Shakhtar Donetsk (a) pre-match thread

[Fordyboy46]

Just looked at how they've started their season and they've already scored 23 goals in their first seven matches, doesn't instill much confidence in me that we can keep a clean sheet. Could be a case of we can score more than you on Wednesday.

Ederson, Walker, Cancelo, Stones, Otamendi, Rodri, B.Silva, De Bruyne,, Sterling, Jesus ,Aguero.

Subs: Bravo, Zinchenko, Garcia, Gundogan, Mahrez, D.Silva, Foden.

 

[7evens]

We have to stick with Stones and Otamendi. They're a good partnership and we'll be fine with them in the next few months, they were just suffering from lack of minutes together yesterday. The last time we started them both in a league game was the 2-3 defeat to Crystal Palace last season, but even in that game Stones played in midfield. The last time the pair of them started together as a CB pairing was the 0-0 draw against Huddersfield in May 2018, when we'd wrapped up the title in the Centurions season and were given the trophy at the end of the game. That was sixteen months ago - there's going to be a level of miscommunication between them after so long without each other. Chopping and changing at this stage really wouldn't help matters. Show a little faith in them and we'll be alright.

Ederson
Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Cancelo
De Bruyne, Fernandinho, D. Silva
Mahrez, Aguero, Sterling

 

[northstander62]

with landing mid morning in Kharkiv and it being a 10pm ko local time, not sure i will be remembering much of the game come thursday morning !

 

[chesterbells]

Do people putting Foden in their team actually he will start or just hoping? He can’t get a game whether we are 3 up or 3 down at the minute.

I doubt Pep will even give him 5 minutes and it’s starting to get frustrating

Wait and see is my view. You may well be right, but this is the first week where we’ve had a midweek game as well. If he doesn’t feature Wednesday (or start the league game at the weekend), then I’ll join the rank of the critical voices, but I’m prepared to wait to see what happens across the next 2 matches.

 

[WestGorton]

Fernandinho must play whether in the middle or the back.

 

[DenisLawBackHeel74]

Draw for me....

 

[rnblade]

Hopefully our defending will have improved by this match.

 

[Colin Bells Boots]

Fernandinho must play whether in the middle or the back.

I expect Pep to play him in this game.

 

[Jacob Smith]

Ederson
Cancelo Stones Otamendi Angelino
Fernandinho
De Bruyne Foden
Bernardo Jesus Sterling

Didn’t actually see the game yesterday so not dropping anybody based on performance, just feel that Cancelo, Angelino, Dinho, Foden and Jesus need to be getting minutes under their belts now that we’re approaching two-games-a-week season

 

[leth]

Norwich was such an out of character performance it's hard to know how to react to it. Swap De Bruyne for Gundogan and that starting line-up was still arguably our strongest one available right now. It's easy to identify players that deserve to be dropped after that showing, but it's very tough to judge how the players that would replace them would get on.

Walker wasn't the worst out of the back four and at least kept trying to drive forward with a bit of urgency late in the game. I can't wait to see what Cancelo can do, but given there are already question marks about the defensive side of his game and how he's quickly he's going to integrate into our complex positional play, i still think we're better starting him in the two games following this one.

Zinchenko was poor, as he has been a bit too often this season. But it was mostly his passing that was wayward yesterday and that's not usually where his game is lacking. It definitely feels like time to give him a rest but Angelino still looked far worse in pre-season and i'm going to assume Mendy will need to shake off the rust and build up his fitness from the bench before he's ready to start. I suppose you could play Cancelo, Walker or Fernandinho at left back but there's no guarantees that wouldn't unstabilize the back four even more.

You can't play as poorly as Otamendi and stay in the team, so Fernandinho should take his place.

I feel like a tricky away fixture in the Champions League is exactly the kind of game where Pep loves to pick Gundogan but such an insipid performance surely confirms he really should be behind Foden in the pecking order on current form. I'd still start De Bruyne and D. Silva though and give Foden a start in the home game against Watford.

Maybe Mahrez for Stirling just based on how many minutes Raheem has played.

In the grand scheme of things, we could probably afford to lose at Shakhtar and still qualify comfortably from that group but it's vital we put that abject performance behind us quickly and avoid an off-day becoming a crisis.