[Offside]

Yawn.

 

[LDUred]

It pains me how predictable Sky have become

Regardless of allegiance, it really makes you root for Martinez and realize what utter cnuts a lot of people in football media are. It's obsessive and it has nothing to do at all with his ability as a defender.

Did Puyol, Cannavaro, Baresi, and Ayala ever have to put up with this level of trolling? Doubt it.

 

[Santoryo]

I'd start Sancho over Antony for this one. If I were the manager there would also be some temptation to start a three of Rashford, Martial and Elanga for this one.

No way Elanga is starting if all the options are available.

 

[tomaldinho1]

Regardless of allegiance, it really makes you root for Martinez and realize what utter cnuts a lot of people in football media are. That's his height - give him a break.

Did Puyol, Cannavaro, Baresi, and Ayala ever have to put up with this level of trolling? Doubt it.

It's so infuriating, he could win 99 headers against Halaand and then Haaland wins 1 and scores from it and it'll be all about how he's too small. Haaland will beat every CB to a decent amount of balls

 

[Fanta Stick]

Like watching a lion devouring a helpless walrus.

A hopelessly lost walrus.

 

[TheRedHearted]

I'd start Sancho over Antony for this one. If I were the manager there would also be some temptation to start a three of Rashford, Martial and Elanga for this one.

No front there for me at all in a fixture like this. A front two of sancho and either Antony or Martial to be honest. An extra midfielder can help us stifle their attack

 

[Rozay]

No way Elanga is starting if all the options are available.

Didn’t say or think he would. But I think he could be useful tactically in this game.

 

[Rozay]

No front there for me at all in a fixture like this. A front two of sancho and either Antony or Martial to be honest. An extra midfielder can help us stifle their attack

I wouldn’t do that. They need to be attacked. The threat of actually conceding a goal would probably do lore to stifle them.

They can be got at, but you have to at least try to get at them!

 

[Dominos]

Both Rashford and Martial have to start. This City team needs to be occupied going the other way. I’m convinced we can beat these. If Rashford and Martial both play, I’d even back United on a -1 bet.

If they were both fit and on form it would be a no brainer to have both in the team as they're our 2 best counter attackers.

However Martial has basically not played all season and seems like Rashford has barely trained since injury. To have them both return from injury in the same game and start both is probably unwise.

 

[TheRedHearted]

I wouldn’t do that. They need to be attacked. The threat of actually conceding a goal would probably do lore to stifle them.

They can be got at, but you have to at least try to get at them!

Playing two forwards isn’t conceding to not attack them. We would still be attacking them but the extra man in midfield would give a better chance of doing so. I’m not saying play ten men behind the ball

 

[Raven]

I think I've already said it in this thread but I really hope Martial is fit enough to start. He's the only player I'm confident of getting us up the pitch and the only one I'm confident can handle their CBs physically.

 

[horsechoker]

It pains me how predictable Sky have become

Right: you
Left: the guy she tells you not to worry about

 

[Dread Devil]

Hopefully Martial and Rashford are fit enough to start…. Or at least play a part…I don’t think this is a match for Ronaldo in any way…

Midfield will be interesting….

Mctominay - Eriksen - Bruno or Mctominay - Casemiro - Eriksen or Casemiro - Eriksen - Bruno…

It’s a tough call, will be interesting to see how Erik lines up…

 

[sokol11]

Hopefully Martial and Rashford are fit enough to start…. Or at least play a part…I don’t think this is a match for Ronaldo in any way…

Midfield will be interesting….

Mctominay - Eriksen - Bruno or Mctominay - Casemiro - Eriksen or Casemiro - Eriksen - Bruno…

It’s a tough call, will be interesting to see how Erik lines up…

In no way shape or form is McT not starting this one. I was one of his bigger critics but in last weeks he hasn't put a foot wrong. Casemiro on the other hand looked way off pace. Back four pick themselves and If we are starting with 3 in mid then it will probably be McT, Eriksen and Bruno. It will depend if Rashford is fit and also Martial. Could go with Rashford, Martial and Sancho/Antony. I would like ETH to try with Bruno as fake 9 feeding Rashford and Antony on the counter and another body in midfield (Casemiro if he came up to speed yet).

 

[ShinjiNinja26]

So weird the way this place has just collectively forgotten Martial is shit.

Except when he’s literally not shit but rather a very talented footballer.

 

[Dread Devil]

In no way shape or form is McT not starting this one. I was one of his bigger critics but in last weeks he hasn't put a foot wrong. Casemiro on the other hand looked way off pace. Back four pick themselves and If we are starting with 3 in mid then it will probably be McT, Eriksen and Bruno. It will depend if Rashford is fit and also Martial. Could go with Rashford, Martial and Sancho/Antony. I would like ETH to try with Bruno as fake 9 feeding Rashford and Antony on the counter and another body in midfield (Casemiro if he came up to speed yet).

