Right now Watford are in 3rd place in the Premier League table with 12 points, while Manchester United are in 10th place with six points. Had you asked fans of the game about how the league would have looked after the first four games, almost everyone would have told you that these two teams would be the opposite way round, with United in 3rd and Watford in 10th. However, that isn’t the case and while the poor start that Manchester United have had has been one of the biggest talking points so far, the excellent start that Watford have made have been a real highlight this season.

With four wins from four games it couldn’t have gone any better so far for Watford, although they do face another tough task this weekend. A win over Tottenham just before the international break was as good as we have seen from Watford not only this season, but for a couple of seasons and it will be interesting to see if the break has had any impact on them. The Tottenham team that Watford beat before the break went there after a 3-0 victory away at Manchester United just a few days earlier, a game where United simply capitulated in the second half, much to the disappointment of their fans. The next few games are crucial, can they get out of the hole they are in right now, or will pressure continue to mount on boss Jose Mourinho.

Dream Start to the Season for Watford

Things couldn’t have gone any better for Watford so far, and they are performing at a far higher level than everyone expected. Even their most confident fan wouldn’t haver predicted four wins out of four to start the season, and it is going to be fascinating to see them for the rest of this month and see how they perform. The international break came at exactly the wrong time for them, with momentum and confidence as high as it could be, they now have to regroup after players have been away with their international teams.

Before the season began, a few people predicted that Watford would struggle this season and that relegation was a definite possibility for them. That looks to be a long way away from what is actually going to happen based on what we have seen so far from them, but the test now is to keep this up. I don’t think Watford will do that, but they do look to have enough to keep away from the relegation scrap, which was probably their aim at the start of the season.

Whatever happens from here, this has been a fantastic start for Watford.

What Does the Future Hold for Manchester United?

For me, Manchester United are one of the toughest teams to understand in the world right now, let alone in the Premier League. They seem to be at a real crossroads and there are so many different issues to sort out that the club simply doesn’t know which way it needs to turn in order to move forward. For such a long time United were all about stability, winning and being able to attract the best. Neither of those three important characteristics now remain at the club, and this team is beginning to look a shadow of its former self, which is quite disappointing to see.

At some point the club are going to have to make a decision on Jose Mourinho, do they stick by him or do they cut their losses and blame him for many of the problems, and relieve him of his duties. All summer Mourinho has complained about a lack of investment in the club, especially in defence where he has been desperate to sign a centre half. Anyone who has seen United this season or last wouldn’t disagree with that, they have been poor defensively for a while.

However, instead of making that his number one priority Mourinho spent money elsewhere and left signing a defender right until the final day of the window. They had numerous targets, but failed to get any one of them over the line. As mentioned earlier, Manchester United used to have no problem attracting the very best players to their club, so seeing them struggle and panic to try and get someone in on the final day of the transfer window was a big change.

This season is of course a very important one for the club, but the next month or two are likely to set out the future for Jose Mourinho. He is already under pressure and cannot afford to remain in the middle of the table. He has to get this United team playing better, and they have to move up the table as soon as possible.

Watford vs Manchester United Betting Tips

When comparing these two on paper, Manchester United are the better team and they should win this game. However, there is a lot going off at the club right now, which is the complete opposite to what is happening at Watford. They have no distractions, nothing bad happening off the field and no questions about their desire or ability to win games. Things are very rosey in the Watford camp, and that counts for a lot in football, so much so that I am going to back them to upset the odds and beat Manchester United on Saturday evening.

The price of 4.30 on a Watford win is very appealing, and I would have them much closer in the betting based on what has happened over the first few weeks of the season. This is a Watford team that comes here on the back of a great home win against Tottenham, and it wasn’t too long ago that Tottenham were winning 3-0 at Old Trafford. There is a lot to like about Watford and the way they are going about their business, which makes them of interest, even more so at a price like the one on offer here.

Manchester United fans will be hoping that they can get out of this slump after the international break and start by winning this game. However, they won’t go here confident based on recent performances. Watford have already shown they have the ability to shock big teams and I am backing them to beat another big side at the weekend.

Manchester United are in a bit of a mess right now, and the next couple of months are going to define how they go forward. Watford have no such problems, they are in great form and they can take advantage of the situation and beat Manchester United.

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