Manchester United are currently enduring one of their worst seasons in Premier League history, and it has been one that won’t soon be forgotten if they fail to win silverware. The popular opinion of fans across the world is that they should sack the manager, Louis van Gaal, and bring in big-name José Mourinho; they should move their focus to next season and call this one a wash. That would not only be foolish, but it might very well be the biggest step in the direction of the demise of the empire that is (or was) Manchester United.
United have an opportunity FA Cup, an easily dismissed and forgotten competition for large clubs with European obligations. The club does has European competition currently, but in the Europa League, which is roughly the equivalent to wining the Capital One Cup and finishing outside the top four in England.
This is not meant to slight the competition as, for clubs like Fulham in the past, doing well in it is an accomplishment to be celebrated. It is, however, important to state that United are at a point in club history where they cannot compete across, and win, all competitions they’re currently in. And, with the first leg loss to Midtjylland of the Danish Superliga, it has become a competition that plays on the overplayed rhetoric that has to do with sacking the manager.
United fans don’t want to become the next English giant to fall from glory, which makes the FA Cup a must-win competition. For one, it would add a high point to a very dull season and would give the supporters of the club some of the silverware they so desperately crave. The second positive would be that winning it would guarantee the club entrance into both the Europa League and the Community Shield next season.
Although the Community Shield is largely seen as a pre-season competition, it would give United the chance to play this season’s league champions as their final match before the start of the season. This would help the team and manager see where they stand going into the campaign and what needs to be improve; a chance they must take.
Regardless of the opposition they have been drawn against, the Red Devils’ performances in the FA Cup have been better than in any other competition. They started with a 1-0 win against Sheffield United, which could’ve easily been a bigger win than that, then they won 3-1 against Derby County, which saw a beauty of a goal from captain Wayne Rooney, and then won 3-0 in their most recent match against Shrewsbury Town in a very disciplined encounter.
The trend of playing clubs generally viewed as being below them in skill level will be continued in the quarter-final against West Ham United, which gives them a huge opportunity to reach the semi-final at Wembley. The team needs to see the opportunity to pick up some silverware that will delight Manchester United supporters the world over.
