But considering the situation we're in now, we need to be beating the weakest team in the league. When we lost 1-0 to Burnley, we'd beaten Wigan and Birmingham either side of the fixture, and Arsenal a couple of weeks after... right now we've lost at home to Swansea and drawn with Sunderland after TERRIBLE performances.
Fletcher - Di Maria - Mata in 3-5-2? Looks quite vulnerable defensively but can't see too many options there. May be Jones instead of Fletcher in DM and play Evans - Rojo - Blacket in defense but I doubt Jones will be moved out of defense at this moment.If Cleverly does leave, who will play in CM? Herrera is still injured.
Maybe bring in Pearson/Lawrence? Our second team is clearly not good enough.
I think a midfield Diamond of Jones as the CDM and Fletcher and Di Maria the 2 CM's, with Mata in front of them will be the best way to go for this.
I would be worried about Blackett and Evans being our two starting CBs though.
Isn't Smalling fit for this one? A lot of people are including him in the line up. If he's not, I agree. Though Evans seems to be a lot more comfortable in a back 4 opposed to a back 3, in which he has seemed lost pretty much every time he's played in it. If Smalling is fit, I think he and Evans can do the job for this game.
I thought Smalling had a hamstring injury, and was out for a couple of weeks. I could be wrong though.
Same here, but looking at the line ups over the last 2 pages I assumed someone heard he was good to go. So hard to tell with all our injuries recently
. Having Rojo for this game would have been a life-saverNope. Still working on work permit.
The Rojo deal again showcased Woodward's ineptness. It is crazy that he spent 16 million (21 million if you include Nani's wages) pounds on someone, who we are not able to get a work permit for.Same here, but looking at the line ups over the last 2 pages I assumed someone heard he was good to go. So hard to tell with all our injuries recently
Yeah, it is ridiculous, but if we can sign another midfielder or two and before the deadline, I'd say he's done a good job this summerI am surprised that LvG played players just before getting rid of them. Nani against Swansea, Cleverly and Welbeck against Sunderland. Of course they will not perform, if they know the manager wants to get rid of them.
Unless it is literally a last chance. But it smacks of slightly dodgy management to say I don't want you, but erm...can you play one last game!
This isn't a worry at all.
Di Maria won't play there, if we go with this system he'll either knock Mata out of the team, or more likely Cleverley, and Valencia, or hopefully Rafael will play RWB.
I thought about him playing next to Fletcher but wouldn't that leave us horribly exposed at the back? Even with Herrera next to Fletcher we got caught on the break time and time again. Di Maria is excellent going forward and at pressing the opposition team in the midfield but his defensive contribution really isn't that great. I do agree that Mata should be dropped if we are to use Di Maria in this formation but I can't see LVG doing this and thats why I posted that it's the formation that I 'think' we will see, rather than the one I would like
Just don't rate Smalling, don't really rate Jonny Evans that much either tbh but i'd take him over Smalling any day.
Indeed. I rate Evans over Smalling generally and specially in a back 4 but Evans seems to have had a lot of problems adjusting to the 3 at the back system, more-so than our other defenders except perhaps for Keane who definately needs another year or two to develop before being a viable first team option. Also after his MK Dons performance, He'll be horribly short on confidence. I guess Jones could play along side Di Maria in the 3-5-2 but then we have practically no options at the back unless we are to play Blackett, Keane and Evans and that back three would get destroyed by most teams in the league
.I think this Rooney, RvP combination is not working. We need to replace one of them with either Welbeck or Janzaj to be a potent force going forward.Indeed. I rate Evans over Smalling generally and specially in a back 4 but Evans seems to have had a lot of problems adjusting to the 3 at the back system, more-so than our other defenders except perhaps for Keane who definately needs another year or two to develop before being a viable first team option. Also after his MK Dons performance, He'll be horribly short on confidence. I guess Jones could play along side Di Maria in the 3-5-2 but then we have practically no options at the back unless we are to play Blackett, Keane and Evans and that back three would get destroyed by most teams in the league
As you say though, it is only Burnley and with Fletcher and Di Maria we are certainly capable of outscoring them and we will look a lot more dangerous going forward. Probably what we will see tbh
If there isn't a win I think there's going to be one hell of a meltdown here. Not that I don't enjoy the occasional rant but it will be alarming in some way...
I'm going to stay away if we lose. The lunatics will really take over the asylum. By the way, have you heard murmurings on other sites that Van Gaal is past it on on the decline? I read something like that on another site and had to laugh. Lose to Burnley and we might read similar comments on here.
Smalling is not even fit to play, I think.
I do not see too many people turning on van Gaal here. I'd think the sentiment would be Rooney is past it.
Phil Jones
David de Gea
Tyler Blackett
Anderson
Antonio Valencia
Ashley Young
Chris Foy
replaced by Anderson
replaced by Adnan Januzaj
replaced by Danny Welbeck
