wayne Rooney is fit to start. If he doesn’t play I can’t see the champions winning the game.

United could also be boosted by the return of midfielder Owen Hargreaves, who has been sidelined for 20 months through injury. The home side are expected to be near full strength for what could be their biggest game of the season.

Chance

This weekend could be a chance for United to catch up with Chelsea slightly with the leaders visiting White Hart Lane. Tottenham have been difficult to beat at home and have one of the best home defensive records.

If United win and Chelsea fail to win then the title race will be very much back on. However if they do claw back Chelsea’s lead then it won’t be able to mask the fact that United need major strengthening this summer.

Signings

Sir Alex Ferguson has already completed his first summer signing. His first signing is young Mexican striker Javier Hernandez from Mexican side Chivas. The fee was undisclosed but is believed to be in the region of £6million.

The promising 21 year-old striker has been in prolific form for his club this season and will arrive at United after he plays for Mexico at the World Cup. He’s full of promise and one for the future but United need to strengthen for now not the future.

They have been heavily linked with a number of players including Valencia’s prolific David Villa and his teammate David Silva. They face tough competition for the duo but those are the calibre of player they now need to sign in order to compete at home and abroad next season.

They know that rivals Chelsea and Manchester City will spend big this summer, so United will need to compete. The amount of money that Sir Alex Ferguson is given to spend this summer will have a big impact on how successful they are next season.

Exit

The biggest summer exit is likely to be lethargic Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov. He just hasn’t lived up to his £30million price tag. He was touted as being the ‘new Eric Cantona’ unfortunately he’s played more like Eric Idle.

He has so much skill yet at times he’s struggled to make an impact at United. Maybe he is just not suited to the United’s style of play. He is not your typical United player who works hard for the team and in Wayne Rooney’s absence he hasn’t been able to step into his shoes as main goal threat.

Unfinished

The season is not over yet and United could yet come back to win the Premier League title. However I don’t think they will and Sir Alex will expect better from his side next season. I don’t think he started this season hoping to win just the League Cup and he is not renowned for being a very good loser. You can guarantee that the champions will bounce back stronger next season.