2nd string against Chelsea? Or do we risk more tiredness

[Adam-Utd]

2 days rest until we play a Chelsea team with 5 days rest. Really unfair, but we can’t do anything about it.

West Ham at home in 6 days in a must win match.

I’d love to beat Chelsea and get to the final but with the risk of extra time and penalties can we really risk even more fatigue? The lads look like they’re hanging on by strings as it is.

I say screw it, play a 2nd team and see what happens.

romero, maguire, Bailly, Williams, TFM, fred, mctominay, James, pereira, mata, Ighalo.

have rashford, martial, Bruno, pogba and shaw ready to come on at 70 if we’re still 0-0 or only 1 down.

I hate the idea of gifting them a win but top 4 is just way more important, this isn’t even the final.

 

[Lee565]

I cant imagine chelsea will play their full strength team considering that a loss to liverpool could hit their top 4 chances big time so I think we can get away with making an abundant of changes.

 

[Paul_Scholes18]

I would go with

De Gea
TFM Bailly Lindelöf Williams
Matic Fred
James Martial Rashford
Ighalo

Testing Martial as a second striker and see how that goes.
Martial and Rashford looks fresh so would keep playing them. They are matchwinners and we need them.
Can play a bit more on the counter. Matic should be fresh too after resting vs Palace.

Pogba and Bruno not playing that well so keep them on the bench. Maguire getting so many knocks could need a rest too.

 

[Cloud7]

Fifth string

 

[izec]

I would rest the first team. CL football next year is a must if we want Sancho. Sancho or FA cup

 

[sammsky1]

I cant imagine chelsea will play their full strength team considering that a loss to liverpool could hit their top 4 chances big time so I think we can get away with making an abundant of changes.

We could take the entire squad to Wembley and decide what we do once it’s obvious what Chelsea plan is.

Or perhaps Ole and Frank can have a very private chat and agree what they will both do!

 

[SAFMUTD]

Feck the FA Cup, I know its a title against top 4, but the economic impact of missing top 4 is huge and we risk not getting potential players because of it. So we should focus all our strenghts in the next two league matches.

Play the second team against Chelsea and whatever happens happens.

 

[syrian_scholes]

Rest for me, feck the FA cup.

 

[Sandikan]

A couple of changes. Nothing silly.

It's an fa cup semi final for goodness sake.

 

[Bastian]

It's the same as "do we take the FA Cup seriously" thread, no?

2nd string. For sure. 3rd string on the bench.

 

[Adisa]

Whoever is responsible for the fixtures need fecking off. How is that acceptable?

 

[van Persie]

FA cup is not what it used to be. As much I want us to win the trophy I don't see any reason for us not to rotate and keep ourselves in the position to get top 4. Same with every other national cup trophy these days.

Start:

Romero
Dalot Bailly Tuanzebe Fosu-Mensah
Fred McTominay
Lingard Mata Pereira
Ighalo

 

[Andersonson]

Trophy all the way. West Ham will win against Watford tomorrow and Moyes will let us win win.

On a serious note, play a mix. We're man united, we're going for everything we can

 

[peridigm]

Play a strong team. Don’t want Chelsea going into the Liverpool match on a high.

 

[Cutch]

Take the gamble that Chelsea will be heavily rotated ahead of their game against Liverpool which is vital for them.

The Carabao Cup game was also 2 much changed sides and maybe a lineup not dissimilar. That day it was:

Romero

AWB
Lindelof
Maguire
Rojo
Williams

Fred
Mctominay
Lingard

James
Rashford

I'd go for

De Gea
Dalot
Lindelof
Maguire
Bailly
Williams
Fred
McTominay
Lingard/Pereira
Martial
James

Hope we're still in the game with an hour gone and bring a few big guns on. I know winning the FA Cup would be brilliant but that's the gamble I think we have to take as we cannot afford under any circumstances to miss out on top 4

 

[horsechoker]

Play the legends

Ole up front with Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole

 

[Greck]

We can rotate without throwing the game away. Start the first 11 defenders, Fred, Mctominay, One of bruno/Pogba, one of Martial/Rashford, James and fill the last spots based on who feels fit. Lads we're facing West ham next. We can do both without conceding either

 

[Dominos]

I'd go all out and rotate everyone.

Romero

Dalot
Bailly
Jones
Mensah

Mctominay
Fred
Mata

Lingard
Ighalo
James


Bring on our best attackers in the 2nd half if neccessary.

