Strategy vs Lineup

Grunge

There's been plenty of speculation about the lineup for Moscow although most debate seems to be about who will sit out but starting line-ups aside, how will Fergie send the team out?

To play like we typically do in the Premiership? Hell for leather early on, chasing anything and everything that moves, forcing mistakes, latching onto the errors and powering forward as soon as we get possesion and creating chance after chance until we score?
or
What we've come to expect to see from him in the Champions League fixtures where we play a more cagey, tight defensive game; drawing the opposition in, so we can score on the counter and cause them to open up even more space in behind?

IMO the game at the Bridge was nothing like what Chulski will see in Moscow. Yes, we went there to win if possible, but we also went there like a poker player not wanting to show the full hand until the "river card" card is laid down and final bets are placed. We deserved a point but Fergie's rant about the penalty that shouldn't have been given was definitely part of his usual kid-ology.

Beware the master tactician Avram ... you'll be on your knees again in Russia, but this time in awe of the Red Devils. Champions of Europe! (again)

Chapster

as long as we don't go out like we did in last seasons FA cup where we were very cagey..

If we went out and played I've no doubt we'd blast them off the park.

Keyzer Soze

I expect this game to be tight as a Nuns you know what, each team will play 4-3-3 and the midfield is key. I can see it being a real battle in the engine room and the GK, Def, Mid are quite evenly matched between the two teams. I think it will come down to what the front three of each team is able to do and moments of individual brilliance. This is where we have an edge the holy trinity of Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez is greater than anything Chelsea can come up with. In fact they are better than anyone in the world IMO.

VoetbalWizard

even with our cageyness giggsy had 3 golden chances to pop in a goal, wazza had a couple chances as well.

we'll get chances against chelsea, we'll have to be clinical.

VoetbalWizard

if it becomes a through the middle midfield battle though, chelsea will over run us. ballack/lampard/makalele with essien crashing in from right back will keep overwhelming our midfield if we let them play through the middle constanly.

we'll have to keep pressure on them with our wing superiority out wide to pull their compact midfield out wide where they aren't as comfortable, thereby giving our weaker but technically gifted midfield space and time to do incisive damage with passing.

reddevilcanada

it will be another cagey and nailbiting affair like the fa cup final last season, the stakes are simply way too high for either team to risk getting caught on the counter-attack.

Keyzer Soze

I agree that is a possibility as it is what happened last game especially Essien. Thats why i think Anderson, Hargreaves and Scholes should pay though it may not be likely, and Carrick has played well. Carrick and Scholes are not the quickest or most athletic and we could get over ran with them both in there. Anderson and Hargreaves could match them stride for stride.

giggs-beckham

This would be team as we saw against barca scholes was a capable ball winner.

vds

brown ferdinand vidic evra

hargreaves scholes anderson

ronaldo rooney tevez

Chris H

Sure, when we set out to play defensively for 90 minutes. Hasn't looked so much like a ball winner when we're actually trying to attack.

Scholesy_LEGEND

fergie almost always play one up front in euro games lately. but chelsea arent an 'euro' team. so god knows what his strategy will be.

fletcher might play. he rates him highly in big matches against english teams. hargreaves and park has euro experience as well. he fancy park a lot these last few games but brown will get back his RB position in my opinion.

so, it might then be:

.................vds..................
....brown...rio...vidic...evra....
fletcher..scholes..carrick..park
.............rooney..................
.............ronaldo.................

Keyzer Soze

That does not really make sense because the whole point is to have Scholes for his playmaking ability and work rate alongside two others. When were attacking Scholes is usually the catalyst and leaves the ball winning or deep lying position to Carrick or Hargreaves.

Chris H

I was responding to a post which put Scholes in a starting 11 that would ask him to do a lot of ballwinning. Post #8, see above. My claim would be that Scholes can be a capable ball winner only under the circumstancea where we set out to play defensively for 90 minutes. Outside of those tactical conditions, ballwinning is far from his strength, and not something he tends to do while at the same time looking to act as playmaker. Would you disagree, or was there a misunderstanding there?

Julian Denny

Wot no Carrick ? Put in Carrick instead of Anderson and that's our best X1 - with Carrick and OH slightly deeper than Scholes who must be allowed to play his natural game. I just hope Fergie doesn't overdo the defensive bit with Rooney or Ronnie upfront alone - there's no need for it.

