Manchester United 1:0 Tottenham Hotspur

prtk0811 · Oct 25, 2017

Android1974 said:
But that was quite a weird lineup, one most people would consider now very defensive to start with, something like a 4-4-2 with Young and Valencia as wingers, or, if you prefer, a 3-5-2 with no playmakers whatsoever and Lingard and Rashford upfront.

Chelsea's played from the back and it was very important to press david luiz aggressively up front to stop them playing from the back and get into pockets behind wingbacks on the ball. They did the job perfectly that day.

Kapardin · Oct 25, 2017

Without a proper midfield and with poor attackers in Mata and Mkhi...yet, I have this gut feeling we will win for some reason.

We do have a good record against this lot at home. Last season, they were in excellent form when they came to OT, yet Jose stifled their play and we won due to Mkhi's goal.

Go 3-4-2-1 for this and beat them 1-0 on the counter.

Sammyjunn · Oct 25, 2017

prtk0811 said:
Our work rate needs to be really high in this game and the ball circulation tempo too needs to be brought up a notch.

3412-343 hybrid would be great for this one with mkh doing both the roles as a 10 and as rw whenever he likes. I guess tottenham will set up the same way with 3 at the back so we will need to have a higher or atleast equal amount of work rate and energy relative to tottenham team. Lukaku needs better movement in this match too to do damage. Lingard's two goals in the midweek is good for his confidence if he comes of the bench. Herrera and matic needs to be really sharp in winning second balls this game to avoid deli ali win those and shoot from long distances. Bailly and valencia really have a job to do stopping erikson and ali linking up with harry kane as i feel smalling is vunrable to leak a goal down the centre.

Could later become a 352 if we are leading comfortably with fellani or tuanzebe comming on i feel.

Smalling has leaked less goals in the center than any of our other CB's, probably including Bailly. He was shit vs Chelsea last year and made a mistake against Leicester the season before but other than that he doesnt leak much goals.

prtk0811 · Oct 25, 2017

Sammyjunn said:
Smalling has leaked less goals in the center than any of our other CB's, probably including Bailly. He was shit vs Chelsea last year and made a mistake against Leicester the season before but other than that he doesnt leak much goals.

But against kane if he goes one on one he could leak one.

meamth · Oct 25, 2017

I only trust Bailly to deal with Kane. Herrera to nulify Alli. If only we have Fellaini. Gosh we need him.

suheilsworld · Oct 25, 2017

Time to park the bus and hope for a draw. No way we can match their current form.

meamth · Oct 25, 2017

Be an idiot like Klopp hoping to win by playing open expansive football at Wembley, or be smart to play nullifying football and take a point or snatch a cheeky win.

But i'd rather see us having the "Cojones" and control the game. Won't happen though.

Sammyjunn · Oct 25, 2017

prtk0811 said:
But against kane if he goes one on one he could leak one.

He has handled Kane better than any CB in the prem, he has completely shutdown Kane in their previous outings except the last one where Kane beat him at a set piece.

Ofcourse he can leak one, there is always a possibility.

LoneStar · Oct 25, 2017

Go with a 343 with Valencia and Young as fullbacks and Rashford,Lukaku and Mikhi as a front 3. Still don't think Herrera and Matic complement each other at all, but it's not like we have a choice.

Spurs played well agaisnt Pool, but all the goals they scored were because of poor defending from Liverpool. I don't think that will happen to us, if we go with Smalling, Jones and Baily.

Hoping Jose has a proper plan like he did with Chelsea last season. Should be a very interesting match. Feel we can nick a win here, given we are playing at home.

theyneverlearn · Oct 25, 2017

These are the games I love. The media have been praising the opposition all week, whilst we have been been getting a lot stick, then we get to go out and show them up.

freeurmind · Oct 25, 2017

I would probably take a point right now. Can't see our defence keeping Kane out, need De Gea to probably have one of his great games. Also need Lukaku to take the fecking chances that come his way. 3-4-2-1, Mata not Mikhi please.

Havak · Oct 25, 2017

Three at the back seems likely, but if Bailly isn't actually fit then I'm not sure Lindelof will be trusted (he's more likely to play against Benfica again). Smalling & Jones are both starting regardless. I don't think Martial & Rashford both start, it's one or the other. I was thinking the same for Mkhitaryan/Mata, especially if 343, though Lingard has given himself an argument to start over them. I feel as though Mkhitaryan and Mata have been poor for about a month now, since we strolled past Palace at Old Trafford at the end of September.

de Gea
Bailly Smalling Jones
Valencia Herrera Matic Young
Mkhitaryan Lukaku Rashford
---
Romero; Lindelof, Darmian, Blind; Mata, Lingard; Martial

Might be a bit harsh on McTominay and Tuanzebe not getting in the squad at all, could replace Darmian/Blind but I think José would like them as an option in this kind of game.

