What would you do with the team/squad through the March fixture list?

[Fortitude]

per the BBC:

March 2017

Show last 5 matches and coverage Competition Fixture Date Kick-off Status

Premier League
Manchester UnitedvBournemouth - Sat 4 Mar 12:30

Europa League -Round of 16
FC RostovvManchester United - Thu 9 Mar

FA Cup - Sixth Round
ChelseavManchester United - Mon 13 Mar 19:45

Europa League -Round of 16
Manchester UnitedvFC Rostov - Thu 16 Mar 18:00

Premier League
MiddlesbroughvManchester United - Sun 19 Mar 12:00

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Would you play the best availble xi for each fixture, or would you gamble and send a weakened team to Russia? Would you ditch the FA Cup, or just carry on until the wheels fall off (if they do)?

 

[Man-United]

I would have rested players against St Etienne on wednesday. Now there's not much chances left to rest players so Jose should just accept it and stop blaming our fixture list if we lose. He's had many chances to rest players but not taken it.

Rotate against Chelsea, apart from that strongest team.

 

[ADJUDICATOR]

Best XI for Europa 1st Leg and Fa Cup 6th round. The rest, rotation when necessary.

 

[Skills]

International break is coming up. Pull them all out for that

 

[shaky]

Best 11 for every game. Rest players as required. Pretty easy this management lark really.

 

[Manny]

I think we should play our first XI up until Boro considering the gaps between each fixture.

Sat-Thu-Mon-Thu is doable.

 

[JoaquinJoaquin]

I'd start by giving BFS more chances. Possibly bring Luke Shaw back into the mix aswell.

 

[ManRed]

I would have rested players against St Etienne on wednesday. Now there's not much chances left to rest players so Jose should just accept it and stop blaming our fixture list if we lose. He's had many chances to rest players but not taken it.

Rotate against Chelsea, apart from that strongest team.

This ^

FA Cup is the least important now as in return the Europa League and Premier League offer much more. Our squad after January transfer window is not really that big as people thing. 1/2 injuries to key players like Ibra, Pogba or even Mata can be huge for the chase.

I would only play a strong team in FA Cup if we win big in Russia as then we can rest key players for the 2nd leg.

 

[Android1974]

I'd start by giving BFS more chances. Possibly bring Luke Shaw back into the mix aswell.

The problem is that we have many defensive players to rotate, not so much upfront. And with Mkhitaryan's injury, that might become a serious problem, one that might make us revert to the 4-3-3 or even have to try Young as winger again.

I would always play the first team, except for a defensive/counter-attacking display with Rostov away (where Young could deputize for Valencia, for instance, Schweinsteiger for Carrick or Fellaini for Herrera). And I would rest individually as they need.

 

[Revan]

The problem is that we have many defensive players to rotate, not so much upfront. And with Mkhitaryan's injury, that might become a serious problem, one that might make us revert to the 4-3-3 or even have to try Young as winger again.

I would always play the first team, except for a defensive/counter-attacking display with Rostov away (where Young could deputize for Valencia, for instance, Schweinsteiger for Carrick or Fellaini for Herrera). And I would rest individually as they need.

If we play 4-3-3 we have Ibra, Martial, Mata and Rashford for three positions, in addition to Lingard who can do a job. Hardly a difficult position to be with.

If Carrick is off for some time, Jose should utilize BFS regularly.

 

[RedMaestro]

This ^

FA Cup is the least important now as in return the Europa League and Premier League offer much more. Our squad after January transfer window is not really that big as people thing. 1/2 injuries to key players like Ibra, Pogba or even Mata can be huge for the chase.

I would only play a strong team in FA Cup if we win big in Russia as then we can rest key players for the 2nd leg.

You may be right about that, but a match against Chelsea has a lot of prestige in it, especially after the 4-0 defeat. What if resting the important players would mean a new big defeat?

 

[Raoul]

Start the best XI for every game and rotate key players as much as possible after 60 minutes. Utilyze BFS and Fellaini more later in games, to keep Pogba and Herrera fresh for the next fixture.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

Start the best XI for every game and rotate key players as much as possible after 60 minutes. Utilyze BFS and Fellaini more later in games, to keep Pogba and Herrera fresh for the next fixture.

Too much common sense @Raoul

 

[rpg]

Field best teams every game. The team have to be set up to get the job done quickly in first half.
Against Epl Boro and Bournemouth, playing our usual team with 1-2 rotations should be able to get the wins.
Against Chelsea we have to go all out and make a statement.
In Europa cup, just hope we doesnt do badly away, and we should have no problem sealing it at home later.

