Play strongest team. They have had 3 months' rest have they not? How many times have we regretted not starting our strongest team in matches like this and then with 25 mins to go despite throwing on the cavalry we cannot find a goal as the bus is now well and truly parked by the opponent.
If you want to play for Man Utd/City/Liverpool, these are the demands, tough.
Get 2 goals up, then take them off. But start with strongest team and aim to win the game in the first half.
Keane, Evra, Ronaldo, Scholes, Giggs etc won't be complaining of fatigue would they if it was them? We just have to man up.
This is a crucial next step for the group to make that shift to a championship winning team. Mentality. And pushing hard when you have nothing left to give.
This is such a simplistic and uneducated point of view.
Ole has already retained or recruited players who have the mentality he seeks and sidelined those who don't. I'm sure every single player in the squad is desperate to play tomorrow and will tell Ole they are fit and ready. Also 3 months rest is irrelevant in terms of ensuring muscles recover and energy can be repleted during this unique schedule.
Fitness and recovery between games is not about 'mentality' or something you can order through Amazon. It's a zero sum game and takes as long as it takes. I'm very concerned that Maguire, AWB, Bruno, Pogba and Rashford (both just back from injury) are so fatigued, they will pull a muscle very soon if not rested.
There are 4 aspects that Ole and his coaches have to work out:
1. What team do we require (skill and fitness) to beat West Ham next Wednesday?
2. Which players are susceptible to muscle injuries because they are so fatigued?
3. What kind of team will Chelsea put out
4. How much energy and distance covered does our team require (by position) to compete with Chelsea over 90 minutes
Tomorrow's team selection is certainly Ole's toughest selection yet. It's a very complicated algorithm, and if he gets it wrong, we'll end up blowing off the FA Cup as well as guaranteed entry in Champions League. Luckily he has Phelen's vast experience to advise, I'd also give SAF a call if I were him too.