That's always a possibility, regardless of the composition of our team. You have a team in mind that guarantees against that?
FA Cup Final: United v City
- Thread starter PoTMS
- Start date
That's always a possibility, regardless of the composition of our team. You have a team in mind that guarantees against that?
De Gea
AWB Varane Lindelof Shaw
Fred Casameiro McT
Bruno Martial Rashy
AWB Varane Lindelof Shaw
Fred Casameiro McT
Bruno Martial Rashy
Moreno Ortega is likely to be City's GK in the final.
He's been really good except 1 crap game vs Southampton in LC.
No idea what his penalty record is like.
DDG
AWB-Varane-Lindelöf-Shaw
Casemiro-Fred
Sancho-Bruno-Garnacho
Rashford
Eriksen and Martial have not been good enough recently. We could do with Fred’s energy. And Garnacho is due a start.
AWB-Varane-Lindelöf-Shaw
Casemiro-Fred
Sancho-Bruno-Garnacho
Rashford
Eriksen and Martial have not been good enough recently. We could do with Fred’s energy. And Garnacho is due a start.
Let’s not kid ourselves, we used to laugh at these mini-mouse cups..
Agree with all the rest though. Massive game which could swing the momentum of City’s season from an unforgettable one to a mediocre one.
I see no reason not to go with our strongest, most attacking team. Party time or bust ...
DdG
AWB Varane Lindelof. Shaw
Casemiro Eriksen
Sancho. Bruno. Rashford
Martial
DdG
AWB Varane Lindelof. Shaw
Casemiro Eriksen
Sancho. Bruno. Rashford
Martial
Stefan Ortega maybe? It’s bad if so - Ortega has 21.4% penalty saving record
DdG
AWB Varane Lindelof. Shaw
Casemiro Fred
Ericksen
Bruno Garnacho
Rashford
Strangely enough our strongest attacking team excludes Sancho for this type of game and Martial.
AWB Varane Lindelof. Shaw
Casemiro Fred
Ericksen
Bruno Garnacho
Rashford
Strangely enough our strongest attacking team excludes Sancho for this type of game and Martial.
I just mentioned in the Bruno thread that it will probably upset everyone but him playing there guarantees workrate and hopefully the quick transition pass. I don't think Garnacho starts unless EtH springs a huge surprise and changes formation. 100% want EtH to flood that midfield and limit the space. Don't care how negative it seems, it's probably our best chance.
DDG
AWB Varane Lindelof Shaw
Casemiro Fred
Bruno Eriksen Rashford
Martial
I think i'd be fine with Mctominay in there over Fred and Martial dropped for Sancho and Rashford up top.
Start defensive, contain them and then hit them on the counter.
If we go toe to toe with City we'll lose comfortably.
If we go toe to toe with City we'll lose comfortably.
Yeah, that's how I see it. It's basically our first pre-season game, just a little earlier than usual.
ETH needs to be realistic when choosing the line up. We can't start with Eriksen/Case/Bruno midfield or they are really going to overwhelm us. Think he needs to consider starting quite conservative with a midfield of Case/Fred/McT with Rashford/Martial and whomever else. If that means pushing Bruno wide because he must play, then so be it. But, goal should be to let them run rings around us to start, play on the counter and then as game progresses, bring in the likes of Garnacho, Sancho to have a go at them.
Looks like 2 of their last 3 Prem losses were against a 3-5-2 (Brentford and Spurs). So maybe try that for an hour.
--------------------Rashford----Martial-------------------
-------------Fred-------Casemiro-----Bruno------------
Malacia-Shaw-Lindelof-Varane-WanBissaka
--------------------Rashford----Martial-------------------
-------------Fred-------Casemiro-----Bruno------------
Malacia-Shaw-Lindelof-Varane-WanBissaka
DDG
AWB——Varane——Lindelof——Shaw
Casemiro
Fred————————Eriksen
Bruno
Garnacho —— Rashford
AWB——Varane——Lindelof——Shaw
Casemiro
Fred————————Eriksen
Bruno
Garnacho —— Rashford
Have solid four man midfield. Allow Rashford and Garnacho to stay up without tracking back much. Bruno can join the attack when we have the ball. We will hit them on counter if we don’t completely lose control of the midfield.
It will go to penalties.
Weghorst or McT in the 10 role, won't be pretty
I'm suggesting pretty similar, without Weghorst though. The question for me is whether to go with a midfield of Casemiro-Fred-Eriksen, or McTominay instead of Eriksen, with Bruno wide right. Weghorst doesn't offer an outlet, zero pace and no passing ability. At least McTominay has a shot on him and he can run. In this type of match I think that's important.
The reason I'd go for Garnacho over Sancho is having two players capable of bursting through on the counter. Not dissimilar to how Ole played Rashford and James up top on the counter. Harder for them to track the pair of them and they are the only players we have blessed with pace.
I don't imagine this is a game for Martial.
