Manchester United F.C. vs. Swansea City A.F.C.

[bosnian_red]

Physioroom has Rooney, Jones and RVP back for this game. Sure as hell hope so.
If that's true, then I'll go for this lineup.

De Gea​

Rafael Smalling Vidic Evra​

Fletcher Jones​

Januzaj Rooney Kagawa​

Van Persie​

​

Carricks been a bit shit since he came back, so I put Fletcher there but either will do. Ideally we'd be able to rest Januzaj but we have nobody to play there. Don't think RVP will start as he's been out for a while but wow do we ever need him, and Rooney, fit and firing.​

 

[Annihilate Now!]

Look at it this way - generally after we lose to these teams, you hear something like "First time in 20+ years they've won at Old Traffod" (Everton) ... "First time in 30+ years they've won at Old Trafford" (Newcastle) "First time they've ever won at Old Trafford" (Swansea) ... frankly, you're not going to hear "First time they've won at Old Trafford since last week" thus it won't happen.

 

[Nick 0208 Ldn]

Just...do something unconventional, change the plan, please.

 

[Devil may care]

I don't think we'll start RvP or Jones but both will get game time I imagine. Rooney will hopefully start though. We need to score early to take some pressure off and ease the nerves.

De Gea

Rafael
Smalling
Vidic
Evra

Valencia
Fletcher
Carrick
Kagawa

Rooney
Welbeck

 

[.Rossi]

We'll win this. . Its the Chelsea and Cardiff games that will cause the mother of all shit storms

 

[Anduin]

Moyes will play:

​

De Gea​

Smalling - Vidic - Ferdinand - Evra​

Carrick - Cleverley​

Valencia - Rooney - Januzaj​

Welbeck​

It will be proper shit on a stick football again. Can't wait, a fourth loss is on the cards lads! The axis of shitness (Smalling as RB, Valencia, Cleverley) can not be broken!

 

[Carl]

If Rooney plays then we have a chance. If not then we'll get beat again as it'll be esentially the same team as the last few games.

 

[Salfordlad70]

Confident about the next two home games for some reason.I think we'll get tanned at Chelsea, a game I will be totally baked for so soften the blow, but this coming Saturday I expect us to come out of our shell! I can't think of a starting eleven but Rooney back would help!

 

[Kaos]

Players will bounce back and we'll put in a more convincing performance.

2-1 to them.

 

[DanNistelrooy]

Cleverley and Valencia should be nowhere near the pitch for me. Cleverley has been okay recently but looked ridiculously tired after about 20 minutes so just let him rest. Never has a player frustrated me more than Valencia, we know what he is capable of but is content hiding on the pitch/drilling cross into the defender. I am baffled as to how he gets all these chances whereas someone like Nani has 1 poor game and is dropped for the next 5 matches

I think Rooney will be back with RVP on the bench so I would go with:

--------------De Gea-----------------

Rafael-----Evans/Vidic--Smalling---Evra

----------Carrick---Fletcher*---------

Januzaj-------Rooney---Kagawa----

------------Welbeck---------------

*Jones if fit

 

[Sassy Colin]

Just...do something unconventional, change the plan, please.

I was listening to the radio yesterday evening before the match & they were announcing the teams. The presenter said 7 changes for United from the Swansea game and then read out the team. To me it sounded exactly the same, it obviously wasn't, but it sounded totally uninspiring and look at the result last night.

 

[Revan]

Look at it this way - generally after we lose to these teams, you hear something like "First time in 20+ years they've won at Old Traffod" (Everton) ... "First time in 30+ years they've won at Old Trafford" (Newcastle) "First time they've ever won at Old Trafford" (Swansea) ... frankly, you're not going to hear "First time they've won at Old Trafford since last week" thus it won't happen.

First time a team defeated two times United at OT within a single week?

 

[dmode]

With Rooney, Van Persie and Jones back, there is a big hope

Time for payback.

 

[ItsEssexRob]

If we lose then I think the axe will most likely swing. It is more than a bad run of form, we've been shite all season. A draw will just about keep him there I think. That's if the Glazers even know what's going on at the moment.

I dont think any run of form bar relegation would cause Moyes' sacking this season. The results may be poor from a United perspective but being 8th, in the last 16 of the CL with a winnable tie and still in a cup semi final is not awful overall.

 

[Sarni]

I dont think any run of form bar relegation would cause Moyes' sacking this season. The results may be poor from a United perspective but being 8th, in the last 16 of the CL with a winnable tie and still in a cup semi final is not awful overall.

What the actual feck? Being 8th isn't awful?

And to be fair no tie is that winnable for us at the minute. I reckon Olympiakos would do us home and away if we were to play them tomorrow.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

We can't possibly lose another one. There's a limit surely to this nonsense.

2-0 to united.