Ruben

Carrick has to play. Together with Scholes and one of Hargreaves/Fletcher to hustle around a bit.

Will be a very tight game, the midfield will be crowded as it usually is in these sorts of games and therefore it`s important that we keep our width, probably with Ronaldo and Park. I imagine Rooney will play alone on top, so he has to stay there, and not wander off home too much.

Other than that it`s the usual stuff, you won`t get many chances in a game like this so set pieces for and against are even more important. They`ve got serious threats in Carvalho, Terry, Ballack and Drogba from set pieces so we have to take care of that in some way.

Boogie Woogie

I dont care about who Fergie puts out although my guess is the best United 11. This game will not be won on abilities but who can settle the nerves quickest and who really wants it. Our abilities is unquestioned as is Chelsea's. Heart and Desire will win this one

BaldwinLegend

Don't think so - it'll be United's brilliance against Chelsea's experience.

wancolos

We should approach them like we did at Old Trafford earlier this season.

Infact, I wouldn't mind if we played the exact same team.

VDS

Brown
Rio
Vidic
Evra

Ronaldo
Scholes
Carrick
Giggs

Tevez
Rooney

ERICSAGOD

I just pray it is not a re-run of the FA Cup final we had against Chelsea.


I'd rather loose playing attractive, attacking football, than go out to a late Chelsea goal whilst playing negative cagey football.

Fergie's gum

The question is would you rather win playing unadventurous cagey football or lose playing beautiful full-blown attacking football.

ERICSAGOD

We are Manchester United, we should play the United way.

Julian Denny

That was a daft set up with Rooney & Giggs upfront. Giggs's performance in that match convinced me he was no longer the player he had been - that's another story which we won't go into again here. This time if we play Rooney, Ronaldo & Tevez in a flexible combo upfront and let them have a full go, backed up by Scholes (man of the match in the FAC final) and Carrick with Hargreaves covering it should be our best line up. Having said that I won't be surprised if Fergie goes in with someone like Park instead of Tevez with Rooney on his own.

Bilbo

433. Fairly tight set-up. Scholes and Carrick doing what they do in the middle, with Hargreaves roaming about and getting busy. Interchangeable forwards. Pretty much what we do best.

If we play well, we should win the game. Chelsea will press us all over the pitch, so the ball over the top might be a crucial tactic for us. I'd actually have Ronaldo playing right up against the centre-backs as much as possible, with Rooney and Tevez sitting behind. Chelsea have a problem at RB, so we'll be looking to double up on whoever is there as often as possible.

First goal will win it, I reckon, and we've been better than anyone at nicking results this season.

Bilbo

Last years cup final is pretty much irrelevant. Both teams were shot to pieces by then. We'll have two fresher sides this time around and hopefully a much better game. Last years match would have been a dreadful advert for English football.

Julian Denny

Yes but I expect this one to be very tight too - there's so much at stake.

Bilbo

I agree. It will be tight. Can't play any other way against Chelsea.

Hopefully the fresher legs around the pitch will mean a bit more movement and incident than last year. God, that was a terrible match.

Julian Denny

It was a dreadful match, one which we should have won had we had any sort
of nous upfront. Hopefully this should be better for the reasons you give. It's such a pity this game is against Chelsea - they are past masters at killing off a game. It can be worse than watching paint dry. God help us if they score first - although I remember saying something similar about Spurs' predicament watching the Carling Cup Final this year when they went a goal down !

Bilbo

I'm not convinced that Avram is anywhere near as skilled a tactician as Mourinho was. He had his teams so well drilled that most any opponent could, and usually was, nullified.

Chelsea's form has improved somewhat over the last few weeks, but despite how close they ran us in the league I still think there are problems in the side. Weaknesses that can be exploited. The defence can be got at far more easily than last season, Cech doesn't look quite so invincible, the wingers don't offer quite as much as they used to.

Lots of reasons to be confident going into this. United are rightly favourites.

spinoza

We'll go down against Chelsea

spinoza

The problem is that there aren't that many channels to exploit. They've got pretty good fullbacks, which means that we can't get behind their defence from the wings, and the midfield is usually quite congested. We do need that space in the absence of any defence splitting passes.

Scholes and Carrick need to pull out some real beauties.