It would be a mistake IMO to start Eriksen, Weghorst would be there solely to disrupt and hopefully force a mistake, I think one of him and McT will start, Martial, holding up the ball has been reasonably good this season, it's the rest that's bad, wouldn't discount him starting but I can't see Garnacho or Sancho starting, neither offer enough defensively and we're gonna need that
It's not cut and dry for me, with Eriksen you get very ineffective defensive shield in the middle, but if he's partnered by both Fred and Casemiro, we have two people capable (even three with Casa) to find Garnacho and Rashford on the break. I'm not one of the loudest Weghorst detractors on here, he's had a role and sometimes executed to an acceptable level. I just don't think he offers more than the alternatives here. With Martial - a tougher question really - you have sort of an outlet, if he's not fallen to the ground hoping the ref blows for a foul. He's 50/50 playing with his back to goal. Doesn't have the pace to be forcing mistakes or causing panic, and he was really sloppy yesterday with his first touch when he probably should have had 2 or 3. I don't see any hunger in him whatsoever, something I think the lesser side will need to have in spades.
For me the biggest question is Eriksen or McTominay (leaning towards Eriksen if we're already as I say with Fred and Casa) and then it's a question of Garnacho, and I'd play him from the start given his pace.
Is Eriksen injured? I don't mind 3 men MF, but Eriksen should start whenever available
It really depends on which Fred turns up, if it's good Fred then Eriksen is fine, if not the game's lost because that's basically a 1 man midfield of Casemiro
I don't see Garnacho starting, he's quick and exciting but he won't faze Walker, he's best as a sub
When City and Liverpool thrashed us in second gear last season, it was expected. It still hurt. It'll be the same for the final.
We stopped the Liverpool juggernaut from doing a treble all those years ago. That should be our inspiration.
There does seem to be some pessimism about our chances. Weirdly the Chelsea game and how fast we transitioned at times has made me feel more optimistic about our ability on the counter.
I wasn't around for the 77 final but the fans really got us over the line against Arsenal in the FA cup semi final in 04 (which virtually was the final as the winner played Millwall for the trophy) and I just hope that inspires the players.
I wasn't around for the 77 final but the fans really got us over the line against Arsenal in the FA cup semi final in 04 (which virtually was the final as the winner played Millwall for the trophy) and I just hope that inspires the players.
We transitioned well against Chelsea but City would have likely scored most of those chances that Chelsea didn't, if our midfield is bypassed like that we'll be lucky to keep in single figures!
Yeah, if we start the final like we did against Chelsea it'll be a repeat of the 6-3 earlier in the season.
Where would people rank us in terms of famous FA Cup Final underdogs out of interest
Lower than these five wins.
1973 Sunderland not a top flight team at the time finished 6th in the old Div 2 and beating Leeds the defending champions who had one of their strongest ever teams and was managed by Don Revie.
1976 Southampton like Sunderland finished 6th in Div 2 and beat Man United who finished 3rd in Div 1
1980 West Ham another Div 2 team beating defending champions Arsenal
1988 Wimbledon same Division as Liverpool but had been world’s apart in terms of their performances in the league and all Liverpool was winning at the time in England and Europe, can still remember the pundits before the game whereby the margin of victory for Liverpool was the main debate.
2013 Wigan, The Latics were relegated and Man City the new force expected to hammer them, Wigan’s first ever major trophy and that result got
Mancini sacked.
Yeah that's why the pessimism is merited
While I admire your attitude, we know from experience this season that if we play Eriksen alongside Casemiro against City we'll get slaughtered. He just doesn't have the legs to play in midfield at their pace. Also hes been out of form. Pop Fred in there as a disruptor and hope we get the good version of him.
Well played
If city fans dont fill their clubs quota for the final aka empty seats, can those tickets be purchased by united fans or not?
I agree with this, Rashford as the main striker with Sancho and Garnacho wide. Pace will be our most potent weapon and we have to capitalize on that. Id have Eriksen on the bench but Id leave Martial out of the team altogether; we'll need every player to give 100% for every minute theyre on the pitch and Martial seems incapable of doing that and has a bad tendency to disappear during hard matches. If Shaw plays Haaland as well as did previously and Bruno, DDG, Varane, Casemiro all have good games we'll have as good a chance of winning as any other team, but any lack of total commitment will see City give us a real drubbing.
Agreed. Eriksen and Garnacho would also be super useful weapons late in the game to find openings.
im going defensive and trying to plug up the middle to keep KDB at bay
KdB is ineffective when man marked. We have seen this in WC and EC. Put Fred to man mark him the whole game. I agree we cannot start with Eriksen, we can use him if the game is even in the last half hour.
I would play 433
AWB Lindelol Varane Shaw
Bruno Casemiro Fred
Sancho Martial Marcus
Use Garnacho, Eriksen and Pelestri as attacking subs
I would play 433
AWB Lindelol Varane Shaw
Bruno Casemiro Fred
Sancho Martial Marcus
Use Garnacho, Eriksen and Pelestri as attacking subs
I would go for this too. Only way to accommodate Eriksen in midfield. Not sure whether to save Garnacho for tiring legs in second half
City have pretty much rested all starters today, bar probably Walker and maybe Ake. And from memory, rested a lot/everyone against Chelsea too. Let's hope they won't be fully sharp for the final, and have had a lot of time to think about it as well.
David de Gea saved a penalty today. He. Actually. Saved. A. Penalty. 
If it goes to a shoot out against City then maybe there is hope
If it goes to a shoot out against City then maybe there is hope
I considered that. But Walker will likely be on the bench for City and I would rather see Garnacho up against a CB than a proper fullback who can match him for pace.