I tend to agree that Mctominay will start this….but Casemiro is made for this type of defensive game…he is a destroyer and a schooled defensive midfielder and these are the type of games we bought him for and he should be up to speed by now.

I think Ten Hag might play both…it will be interesting to see..

 

[Dread Devil]

So weird the way this place has just collectively forgotten Martial is shit.

I can’t wait to see him play…,he is our best option as a striker when fit…especially against a team like City…

 

[sglowrider]

When Ten Hag met Guardiola: What Erik learned from Pep at Bayern Munich

Guardiola frequently devised such “extremely specific” routines for individual players, the 40-year-old says, “to teach them certain moves he wanted to see, irrespective of anything else.” Ten Hag was a little different, more concerned with collective patterns. “Sometimes he took four or five players to the side to work on certain game situations. But most of his tactical drills were XI vs XI.

 

[croadyman]

If they were both fit and on form it would be a no brainer to have both in the team as they're our 2 best counter attackers.

However Martial has basically not played all season and seems like Rashford has barely trained since injury. To have them both return from injury in the same game and start both is probably unwise.

Yeah ideal scenario is fittest one out of the two starts and other makes bench but still got my doubts despite Erik's quotes

 

[Buster15]

Yawn.

I am looking forward to seeing whether the new Martial is any better than the previous Martial who spent all his time yawning as you rightly said.

 

[Telsim]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot this football club also happens to actually play football every once in a while. But it had to be against them, didn't it?

Unfortunately, even a point from this seems unlikely. Haaland is completely unstoppable. City have looked somewhat vulnerable this season, so maybe we can sneak one in if Martial or Rashford start, but it wouldn't be enough against such overwhelming attack. I just hope he doesn't squish Martinez on the way to one of his goals. At least we will have this one out of the way early on and be able to bounce back against Omonia a few days later.

City 3:1, Haaland brace.

 

[the_cliff]

Think we'll see the same 11 vs Liverpool and Arsenal.

Martial to come off the bench instead of Ronaldo.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Think we'll see the same 11 vs Liverpool and Arsenal.

Martial to come off the bench instead of Ronaldo.

Yeah pretty much this.

 

[MUW4Eva]

Like watching a lion devouring a helpless walrus.

Huh??

Is Ibra back playing for us again??

 

[tenpoless]

Ok who's gonna "Roy Keane" the new Haaland? McTominay?

Might be a good time to unleash Phil Jones.

 

[avgp_1]

We need to match there numbers with Gundogan, Rodri, KDB, Cancelo all coming in to the center and through the half spaces. Can't play Bruno as one of the midfield 3 as we will get outnumbered there.

Bruno in a floating role and Antony as an option for the space left behind or go 1v1 with Cancelo who can be isolated at times. I'd go with something like this:

Bruno-----Martial/Rashford----Antony
-----------------------Eriksen----------------------
---------------Casemiro----McT---------------

 

[VidaRed]

City have scored at least 3 goals in their last 7 Premier League home matches in a row. It's what they do, unfortunately.

We'll twat them 3 nil.

 

[VidaRed]

It pains me how predictable Sky have become

I'd rather have martinez in the trench besides me.

 

[tomaldinho1]

I'd rather have martinez in the trench besides me.

Haaland is a sniper’s dream, Martinez a much better bet for the trenches.

 

[Coxy]

Haaland is a sniper’s dream, Martinez a much better bet for the trenches.

Exactly why I’d rather have Haaland next to me - they’d shoot him first which gives me a chance.

 

[Buster15]

Regardless of allegiance, it really makes you root for Martinez and realize what utter cnuts a lot of people in football media are. It's obsessive and it has nothing to do at all with his ability as a defender.

Did Puyol, Cannavaro, Baresi, and Ayala ever have to put up with this level of trolling? Doubt it.

Correct.
And Haaland by his own admission doesn't score many with his head.
To be able to accelerate quickly and turn, a low center of gravity is beneficial.
However, the key issue is about stopping the supply into the penalty area.

 

[Loon]

Haaland’s goal celebration will eclipse Ballotelli for sheer “Want to Chin” ness.

 

[Rozay]

I am looking forward to seeing whether the new Martial is any better than the previous Martial who spent all his time yawning as you rightly said.

Which one is the ‘previous Martial’? One version you have decided to freeze in time from the past 7 years where he was terrible I presume which we are supposed to go with and say is his ‘real level’? I’m assuming the ‘previous Martial’ couldn’t possibly be the 21 goal striker from a couple of years ago no? For the sake of negativity, we’ll go with the version that scored 3 goals, and pretend it’s his normal level, although it simply isn’t.

Posters getting on to others for having some optimism about Martial starting to grate. Short memory guys who have no doubt sang their fair share of ‘Tony Martial scores again’ when the going was good.

 

[Chief123]

When i first saw this video a few months ago I got the impression Martinez did really well against him.

What the video doesn’t show is all the chances in the game. There were 3 occasions I remember where Haaland got away from or bullied Martinez and Timber. He just failed to put the shot away. On another day he scores. He’ll always be a threat. We just need to minimise his shots on goal.

