[Randall Flagg]

Match day team prediction kindly asked me if I was sure I wanted to choose 6 midfielders

 

[CM21]

Match day team prediction kindly asked me if I was sure I wanted to choose 6 midfielders

Same happened to me.Also realized later I had picked Anderson when I meant to pick Fellaini

 

[bjorshol]

I want to see a diamond with ADM7 at the tip.Herrera,Fellaini and Blind making up the rest and Rooney and Wilson upfront

Yes!

 

[Mehool Raja]

Don't we still have Varela in the U21s... wouldn't mind if LvG gave him a game to prove himself at RB

 

[Dance If You Wanna Dance]

Don't we still have Varela in the U21s... wouldn't mind if LvG gave him a game to prove himself at RB

He's on loan at Real Madrid Castilla. Janko is a possible option, but I feel he is not ready for promotion. His tactical awareness needs to be better.

 

[Smithy89]

Valencia is fine at right back, Cb's we have to be worried about.

 

[Devil77]

Urghhh. I have no idea how I'd like us to line up. RvP looking out of sorts at the moment, so no real #9. Rooney hasn't been an out and out striker for ages.

De Gea
Valencia - McNair - Carrick - Shaw
Blind - Fellaini
Herrera
di Maria - Rooney - Mata​

Would love us to try this one.

 

[Kag]

I'll be very annoyed if we even contemplate a back five.

De Gea; Valencia, Carrick, McNair, Shaw; Blind, Herrera, Di Maria; Januzaj, Wilson, Rooney

433 with Rooney out towards the left, ideally. Di Maria is our best player and should play in his best position. I'd give Wilson a go ahead of Van Persie, too.

 

[Chaky_Best]

Would love us to try this one.

I can't work, too many players are not playing in their natural position there. I will give you how it will really looks offensively and defensively especially

--------------------------------De Gea-----------------------------------
------------------------Carrick--------Mc Nair--------------------------
Valencia------------------------Blind-------------------------------Shaw
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------Di Maria---------------------Herrera----------------------
-----------------------------Mata---Rooney-------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------Fellaini---------------------------------

 

[DatIrishFella]

These are muck. I expect a good drubbing tbh. Although it seems the mediocre teams up their game substantially when playing United, even when we're shit. "Oh United aren't the same anymore but we'll up our game ten fold either way".

Just fecking role over like ye did 6-7 years ago.

 

[Barry Crocker]

These are muck. I expect a good drubbing tbh. Although it seems the mediocre teams up their game substantially when playing United, even when we're shit. "Oh United aren't the same anymore but we'll up our game ten fold either way".

Just fecking role over like ye did 6-7 years ago.

6-7 years ago our defence consisted of Evra-Vidic-Ferdinand-G Nev.
Tomorow it will be:
Shaw-Carrick-Mcnair-Valencia.

I think we will win but its going to be close, maybe 3-2.

 

[Rory 7]

6-7 years ago our defence consisted of Evra-Vidic-Ferdinand-G Nev.
Tomorow it will be:
Shaw-Carrick-Mcnair-Valencia.

I think we will win but its going to be close, maybe 3-2.

Its not that long ago that we went to Fulham with Carrick and Fletcher at CB.

 

[Fer]

Because why not

I prefer McNair instead of Blackett, Wilson would be refreshing but I dont want to see Di Maria as a winger again. I think we should play 4312. Maybe we could try 433 with Di Maria as CM and Rooney as winger, because with Shaw as full back and Di Maria going wide sometimes Rooney can go to the center more often.

 

[Sean_RedDevil]

If Falcao, Rafael, Rojo, Jones, Evans, Smalling, Young & Lingard are out........

Starting XI: --Wilson--------------Rooney
-----------------------------Mata
----------------Di Maria-------------Fellaini
-----------------------------Blind
Shaw----------Blackett--------------McNair-------Valencia
----------------------------De Gea

Bench: Lindegaard, Thorpe, Carrick, Herrera, Pereira, Januzaj, Van Persie

 

[Barry Crocker]

Its not that long ago that we went to Fulham with Carrick and Fletcher at CB.

And went on to lose 3-0.
It dosnt matter how good we are offensively we wont go on a good run of wins until we get a settled back four playing week in week out.

 

[Gannicus]

I have to believe we'll beat Palace handily regardless of formation, within reason of course. Despite our two recent credible performances against Chelsea and City, the boys are in "wounded animal" land right and will beat Palace on determination if nothing else. Provided, of course, that our back line such as it is can make it through an entire 90+ minutes.

