The last time there was a surprise Premier League title win the manager collecting the garlands at the end of the season was the original tinkerman, Claudio Ranieri.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might not be getting that moniker just yet but in this Premier League season he’s proving to be the king of rotation, having made 42 changes to his Premier League starting XIs in just 15 games so far.
That tinkering isn’t causing a problem for Manchester United thanks to the depth in their squad and it could well prove to be a secret weapon when the run-in begins in March. If United are still in contention then it might give them an edge over Liverpool and, let’s be honest, the title returning to Old Trafford for the 21st time this season would be a surprise.
Not a 5,000-1 surprise like Leicester, but United were as big as 50-1 to win the league after their humiliation at the hands of Tottenham at the start of October. Now they’re 6-1 to be champions this season.
![[FILE] Liverpool’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah (L) runs with the ball as Arsenal’s Brazilian defender Gabriel closes in during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London. (Photo by Catherine Ivill / POOL / AFP)](https://www.afriupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/000_97B779-scaled-e1703231851386-120x86.jpg "Liverpool host Arsenal in battle for Premier League Christmas No. 1 2")
United’s nine-game unbeaten run has moved them up to second as 2021 dawns and even in those fixtures, Solskjaer has made 32 changes to his starting line-up. With seven of those games won it’s had no discernible effect on performances, although the decision to leave Bruno Fernandes on the bench at West Ham is unlikely to be repeated any time soon.
Solskjaer’s tinkering with his side means only six players have played more than two-thirds of United’s 1,350 Premier League minutes so far. One of those is goalkeeper David de Gea and three more are in the defence, where fresh legs aren’t necessarily as imperative. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof would all be classed as regulars.
So of United’s cast of game-changing attackers, only Fernandes and Marcus Rashford have played more than 66% of Premier League minutes this season. Paul Pogba (57%), Anthony Martial (55%), Mason Greenwood (46%) and Edinson Cavani (22%) have all had their minutes carefully monitored.
Some of that is by accident rather than design, with Martial missing games through suspension, Greenwood through illness and form and Cavani as a result of his late arrival, but it also shows that Solskjaer has options to rotate his squad without doing too much damage to the standards of performance.
There’s no doubt Fernandes and Rashford are the heartbeat of the side, the two real undroppables in terms of United’s attacking play, but they can be rested in cup competitions and in the Europa League in 2021.
That kind of workload compares favourably with league leaders Liverpool. Nine of Jurgen Klopp’s side have played 66% or more of their Premier League minutes so far, including all of the front three and the full-backs, with Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold key weapons for the champions.
Sadio Mane (86%), Mo Salah (87%) and Roberto Firmino (91%) have all been regulars this season and their chances of rest are diminished until Diogo Jota returns in February. They will also have the Champions League to contend with then.
This season was always going to be a campaign that was going to tax players like never before and throw up some surprise results. Momentum is with United at the moment but keeping players fresh is vital as well. Liverpool’s absence from the Carabao Cup quarter-finals means they’ve had just one free midweek so far, while United’s first free week isn’t until January 11 and they are keen on playing the rearranged game at Burnley then.
The workload on players is going to be brutal right up until the final salvos of this season, so whoever has the most gas left in the tank come March, April and May might well have a key advantage and right now that looks like being United.
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