 

[Schmeichel's Cartwheel]

I'd go all out and rotate everyone.

Romero

Dalot
Bailly
Jones
Mensah

Mctominay
Fred
Mata

Lingard
Ighalo
James


Bring on our best attackers in the 2nd half if neccessary.

Jones is injured

 

[Dominos]

Jones is injured

Rojo? Tuanzebe?

Not the end of the world if one Maguire/Lindelof has to play as that isn't really a position you should be gettingheavily fatigued..

 

[mu4c_20le]

I'm tired just from reading all these similar threads

 

[GledTheRed]

We need to win trophies, can't rest against LASK.

 

[CM]

Go with a mix. Rest the ones who have looked a bit leggy and keep the others.

There's only 2 more games of the Premier League season after this one, I'm sure the players can push through.

 

[passing-wind]

Look at the context of our season and the trajectory of our competitiveness next season, the FA cup is nothing more than a waste of time presently. I'm personally not assessing Solskjaer's tenure in his first full season as a chance to win a domestic but more importantly finishing in a UCL champions league position.

We should offer a similar lineup to what Liverpool displayed earlier in the season and go full youth academy.

 

[tenpoless]

2nd string.

 

[VP89]

I'd go with:

Romero

Williams
Maguire
Lindelof
TFM

Fred
Pogba
McTominay

Greenwood
Ighalo
James

^ resting AWB, Bruno, Rashford, Martial and Matic. And in fairness its not a bad side either.

 

[Bastian]

Go with a mix. Rest the ones who have looked a bit leggy and keep the others.

There's only 2 more games of the Premier League season after this one, I'm sure the players can push through.

That's the thing, we've been steadily looking worse since Bournemouth. At Villa we started rough, got lucky with a pen. Got dominated by Southampton. Looked nervy tonight, very poor before the goal. The players are exhausted and probably mentally drained. We need them to clear their minds and be physically fresh for West Ham and Leicester. No football for months and then 3 games in 10 day periods is mental.

 

[CM]

That's the thing, we've been steadily looking worse since Bournemouth. At Villa we started rough, got lucky with a pen. Got dominated by Southampton. Looked nervy tonight, very poor before the goal. The players are exhausted and probably mentally drained. We need them to clear their minds and be physically fresh for West Ham and Leicester. No football for months and then 3 games in 10 day periods is mental.

Some of them, yes. Not everyone though. I don't know why everyone is going into full panic mode.

 

[SirAnderson]

Both teams going to ring the changes.

Our depth is better, so I fancy our chances.

 

[Fooza]

Come on, am I the only that thinks our 2nd string is still capable of beating a poor Chelsea team? We can have our strong players on the bench if needed but team B all the way.

 

[Bastian]

Some of them, yes. Not everyone though. I don't know why everyone is going into full panic mode.

Just Maguire, Lindelof, AWB, Bruno, Pogba, Martial, Rashford, Greenwood and Matic.

 

[killerboi2]

2nd string. FA Cup is worthless to us right now in this period of time, in this era. It was further cheapened when LVG won it and got sacked straight after. We need CL football.

 

[Bastian]

Both teams going to ring the changes.

Our depth is better, so I fancy our chances.

I think their depth is better. Their first XI is not.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

FA Cup gets us nothing really.
Major rest for the side

 

[Rafaeldagold]

Mostly first string, with subs later on. Confidence is as important in football as tiredness when it comes to the last 2/3 games of a season. The high of getting to a cup final & beating a rival would hopefully spur the team on for the last 2 games

 

[Skills]

Win the FA Cup.

 

[K_Ash]

Fred must play.
Paul had a stroll today.

Sit Maguire, Bruno and AWB...Give Paul the armband for that game.

 

[SirAnderson]

I think their depth is better. Their first XI is not.

They got Kante and Gilmour out also remember.
Who else do you rate on their bench? Their strikers? Tammy, Batshuayi?
Midfield? Defense? I'm struggling to see it honestly.

 

[Adamsk7]

The players that are looking most leggy/out of form are Pogba, Bruno, Maguire, AWB and Greenwood.

Then you have the game changers that we could do with keeping fresh regardless - Rashford and Martial.

Personally I would rest all those in the top category if possible and tell the other two they are getting no more than 45.


I’d absolutely love to play our full team and get to the final but we absolutely cannot risk top four for anything, even a trophy (sad to say).

 

[Irrational.]

The reward for winning the FA Cup is not worth the risk of missing out on Top Four or winning the Europa League.