I just think they have better squads, Tottenham under Conte have had longer to get used to him.
The Europa League fixture we have to slot in will make it very difficult. United have a huge drop off in quality after the starting XI.
Unless United buy big in January I can't see top 4, too many issues in the squad still for me. I think United need more personnel to get a team that really ticks.
We're scraping through games by a goal, nothing more and if the opposition scores it's a really tough game because United just doesn't create and finish enough.
United are a striker, midfield cover away and keeping the wingers fit to even start to turn the tide IMO.
Doing very well but the season will exploit the lack of squad options.
Think it's fair but as a team I think it's also pretty clear that we are better than both. Liverpool are the one who if they stop being dumb will likely surpass us. Spurs? Nah. They've had kind fixtures til date while we've had the worst fixture list in the league. Any time Spurs have come up against a top half team, they've struggled massively. Whereas we've pretty much exclusively played the top half... And like I said, win our game in hand and we're level on points.
We've clearly started to turn the tide, and I'd say we are much further along than what I thought we'd be. I think we easily look the 3rd best side in the league, or 4th if you give Liverpool credit. But we are clearly ahead of Spurs and Chelsea, but I'll accept that fitness could swing that the other way. But that is what it is IMO, we're early in the process. I think it'll get better as the season goes anyway. Varane will be fit when the league restarts. Martial will have a few months to get properly fit, he's been out the whole season so far, so that will be a big add. Sancho and Antony have been out for a very small amount of time but it's been a cramped fixture list so they've missed a few games now.
Given normal injuries, we'll be fine. If Martial misses the entire season, then yeah we'll struggle to get top 4 barring a miracle fitness run from antony, rashford and sancho. But if Martial has "normal" fitness, then we'll be fine IMO.