 

[ItsEssexRob]

What the actual feck? Being 8th isn't awful?

And to be fair no tie is that winnable for us at the minute. I reckon Olympiakos would do us home and away if we were to play them tomorrow.

Its not overall for a new managers first season. Obviously in terms of United its poor, but then you have always had the same manager before.

I dont think any of the board would be looking thinking 'oh Christ we might finish 8th lets sack him'.

It would be different in you were hovering above relegation and had been knocked out of all cups and Europe.

 

[Sarni]

Its not overall for a new managers first season. Obviously in terms of United its poor, but then you have always had the same manager before.

I dont think any of the board would be looking thinking 'oh Christ we might finish 8th lets sack him'.

It would be different in you were hovering above relegation and had been knocked out of all cups and Europe.

They better be. If we finish 8th this season he should be nowhere near our club at the beginning of the next one.

8th is terrible. No club of United's status should ever contemplate on deeming that fine. Anything below 4th will be a monumental feck up, in fact even 4th will be a massive let down but given the way season has gone so far it'd actually require a pretty great finish. I don't think there's a slightest chance of us coming within top 4 though.

 

[ItsEssexRob]

They better be. If we finish 8th this season he should be nowhere near our club at the beginning of the next one.

8th is terrible. No club of United's status should ever contemplate on deeming that fine. Anything below 4th will be a monumental feck up, in fact even 4th will be a massive let down but given the way season has gone so far it'd actually require a pretty great finish. I don't think there's a slightest chance of us coming within top 4 though.

You simply have to allow one season to be a write off and judge him on the next, if at the end of next season he didnt improve I would concur, but if you sack him based on this season which is the hardest season any manager has ever had to have in British football ever, you will be setting the worst kind of example, instant success or go. Do you think Klopp, or pep or any other top manager would want to be around that? Look what its done with us, we were running out of top managers, and Uniteds pressure for success is even greater than ours.

 

[Goooose]

Players will bounce back and we'll put in a more convincing performance.

2-1 to them.

 

[Sarni]

You simply have to allow one season to be a write off and judge him on the next, if at the end of next season he didnt improve I would concur, but if you sack him based on this season which is the hardest season any manager has ever had to have in British football ever, you will be setting the worst kind of example, instant success or go. Do you think Klopp, or pep or any other top manager would want to be around that? Look what its done with us, we were running out of top managers, and Uniteds pressure for success is even greater than ours.

Why would we allow him one season as a write off?

You're talking as if he inherited a side with no player, huge debt and enormous expectations. He got a very good team that won the league last season, plenty of money to spend and most people expected him not to win the league/CL the very first season either. The bare minimum is a CL qualification though, he doesn't deliver that he ought to go.

We've been terrible. In my worst nightmares I wouldn't have thought we could be this bad in the Summer. I expected us to lose a few games, maybe not enter the title race if our rivals do well. Our rivals haven't been great points wise and we're out of it in January having lost virtually every single game there was to lose. The likes of Swansea, West Brom and Newcastle come to Old Trafford and win casually. We haven't been bad, we've been ridiculously atrocious.

It'll be ridiculous if he's given another season if we finish 7th.

 

[Nick 0208 Ldn]

I was listening to the radio yesterday evening before the match & they were announcing the teams. The presenter said 7 changes for United from the Swansea game and then read out the team. To me it sounded exactly the same, it obviously wasn't, but it sounded totally uninspiring and look at the result last night.

I've seen more tactical flexibility in Roy Hodgson's time as England manager. So far it's as if Moyes will make a selection or substitution and expect the plan on the pitch to materialise as a result, well except for pass oh so slowly to the right wing and see what happens of course.

Is there a single other manager in the league who wouldn't at least make an effort to mitigate the team's weaknesses over a six month period?

Speaking of radio, Talksport had had Micky "I'm a whopping great big Sunderland fan" Gray as their co-commentator last night [he actually celebrated them winning the penalty].

 

[Gerald G]

Oh how I wish Young or Nani were fit.

 

[Big Papi]

First time a team defeated two times United at OT within a single week?

Probably. Spurs did it in 1989 within two months, Chelsea within 4 months (2005), West Ham in 1986 (either side of Summer)....I was only looking at home cup matches so West Ham's could have been duplicated many times over with league matches.

 

[Nick 0208 Ldn]

Oh how I wish Young or Nani were fit.

Only Young i think.

For whilst Zaha has been exiled beyond the empire Nani is at least under house arrest.