 

[Snow]

Assess my squad game by game and field my strongest squad that's fit each time except maybe the 2nd leg against Rostov if the away result is favorable.

 

[AgentP]

The first 3 games shouldn't be a problem because we will have sufficient break in between. The last 2 will be a bit harder to manage with less than 48 hours gap before them. So stick with the best team till Chelsea game. Then depending on the away result against Rostov, rest a few players. The priority should be PL>EL>FA.

 

[Footyislife]

Rotate squad depending on how first leg goes against Rostov. If it goes well i'd start a strong team against Chelsea and then play a weak team with the second leg against Rostov. If it goes badly I'd give lower priority to FA Cup relative to PL and Europa League. Give some key players like Ibra, Martial, Herrrera, Pogba some rest, but give the likes of Luke Shaw, Rashford, Rooney, TFM, and BFS a chance to show us what they've got. If Martial and Mkhi are healthy, i'd start hem every important game so we have plenty of chances to score. Otherwise i'd say it we'd have a big challenge ahead of us.

 

[AgentP]

We are not going to ditch any competition. What we will do is use our squad properly. Just rotate one or two players each game so that everyone gets a bit of rest. Only Pogba and De Gea might play all the 5 games.

For example, we will play 433 in only two games IMO against Chelsea and Rostov away. So Carrick will start those two games alone. In the remaining 3, we will play just Pogba and Herrera in midfield. We can also rotate our defenders as there won't be that huge a drop in quality. It's only the front 4 that will be a bit hard to rotate as the quality drop is pretty steep.

If all players are fit, I'd like us to have the following line-up for the 5 games-

Bournemouth:

De Gea
Valencia Bailly Smalling Blind
Herrera Pogba
Mata Mkhi Martial
Zlatan
​

Rostov away:

De Gea
Valencia Jones Rojo Blind
Carrick
Fellaini Pogba
Mkhi Rashford Martial
​

Chelsea:

De Gea
Valencia Bailly Smalling Rojo
Carrick
Herrera Pogba
Mata Zlatan Mkhi
​

Rostov home:

De Gea
Young Jones Rojo Darmian
Herrera Pogba
Rashford Mata Martial
Zlatan
​

Middlesbrough:

De Gea
Valencia Bailly Smalling Blind
Herrera Pogba
Mata Mkhi Martial
Zlatan

​

 

[RedMaestro]

We are not going to ditch any competition. What we will do is use our squad properly. Just rotate one or two players each game so that everyone gets a bit of rest. Only Pogba and De Gea might play all the 5 games.

For example, we will play 433 in only two games IMO against Chelsea and Rostov away. So Carrick will start those two games alone. In the remaining 3, we will play just Pogba and Herrera in midfield. We can also rotate our defenders as there won't be that huge a drop in quality. It's only the front 4 that will be a bit hard to rotate as the quality drop is pretty steep.

If all players are fit, I'd like us to have the following line-up for the 5 games-

Bournemouth:

De Gea
Valencia Bailly Smalling Blind
Herrera Pogba
Mata Mkhi Martial
Zlatan
​

Rostov away:

De Gea
Valencia Jones Rojo Blind
Carrick
Fellaini Pogba
Mkhi Rashford Martial
​

Chelsea:

De Gea
Valencia Bailly Smalling Rojo
Carrick
Herrera Pogba
Mata Zlatan Mkhi
​

Rostov home:

De Gea
Young Jones Rojo Darmian
Herrera Pogba
Rashford Mata Martial
Zlatan
​

Middlesbrough:

De Gea
Valencia Bailly Smalling Blind
Herrera Pogba
Mata Mkhi Martial
Zlatan

​

Rojo and Jones will probably not be the partnership in the away match against Rostov, since Jones probably won't be match-fit even if available. It's easier to make simple mistakes when you don't play frequently, especially important for a defender. Valencia will probably also not play if the pitch is similar to the one like the match against Zorya (Mourinho said that he protected him because of the condition of the pitch) and he'll use Ibra too, especially if they are as strong and physical as some say they are. Romero will also probably continue as the Cup GK.

Not sure, but I'd think Rashford would be the choice instead of Mata against Chelsea, because of his speed. Maybe even Lingard, because of his workrate, which will be needed against the hard working Chelsea.