 

[Fortitude]

Interesting tactical battles all over the pitch:

- De Bruyne. Primary threat. No way to completely shut him out, but I doubt ten Hag intends to have him roam free. I think we'll play compact around him with Malacia tucked, preferring to invite the overlap from deep into the vacated space for a game of cat and mouse down our left side over affording De Bruyne acres of space to operate freely in. Whoever gets the gig as our left attacker will be expected to put in some serious work coralling De Bruyne and making pressuring from all sides easier without also giving up easy, quick release options.

He can't be stopped entirely as his skilset is just too vast for that plus his intelligence and athleticism always provide opportunities over 90-minutes, but he can be better contained so that he doesn't effortlessly take over the game.

- Cancelo. Just behind De Bruyne as a vital cog in what City do and essential to keep an eye on lest he controls the game from a ghost position in pseudo midfield - although if you don't force him to do his full-back duties it is a permanent one.

It doesn't matter how much you contain De Bruyne if you let Cancelo run free; the latter is just as influential and problematic and will find ways to unlock you if given time and space to do so. Unlike De Bruyne, you don't need to go out there to mark him per se, rather, you preoccupy him with a skilled and determined attacker and make him focus on his actual role. I'm seeing posts saying drop Antony, but this is precisely the kind of game and opponent he is here for.

Defensively, he is studious and he pressures, but most importantly, he needs to be fit and up to speed because we need him to tie up the Portuguese and curtail that constant stream of probing passes into dangerous areas. If you can haemorrhage that, City's whole midfield have to drop deeper unless an individual is instructed to drop deeper to compensate for that break in their chain. Cancelo mightn't get the plaudits of the attacking names, but he has the potential to determine the game and it's imperative his influence is reduced to "only" being a full-back. I'm certain ten Hag will have special instructions for the team with regard to Cancelo's threat.

- Haaland. Nothing much to say about him. Just focus on killing supply and stay switched on for the remainder, is about it. He needs only a momentary lapse in concentration and I'm sure our defenders know that. I expect our full-backs to tuck and make the game as narrow as possible daring City to exploit that space with their own full-backs, so it'll be down to 1-on-1 battles wide to get behind us and provide the cutbacks, which Haaland can really create chaos off his movement with. I'd rather we take chances in that manner and suppress the truly certifiable suppliers of killer balls he can finish (the aforementioned).

I believe outside of that, there's a proper game to be had where our own threats have to be taken seriously - it's certainly not a gimme for City and we have plenty to occupy them with. They have their own chain of ours to break and discombobulate, but their approach to doing so will simply to be themselves and let the game play out.

Defensively, they have questions about them and they certainly aren't impervious, but we need threats up top and a means to build up concerted attacks with our personnel.

Ronaldo shouldn't be starting this: Rashford, Martial or Elanga as their line needs to be stretched, or a competent ball-holder to play others in, and by that, there's only Martial for that role.

As long as we don't shit the bed early, there's every reason to be optimistic if we have our key players fit.

 

[Chief123]

I think I've already said it in this thread but I really hope Martial is fit enough to start. He's the only player I'm confident of getting us up the pitch and the only one I'm confident can handle their CBs physically.

Agreed. He is probably our most key player in these kind of games. He’s the difference between having our backs to the wall and getting pushed back to us actually being able to offer a threat and play in their half.

He’s our best hold up player.

 

[bosskeano]

you have to play Casemiro and either Scott or Fred....need the experience from Casemiro to help organize and deal with trying to slow down KdB. Need to cut off the supply to KdB which means flooding the middle of the pitch. Only real concern with that is Haaland. If they start pumping crosses into the box, he's bound to get on the end of one of them

 

[Dominos]

Eriksen operates left side of CM which is De Bruyne's channel which is a worry. Ideally you'd have Casemiro or Mctominay operating in De Bruyne's space to stop him getting as much freedom. However we lose some form of balance on the ball by moving players around from what has been working in previous games.

The bright side is the majority of De Bruyne's crosses will be from the right side towards our back post, which is Varane/Dalot's side who will probably have a better chance of stopping Haaland than Martinez/Malacia.

 

[croadyman]

When i first saw this video a few months ago I got the impression Martinez did really well against him.

What the video doesn’t show is all the chances in the game. There were 3 occasions I remember where Haaland got away from or bullied Martinez and Timber. He just failed to put the shot away. On another day he scores. He’ll always be a threat. We just need to minimise his shots on goal.

Yeah he is a constant threat that's for sure

 

[Red the Bear]

I don't know why but I think we're gonna lose, 2_0 or thereabouts so I hope it won't derail our hype train in case the worst came to pass.

The back line is obviously set in stone but I do wonder whether Eric's going to experiment with the rest of the team or not.

It should be:

Ddg
Dalot Varane Martinez Malacia
Mctom Eriksen
Bruno
Antony Rashford Sancho​