 

[Antisocial]

My choice:​

​

De Gea​

Rafael===Smalling===Vidic===Evra​

Fletcher===Carrick===Cleverley​

Januzaj===Welbeck===Lingard​

​

Assuming all the injured players remain out then I'd like to try the above.​

​

If Evans coming off against Sunderland writes him off as well then the defence starts to become a concern in terms of the number of injuries, so I think we have to go with that as we have no other options (other than Buttner for Evra).​

​

Try three in central-midfield? Hope that Cleverley can provide some energy alongside Fletcher if Carrick plays deeper to support them? Again not many options in terms of the personnel, it's more a question of formation.​

​

In terms of the attack then I think those three could be maybe the most fluid we could set-out. I want to give Jesse Lingard a proper chance from the start - he's earned it in my view and I'd hope the shitness of the team in recent times will take some of the pressure off him and allow him to play his game. Januzaj has been our best player recently, and then it's a choice between Welbeck or Hernandez where I think the former will provide a bit more flexibility to the attack. Valencia and Kagawa (sadly) haven't done enough in my view.​

​

In reality I expect two in central-midfield, Valencia on the right, whomever is available on the left, Lingard in the stands and both Welbeck and Hernandez upfront from the start. Oh, and a poor performance naturally.​

 

[Freak]

-------------------------De Gea-----------------------------
Rafael-------Smalling------------Vidic---------Evra-----
-----------------Carrick----------Fletcher----------------
--------------------------Kagawa--------------------------
Januzaj--------------------------------------Welbeck
----------------------Hernandez--------------------------

 

[Sassy Colin]

My choice:

​

De Gea​

Rafael===Smalling===Vidic===Evra​

Fletcher===Carrick===Cleverley​

Januzaj===Welbeck===Lingard​

​

So you reckon he's going to suddenly start playing 4-3-3?

Or just wishful thinking?

 

[Antisocial]

So you reckon he's going to suddenly start playing 4-3-3?

Or just wishful thinking?

That line-up is just my choice - my thoughts on the actual expected team come at the end of the post. We will not be playing anything like the team I threw together up there, though I would welcome something new from the team to see what happens.

 

[Sassy Colin]

That line-up is just my choice - my thoughts on the actual expected team come at the end of the post. We will not be playing anything like the team I threw together up there, though I would welcome something new from the team to see what happens.

Missed that bit, although I expect you are right

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

Is Robin ever coming back?

 

[Ash_G]

Really hope we see one of Kagawa/Januzaj central and the other tucked in, that's the only approach we've not tried and I think having them close to each other could be our best option right now.


Carrick Fletch
Januzaj Kagawa Welbeck
Hernandez/Rooney if fit

With perhaps either welbeck central and valencia wide for Hernandez if Rooney is still out, though I think Valencia has had his chance now. Either way I'd have fletch and carrick sitting so that the three of the striker can all drift and in particular januzaj and kagawa. I think Januzaj and Kagawa would work nicely. So far when they've played its tended to be on opposite flanks, let them play more centrally togther and get width from evra/rafael.

 

[Eric'sCollar]

Imagine if Cleverley played

 

[Phil]

It's weird and unpleasant not expecting anything from a game. Hopefully it just won't be as flat as recently.

 

[jem]

Moyes will play:

​

De Gea​

Smalling - Vidic - Ferdinand - Evra​

Carrick - Cleverley​

Valencia - Rooney - Januzaj​

Welbeck​

It will be proper shit on a stick football again. Can't wait, a fourth loss is on the cards lads! The axis of shitness (Smalling as RB, Valencia, Cleverley) can not be broken!

That is so fecking depressing (and more than likely the lineup that we will see.)

 

[Glanville95]

feck knows what team we'll field. If Jones, Rooney and van Persie are fit, I'll feel a bit optimistic about us getting the three points. Moyes could be on borrowed time either way, even winning this game and then playing Chelsea away is not the ideal game to gather momentum.

Either way, probably happy to be working on Saturday with our current form.

 

[Salfordlad70]

It's weird and unpleasant not expecting anything from a game. Hopefully it just won't be as flat as recently.

It is Phil! I am still looking forward to Saturday though and all this will pass someday soon, not sure when, and matchdays will be fun once more.For now though, it's exciting in a different way! A win when we're riding high at the top of the league is different from a win that might go some way to saving the clubs arse and fend of your oldest and most loathed enemy.We can have the occcasional slip up at the top, but right now there can be few if any more home hiccups.Swansea at home has become a huge fixture.We're 5 behind Liverpool and we must catch them and take 4th spot.It's on!

 

[Carl]

Like I mentioned previously if Rooney is out then we'll get beat again. Rather than play the same old shit why doesn't Moyes dip into the academy for a young midfield player? It is a home game afterall.

 

[TheGame]

That is so fecking depressing (and more than likely the lineup that we will see.)

That team should be beating teams like Swansea, I don't see any problems with that selection. Obviously its not the one I would play but its still a decent team.

 

[pocco]

Like I mentioned previously if Rooney is out then we'll get beat again. Rather than play the same old shit why doesn't Moyes dip into the academy for a young midfield player? It is a home game afterall.

Seriously?