Rooney will surely get a chance in one of the "easier" matches or if for instance the home match against Rostov is basically a "formality" (big lead).

 

[GM K]

You may be right about that, but a match against Chelsea has a lot of prestige in it, especially after the 4-0 defeat. What if resting the important players would mean a new big defeat?

Does this February 2017 Manchester United team look like a team Chelsea can thrash again, even with the rotated players? No way. If Chelsea wins, it will be a slim margin.

I am not sure there is much of a problem. After the EFL final, the team has a whole week to 'rest' (well, rest and train I guess).

 

[GM K]

We are not going to ditch any competition. What we will do is use our squad properly. Just rotate one or two players each game so that everyone gets a bit of rest. Only Pogba and De Gea might play all the 5 games.

For example, we will play 433 in only two games IMO against Chelsea and Rostov away. So Carrick will start those two games alone. In the remaining 3, we will play just Pogba and Herrera in midfield. We can also rotate our defenders as there won't be that huge a drop in quality. It's only the front 4 that will be a bit hard to rotate as the quality drop is pretty steep.

If all players are fit, I'd like us to have the following line-up for the 5 games-

Bournemouth:

De Gea
Valencia Bailly Smalling Blind
Herrera Pogba
Mata Mkhi Martial
Zlatan
​

Rostov away:

De Gea
Valencia Jones Rojo Blind
Carrick
Fellaini Pogba
Mkhi Rashford Martial
​

Chelsea:

De Gea
Valencia Bailly Smalling Rojo
Carrick
Herrera Pogba
Mata Zlatan Mkhi
​

Rostov home:

De Gea
Young Jones Rojo Darmian
Herrera Pogba
Rashford Mata Martial
Zlatan
​

Middlesbrough:

De Gea
Valencia Bailly Smalling Blind
Herrera Pogba
Mata Mkhi Martial
Zlatan

​

Surely, Rooney and Bastian have to be somewhere in there. They may not have been at their best but we are talking about the big occasions here. These guys were born for the big occasions and the team can certainly do with fresh legs in the coming weeks.

 

[AgentP]

Rojo and Jones will probably not be the partnership in the away match against Rostov, since Jones probably won't be match-fit even if available. It's easier to make simple mistakes when you don't play frequently, especially important for a defender. Valencia will probably also not play if the pitch is similar to the one like the match against Zorya (Mourinho said that he protected him because of the condition of the pitch) and he'll use Ibra too, especially if they are as strong and physical as some say they are. Romero will also probably continue as the Cup GK.

Not sure, but I'd think Rashford would be the choice instead of Mata against Chelsea, because of his speed. Maybe even Lingard, because of his workrate, which will be needed against the hard working Chelsea.

Rooney will surely get a chance in one of the "easier" matches or if for instance the home match against Rostov is basically a "formality" (big lead).

Jose said Jones is doubtful for the EFL final so I am hoping for him to be fit by then. Bailly is suspended for that game because of his red card, so Smalling is the only other option. I just chose Jones because Jones-Rojo are a good partnership.

If that's the case with Valencia, then probably Young would play. And if Zlatan plays against Rostov, we need to finish the tie in that leg, else there won't be any other match where he can be rested. Since teams like Bayern and Athletico couldn't win convincingly against them away, I thought it would be better to keep Zlatan ready for the home leg. Not sure about Romero.

Against Chelsea, I agree we will need someone better to handle Hazard and Alonso. Maybe Mkhi or Rashford will play instead. Rooney and Bastian will play against Rostov at home if we win the away leg by a decent margin. But otherwise, I don't see any match where they will be needed from the start.

 

[AgentP]

Surely, Rooney and Bastian have to be somewhere in there. They may not have been at their best but we are talking about the big occasions here. These guys were born for the big occasions and the team can certainly do with fresh legs in the coming weeks.

I agree these two are big game players. But they have not really done anything to deserve a place in the starting XI. I can see them being used a lot from the bench though to see out games when we have the lead. The game against Rostov at home is the only game they might get a chance to start.

 

[RedMaestro]

Jose said Jones is doubtful for the EFL final so I am hoping for him to be fit by then. Bailly is suspended for that game because of his red card, so Smalling is the only other option. I just chose Jones because Jones-Rojo are a good partnership.

If that's the case with Valencia, then probably Young would play. And if Zlatan plays against Rostov, we need to finish the tie in that leg, else there won't be any other match where he can be rested. Since teams like Bayern and Athletico couldn't win convincingly against them away, I thought it would be better to keep Zlatan ready for the home leg. Not sure about Romero.

