United away - pre-match thread

[MCFC1993]

Bravo, Kompany and Gundogan to come in if they're fit. Possibly Kolarov if Vinny isn't fit, Sagna has to come in for Zaba, Sane can be a threat from the bench. Fingers crossed we get no injuries over the international break.

------------------------------------Bravo
Sagna------Kompany/Kolarov---------Stones-------Clichy
-------------------------------Fernandinho
---------------Gundogan---------------------Silva
Sterling-------------------Aguero/Kelechi---------De Bruyne/Nolito

or

------------------------------------Bravo
Fernandinho------Kompany/Kolarov---------Stones-------Clichy
-------------------------------Gundogan
---------------De Bruyne---------------------Silva
Sterling-------------------Aguero/Kelechi---------Nolito

Tbh i've no idea what Pep is going to do for this one but i'm sure he'll find a way. My one concern would be our height, they have quite a tall team so we'll need to combat that in certain areas.

 

[Blue Smarties]

I wouldn't take a draw, fuck that. We can beat these cunts in their own backyard, with or without Sergio. They're scared. Deep down, they know it. Hence the reaction over Sergio.

 

[SWP's back]

Bravo, Kompany and Gundogan to come in if they're fit. Possibly Kolarov if Vinny isn't fit, Sagna has to come in for Zaba, Sane can be a threat from the bench. Fingers crossed we get no injuries over the international break.

------------------------------------Bravo
Sagna------Kompany/Kolarov---------Stones-------Clichy
-------------------------------Fernandinho
---------------Gundogan---------------------Silva
Sterling-------------------Aguero/Kelechi---------De Bruyne/Nolito

or

------------------------------------Bravo
Fernandinho------Kompany/Kolarov---------Stones-------Clichy
-------------------------------Gundogan
---------------De Bruyne---------------------Silva
Sterling-------------------Aguero/Kelechi---------Nolito

Tbh i've no idea what Pep is going to do for this one but i'm sure he'll find a way. My one concern would be our height, they have quite a tall team so we'll need to combat that in certain areas.

-------------------------------bravo
Dinho-------------Kompany-----------stones----------kolarov
----------------------------Gundogan
---------------------KDB -------------silva
Sterling--------------Aguero/sane------------Nolito


We'd boss the midfield there.

 

[teddykgb]

It was this wretched international break that undid a ton of momentum we had last season. I'm eager to see us come back and play with purpose again. I feel confident because we have a tremendous manager and a system that creates the spaces for them -- the pieces are more interchangeable and the roles more defined so if a player loses form or finds injury I don't think we will struggle as much as a squad to replicate the balance of the squad.

This match figures to be difficult. It's super interesting tactically. The inverted FB idea gives us layers all over the pitch but United's probable 4-2-3-1 is the defensive equivalent. They'll surely cede all kinds of ground and I don't think we'll see Ibra harassing our CBs much. But the pockets that David and KDB have operated in will probably not exist. This will be a day for our most intricate long passers, probably from the back, to find ways to bypass the layers and probably for the wide players to hug their touchline in order to force the holding midfielders to make choices. Neither Fellaini nor Pogba are the fastest players in short spaces so it will probably require some intricate play to play around them and into those positions. I think wisdom favors a draw in the sense that United are likely to play not to concede and we'll likely have the ability to hold the ball around this 65-70% we seem to be hovering at thus far.

I worry about Martial. And I hope that Mourinho continues to not see how much better Mhkitaryan is than almost all of his other attacking options. West Ham showed something we already knew -- long balls played into spaces, particularly wide spaces with our FBs tucked inside, will be a way to immediately cause some pressure and panic in our back line. If we're attacking well and counter pressing appropriately, the wide attackers should have to come deep to help out and thus won't be available as an outlet. If ever there were a match for them to sit Ibra and play Rashford it might be this one but I can't imagine Mourinho sitting him for the first derby (thank god). I'll feel a lot better when Rooney and Ibra are on their team sheet as it's pace and trickery that scare me the most from open play. Crosses and corners have a way of evening out in the long haul and everyone will concede those from time to time.

edit: As to Gundogan, Sane, and Kompany -- I don't think you can introduce all 3 at once to the squad without suffering. We can't know their relative fitness and if any of them can go 90 but I don't think it'd be wise to risk introducing more than 1 of them into the starting mix. I'd probably favor Sane as I think his mystery factor and more simplistic instruction set would give him the most likely to succeed tag even with his youth. But I'd be pretty worried if all 3 were thrown into the team without a match to get used to the rhythms and movement of live play against opponents who mean it.

 

[manimanc]

If we play like the first 45 yesterday then we have to fancy ourselves. Peg will set up go nullify us as that's what he does in the big games. I'd take a cheeky 1-0 right now. Pep has the minerals for big games that is a ded cert. Bring it on.

 

[Blue Elmo]

This will be the big test. The rags have some personality about them now and a bit of arrogance, and have quality in areas that could cause a few issues, Martial etc. I don't think they've been great in the games I've seen, they gave Southampton a lot of room out wide a few weeks back that we could exploit. But I honestly don't know how the games going to go.

At times I look at us and wonder whether we have enough character and personality ourselves, in terms of leaders who will grab the game by the scruff of the neck, be it defensively or in the midfield, like Yaya used to. But then again I look back at Peps Barca, where there were a group of seemingly quiet players (Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Villa, Busquets) all of whom are not terribly physical or combative, and they took apart Mourinho's Madrid with total football. So whether we could pull that off at the Swamp is yet to be seen, but if fit, I'd play Kompany for pure leadership and someone to look to.

Without Aguero, I'd probably take the draw but Kelechi up on his own can still cause problems. These days it's the build up play that does a lot of the work for Sergio and as long as Silva/KDB are on song, he still should have some joy. It will be tight, but like us, United haven't been properly tested yet. I think the movement in behind the midfield could cause Pogba issues defensively, as it's been seen he can struggle going backwards, and the human Bogbrush could be out which may disrupt their midfield. We ourselves might need to adjust and maybe play one more defensive minded midfield player and potentially shift De Bruyne wide to be a bit more solid. Very interesting game that will tell us truly where we're up to, but we can definitely do them damage.

 

[mancityandme]

Sorry for me Kompany if fit has to start. Not only for his height but experience.
Maybe try Kolarov along side him for the same reasons. We have to trust in pep but knowing they have the swede up front this will help.
I think anyway we'll smash them!

 

[Luke The Blue]

If Aguero doesn't get banned and everyone stays fit with no injuries wonder what our bench will be like?

 

[Vienna_70]

I think The physicality and mobility of West Ham was a good test. Zebra doesnt hv the mobility. So they hv to rely on Valencia overloading the right flank and crossing. Mou's best bet is Rashford running the channels behind constantly as their midfield look for balls over the top. Certainly Dinho as Right back, doubling up in midfield and Gundogan in #4 allows us to play our strong front 5. Pep will ask Sterling to switch flanks depending upon which flank is troubling us, to pin them back. But their midfield is so immobile. With our two floating 8s, we should win the midfield, unless Mou sacrifices a wide player and clogs the midfield as he always tends to do against Pep.

The reality is they will want a scrappy game. We will want our players to be clinical, coz, we WILL create chances.

Can't you spell 'have'?

 

[mcfc1996]

Elbows won't be paying (ours and theirs) so it takes a bit of height out their team. But Stoke, Sunderland and West Ham are big teams and we dealt with them. I don't know why cos I hate playing them lot but I feel we are going to hammer them. Not 6-1 like the old days but I can see us giving it them. If we play like the first half yesterday they won't get near us.