Need to make a statement and win this one.

Listar · Oct 25, 2017

Hawks2008 · Oct 25, 2017

We have to go at them, we're the home side. But you just know Mourinho is going to show them too much respect and try to grind it out...

buckooo1978 · Oct 25, 2017

have a feeling this could be a nervy 1-0 win for us - we will need to be on top form

tough team to play as excluding the excellence of Kane it can be hard to pick up Alli and Erickson

think I'd play

------------------------------DDG--------------------------
---------SMALLING---BAILLY--JONES----------
TONY V------HERRERA--MATIC------YOUNG
----------MHIKI--------------------RASHFORD-------
-------------------------LUKAKU---------------------------

I'd get Herrera to keep an eye on Erickson and trust one of our back 3 to pick up the runs from Alli

Really hope Lukaku can make life hard for the Spurs defence

Ban · Oct 25, 2017

Android1974 said:
But that was quite a weird lineup, one most people would consider now very defensive to start with, something like a 4-4-2 with Young and Valencia as wingers, or, if you prefer, a 3-5-2 with no playmakers whatsoever and Lingard and Rashford upfront.

3-5-2 is the way to go with imo.

Maradona10 · Oct 25, 2017

Lads its spurs.....

Well its not those spurs now, is it. They still havent won feck all but are probably the best they have in last 15-20 years. Jose will spring up a tactical surprise for sure like he does against other competitors.

This is what i would go for but very sure jose wont -

------------DDG------------------
---------Smalling--jones---bailley------
--valencia----Matic---herrera----Darmian---
----------------Martial/Pogba/fellaini---------------------
---------Lukaku---------Rashford-------

Jose will go with a strategy where 1 goal wins the match, Like he did against Liverpool. He wont give a shit about the media or the spectacle he wants to win and that is what he will aim for even if one goes in via 7 deflections of lukaku's manhood.

Cereal Killer · Oct 25, 2017

Can't help but feel that we will miss Bailly most for this one.

Trigg · Oct 25, 2017

3 at the back seems to be in vogue at the moment, can someone explain why people think it's better suited to us than than 4 at the back?

Trizy · Oct 25, 2017

A draw against their current form would be a good result and most people who agree. But when we draw, the entire country including our own fans will be up in arms about how we played anti football.

No winning...

MThomas · Oct 25, 2017

No way Mkhi doesn't start.

Trizy said:
A draw against their current form would be a good result and most people who agree. But when we draw, the entire country including our own fans will be up in arms about how we played anti football.

No winning...

You do know we can end up drawing without playing anti football ?

If we set out like we did vs Liverpool, people will have a go at us (and rightly so)

roonster09 · Oct 25, 2017

Trizy said:
A draw against their current form would be a good result and most people who agree. But when we draw, the entire country including our own fans will be up in arms about how we played anti football.

No winning...

Yeah, draw against Spurs at home is a poor result. Doesn't matter which team and form, we should be winning our home games if we are serious about title challenge.

MThomas · Oct 25, 2017

roonster09 said:
Yeah, draw against Spurs at home is a poor result. Doesn't matter which team and form, we should be winning our home games if we are serious about title challenge.

Doesn't have to be a poor result, what matters is how we set out to play.

roonster09 · Oct 25, 2017

MThomas said:
Doesn't have to be a poor result, what matters is how we set out to play.

We are not Arsenal, how we play is important but what we get from the game is even more important. .

AXVnee7 · Oct 25, 2017

roonster09 said:
Yeah, draw against Spurs at home is a poor result. Doesn't matter which team and form, we should be winning our home games if we are serious about title challenge.

Agreed. One of the justifications for our approach at Anfield was that Jose prioritises not losing away against big teams - so that we beat the lesser teams and then leave ourselves with the home advantage. Well we lost to Huddersfield, and have Chelsea away at the bridge next, so I think it's absolutely crucial that we win in this game. I'm not worried about set up because I'm sure Spurs are going to come here with the intention to dominate us, so by default if we want to win we have to take a certain amount of risk and have an attacking intent.

Siorac · Oct 25, 2017

Trigg said:
3 at the back seems to be in vogue at the moment, can someone explain why people think it's better suited to us than than 4 at the back?