Against Chelsea, I agree we will need someone better to handle Hazard and Alonso. Maybe Mkhi or Rashford will play instead. Rooney and Bastian will play against Rostov at home if we win the away leg by a decent margin. But otherwise, I don't see any match where they will be needed from the start.

Agree with everything you wrote, but Jones will probably not play even if he's fit. At least not if he doesn't get some minutes before the Europa League. Like I said, it's important to have played a bit, otherwise the CB's timing will be a little off - which is one of the most important things for a CB.

So I think Mourinho will use the same CB's until one of them "breaks". Just like he's done this far. At first, Bailly was the starter, then he left for AFCON - then Rojo/Jones was the choice, then Jones got injured - then it was time for Smalling if I remember things in the right order. It has worked well until now and hopefully it will continue to work. CB's are generally able to play a bit more "frequent" than other positions, especially if it's matches when the team control the match. Chelsea will probably be the only strenuous match in these fixtures for them.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

I don't see any issue with the first 3 matches. In fact, if we can do a great job in Russia, I don't see a problem with the fixture list in March at all.

The problem arises if we get a poor result in Russia.

 

[AN17]

Rostov away

Zlatan

Martial Rooney Mata

Pogba Fellaini

Blind Smalling Rojo Young

Vs Chelsea:

Zlatan

Martial Pogba Mkhi

Herrera Carrick

Rojo Bailly Smalling Valencia

Rostov @ OT

Rashford

Mkhi Mata Lingard/Rooney

Pogba Herrera

Blind Smalling Bailly Valencia/Young

 

[AgentP]

Agree with everything you wrote, but Jones will probably not play even if he's fit. At least not if he doesn't get some minutes before the Europa League. Like I said, it's important to have played a bit, otherwise the CB's timing will be a little off - which is one of the most important things for a CB.

So I think Mourinho will use the same CB's until one of them "breaks". Just like he's done this far. At first, Bailly was the starter, then he left for AFCON - then Rojo/Jones was the choice, then Jones got injured - then it was time for Smalling if I remember things in the right order. It has worked well until now and hopefully it will continue to work. CB's are generally able to play a bit more "frequent" than other positions, especially if it's matches when the team control the match. Chelsea will probably be the only strenuous match in these fixtures for them.

Yup, I guess you are right about the CBs and how Jose uses them. Chelsea is the only game I'm not too confident about. The rest of the games, if we play to our level, we will win.

 

[wolvored]

We should always play our strongest side, as there are no easy games anymore. Look at the Blackburn game for instance. If were winning well we can always sub 2-3 players in the second half.

 

[Fortitude]

Jose just mentioned tiredness and the difference in the legs of the two teams. March hasn't even started yet and we're on weary legs. I think game-by-game management is going to be huge throughout the upcoming month.

 

[Ludens the Red]

Above all else id like Mourinho to stop talking about tiredness. I think it can play on a players mind. I don't see how repeatedly mentioning it is helpful. In fact it is counter productive. Today's match was like a lot of games we've had against Southampton down the years, are we going to blame tiredness for those games too?
It's ironic though that the team that looked tired and ran into the ground was Southampton and inevitably it cost them the game in those crucial last 15.

We routinely make six changes a game and recently the players starting and playing most minutes are the ones winning us matches. The worse performer today didn't even play on Wednesday.
We have a big enough squad to cope with it all and itd be nice if our manager could not speak about it so much.

 

[charlenefan]

Apart from Rostov/Boro at the end of the month the break between fixtures in March should be more than enough

April/May will be testing though

 

[top1whoisman]

Such a funny spring coming up. Between the 12th of February and the end of March (48 days) we play two league games.

 

[NYAS]

I would prioritize playing the likes of Zlatan (6"5, hard as feck as the song goes) and Mkhitaryan (experience playing in Eastern Europe) in Rostov. They showed their quality in such conditions when we played at Zorya.

Other than that, I would play full-strength against Bournemouth, a mix at Rostov, full-strength at Chelsea, mix at home to Rostov (depending on the 1st-leg result) and full-strength at Middlesbrough.

 

[LuisNaniencia]

Chelsea has to be the fixture to give, but I wonder if we could win it with a bit of tactical genius while resting players.

Unfortunately it will be a very tough game as Chelsea only have this and the league to think and out so will be very strong.

 

[Smacky The Frog]

I'd ask Jose what he'd do, then do that.