I'm much more interested in how we'll line up against Arsenal, but we'll get to that topic after we dispense with Palace this weekend.

 

[Chorltonian]

i'd play both youngsters at centre half and have Blind and Carrick protecting in a 4231

DDG
Valencia - Blackett - McNair - Shaw
Carrick - Blind
DiMaria - Herera - Rooney
RVP

lots of protection through the middle and enough up top to beat palace

This is pretty much my thinking too. The first point is LvG preferring a left footer at LCB. Does anyone know if McNair & Blackett have played alongside each other before? Possibly more often than alongside Carrick, eh?

Of course a flexible option might be for Carrick to step back between them to give us a back three, and 3-5-2. Otherwise Carrick & Blind as a double pivot is a strong defensive box.

Any of the line of three - dMaria, Herrera & Wazza can play as #10, so more flexibility.

I had it scratched out on the back of an envelope like this :-

dGea
Valencia McNair Blackett Shaw
Carrick Blind
Herrera Wazza dMaria
RVP (or putatively Wilson to start)

Bench: Lndgrd, Thorpe, Fellaini, Fletch, Januzaj, Mata, Wilson

 

[detinUnaM]

DDG
Valencia - Blackett - McNair - Shaw
Blind - Carrick - DiMaria
Januzaj- Rooney
RVP

If we are not going to play a diamond and need more protection defensively then this is the way we can get ADM into his favourite position. People pointed out that with a diamond we give up a lot of goals, but we also score more and ADM has a good game in that formation. It also looks the most cohesive and can get all our flair players in the team. But currently we are so worried about our defensive frailties that we are using 2 DMs against a palace side without their own DM Jedinak.

We should blitz them in the beginning with a fast start and then get carrick in and control the tempo and shield the defense. But if we want more protection then the team mentioned above is the way to go.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

DDG
Valencia - Blackett - McNair - Shaw
Blind - Carrick - DiMaria
Januzaj- Rooney
RVP

If we are not going to play a diamond and need more protection defensively then this is the way we can get ADM into his favourite position. People pointed out that with a diamond we give up a lot of goals, but we also score more and ADM has a good game in that formation. It also looks the most cohesive and can get all our flair players in the team. But currently we are so worried about our defensive frailties that we are using 2 DMs against a palace side without their own DM Jedinak.

We should blitz them in the beginning with a fast start and then get carrick in and control the tempo and shield the defense. But if we want more protection then the team mentioned above is the way to go.

I would not be playing with two kids at CB, along with Valencia filling in at RB and Shaw at LB that could be seriously risky. I would have Carrick and McNair.

 

[Sammyjunn]

Just want a few things to happen, us to play fast fluid football, and us creating plenty of chances. And a win obviously.

 

[Turnip]

When even LvG isn't sounding confident, you know thing aren't going well. I expect either a win or another Leicester game.

 

[Sufferin Succotash]

Any team will do provided Fellaini goes back into his box. And by box I don't mean the one's on the pitch. I mean the bench.

 

[detinUnaM]

I would not be playing with two kids at CB, along with Valencia filling in at RB and Shaw at LB that could be seriously risky. I would have Carrick and McNair.

Two kids is definitely risky but they both have the pace to be able to play a high line against palace forwards. Carrick in DM can provide cover and fall back a few times into defense. Carrick in defense does bring the intelligence but he lacks both pace and physicality that is needed. Which is why I went with Blackett and McNair with Carrick as cover.

 

[He Comes From Serbia]

He's starting, I can feel it in my waters

He's also starting

Speaking of waters, were these taken today, because it's been pissing it down all day, proper depressing November drizzle.

 

[The Red Roman]