I think neither 3-5-2 nor 4-2-3-1 suits us perfectly. People probably suggest 3-5-2 because it gets around a couple of issues:
1) we don't actually have a right winger, we regularly play no 10s there
2) in a 3-5-2 we can actually play one of those 10s at number 10 or we can play one of our young strikers as a second striker instead of a winger
3) we don't really have a good left-back but Young, at a pinch, can be OK as a wing-back

Now, the glaring issue with 3-5-2 is we have barely any midfielders available right now so...

OnlyTwoDaSilvas · Oct 25, 2017

roonster09 said:
Yeah, draw against Spurs at home is a poor result. Doesn't matter which team and form, we should be winning our home games if we are serious about title challenge.

This. We are 5 points behind, and level with Spurs. A win keeps us in touching distance of City and lets us pull away from Spurs.

I'd take the most monumental of bus-parking 1-0 smash and grab with 25% possession and 15 De Gea worldies right now, and after the game the pundits will cry about how we are ruining football and in his post match interview, Mourinho will take a swig of a mug of Souness' salty tears.

MThomas · Oct 25, 2017

roonster09 said:
We are not Arsenal, how we play is important but what we get from the game is even more important. .

Set out to play

We're not Stoke either.

If we go all out to park the bus like we did against Liverpool, it's frustrating either way.

roonster09 · Oct 25, 2017

MThomas said:
Set out to play

We're not Stoke either.

If we go all out to park the bus like we did against Liverpool, it's frustrating either way.

I don't remember us parking the bus at Old Trafford in the league.

Crustanoid · Oct 25, 2017

We’re deader than tank-tops

Wednesday at Stoke · Oct 25, 2017

They always shit themselves at OT, hope it continues.

roonster09 · Oct 25, 2017

AXVnee7 said:
Agreed. One of the justifications for our approach at Anfield was that Jose prioritises not losing away against big teams - so that we beat the lesser teams and then leave ourselves with the home advantage. Well we lost to Huddersfield, and have Chelsea away at the bridge next, so I think it's absolutely crucial that we win in this game. I'm not worried about set up because I'm sure Spurs are going to come here with the intention to dominate us, so by default if we want to win we have to take a certain amount of risk and have an attacking intent.

Yeah, also winning home games is very important and we have seen many examples of that. We won league in 2010-11 by dropping only 2 points at home (thank you VDS for the feck up). Spurs last season had brilliant home record and got second place.

We played very well against Arsenal last season and also in one of Van Gaal's season, both matches ended 1-1, I for one surely didn't enjoy the game as we dropped points.

OnlyTwoDaSilvas said:
This. We are 5 points behind, and level with Spurs. A win keeps us in touching distance of City and lets us pull away from Spurs.

I'd take the most monumental of bus-parking 1-0 smash and grab with 25% possession and 15 De Gea worldies right now, and after the game the pundits will cry about how we are ruining football and in his post match interview, Mourinho will take a swig of a mug of Souness' salty tears.

Exactly. as it is we have dropped points already in the last 2 weeks, it's very important to get 3 points and remain in touching distance from first place.

Sunny Jim · Oct 25, 2017

If we played away from OT I'm sure we would lose this game. I think at OT we have chance to win. 1:0.

MThomas · Oct 25, 2017

roonster09 said:
I don't remember us parking the bus at Old Trafford in the league.

Not sure if anyone has claimed it.

RobinHood · Oct 25, 2017

OnlyTwoDaSilvas said:
This. We are 5 points behind, and level with Spurs. A win keeps us in touching distance of City and lets us pull away from Spurs.

I'd take the most monumental of bus-parking 1-0 smash and grab with 25% possession and 15 De Gea worldies right now, and after the game the pundits will cry about how we are ruining football and in his post match interview, Mourinho will take a swig of a mug of Souness' salty tears.

Yeah basically this. Though maybe not as defensive a win as you suggest. I'd like us to try and play some sort of football too...

roonster09 · Oct 25, 2017

MThomas said:
Not sure if anyone has claimed it.

Then there is no reason for me to fear we will play "Park the bus" game at home.

MThomas · Oct 25, 2017

roonster09 said:
Then there is no reason for me to fear we will play "Park the bus" game at home.

Good for you ?

roonster09 · Oct 25, 2017

MThomas said:
Good for you ?

Not only for me, majority here.

MThomas · Oct 25, 2017

roonster09 said:
Not only for me, majority here.

That you have no reason to fear it ?

I don't think we'll set out like we did against Liverpool at Anfield, but Jose is pragmatic, so it wouldn't be a big surprise if he did.

amolbhatia50k · Oct 25, 2017

Smalling to stick to Kane.

Rashford and Lukaku to play but Martial to miss out.

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