There is no question the return of 13 points from 30 is not good enough. It’s at least 5 points short of where we need to be and what we should have got given our fixtures, but I do believe United can make up those 5 points during the middle section of the season, that starts tomorrow against Crystal Palace. People will of course compare Van Gaals points total with Moyes’s, but the circumstances of the job are completely different. Moyes took over the Champions, Van Gaal has took over a team that finished 7th, confidence destroyed and a squad that was serevely unbalanced. I would argue Van Gaal had the harder job of the two. I believe in Van Gaal because the level of performance has been a lot more encouraging, the team play with some sort of spirit and appear to have confidence in the managers methods unlike under Moyes when early on it was clear to see they were not believing in what they were doing. I feel it when Van Gaal talks in the media, he is always honest and I often find myself agreeing with what he says , unlike Moyes who baffled me with his version of events and never left me feeling reassured when he spoke. "We have 13 points out of 10 matches and that is below everything that we had expected, and what the fans had expected. I have the experience that people have great belief in what we are doing now, in the way we are playing football. When I am in the streets I am surrounded by very positive things, and when I'm in a car from United, there are lots of positive people. I'm feeling lousy for everyone that we have 13 points from 10 games.” This middle section of the season is extremely important to our hope of getting back into the Champions League. We need to be in a good position by the time the run-in comes round with 10 games to go. I think 70 points should be enough to make the top four so we need to have around 52 by the time we get to game 28. This means we need 39 points from the next 54 which means we can drop only 15 points from the next 18 matches. We have a difficult last 10 games so we dont want to be struggling and playing catch up by the time the final swing comes round. It starts tomorrow, the players need to collect the 3 points and they appear to have the confidence to deal with the pressure and expectation of that. Crystal Palace have nothing to lose by the run of form they are on would suggest its unlikely they have the confidence levels needed to really believe they can win the game so will certainly play not to lose rather than win.

Van Gaal has been criticised for his changes in formation, but this was always going to be a feature of United’s play under him because it’s what he does. The 3-man defence was thrown out because of the injury crisis and signings the club made late in the summer, the diamond didn’t give him the defensive balance he wanted so he has now reverted to a 4-3-3 system. Of course the injury problems haven’t helped develop team cohesion. "When I want to select the same line-up, I cannot," said van Gaal. "It's the same every week. It is like it is and I don't want to complain or cry because I have great belief in the players, myself and my staff. Also the supporters who are supporting us despite the results. I don't agree with your opinion of the defence (that United should be concerned). If you don't count the five goals at Leicester, we have better than Chelsea I believe. That's not the problem, the balance is. That is why I have remodelled the structure of my team. Now I have to solve the problems of the injuries every week, that's another story.” He added.

Tactically then it will be interesting to see how United line-up tomorrow. No Falcao would suggest we won’t see a switch back to the diamond shape because he can use Rooney in a deeper position, but I wonder in he might consider it so Di Maria can play deeper and more central where he appears to be more effective. The diamond means United lack natural width from high up the pitch, encouraging Rafael da Silva and Luke Shaw to overlap and stretch the play. The same applies in reverse, though: the lack of natural width means opposition full-backs are free to break forward, but against Palace this should’nt be a problem because Palace play defensively in that area. Not a lot appears to have changed defensively under Warnock (although Palace are conceding more goals) but the approach the team has appears the same. The defence continues to play very narrow so the full-backs tuck in close to the centre-backs and rarely leave the back four. This means United should’nt get overloaed sown the flanks if they do play with the diamond.

Van Gaal will proably stick with his 4-3-3 system though in the interest of balance and Palace will simply look to defend astutely and counter-attacked swiftly down the flanks. Palace will use a disciplined midfield cordon, that will work as a unit to prevent the us playing penetrative passes, and instead show us out wide. The centre-backs are happy to defend crosses, a big miss for them will be Jedinak in the midfield. He is a key player, mobile and feisty the Australian central midfielder covers the pitch laterally, fighting fires across the width of the pitch. He’s also Palace’s most prolific passer, starting moves from his deep-lying role. James McArthur is a natural partner for him in the centre of the pitch. Without him United may be able to find good space between the lines. Chamakh will be very disciplined defensively, and will drop into midfield when Palace don't have the ball probably on Daley Blind who will start most of our attacks from deep midfield and will look to play a link role behind Fraizer Campbell. Luckily for United’s injury hit defence they will not up against a top-class striker in Campbell, but I am sure he will be highly motivated on his return to United. The main palace threat is on the flanks, Yannick Bolasie and Wilfied Zaha can be infuriating, but tricky while Jason Puncheon combines useful goals with some shockingly bad contributions. I am confident Luke Shaw can cope 1v1 because of his accelartaiin and tackling ability, but Palace may target our right side which is missing Rafael who is still out injured. The big question is can United finally get it together in the final third to open the Palace defence. Di Maria has been superb with his direct dribbling, but Mata has struggled, Falcao hasn't completely settled into English football, Robin Van Persie has looked off-form for over a year now and Wayne Rooney got himself suspended for 3 games. It feels like none of the best attackers have yet found their best form this season. There have been few examples of these players combining dangerously with the build-up has been alarmingly slow at times. It looks a straight forward win, but it rarely is for United these days "I think every opponent in the Premier League is very difficult to beat and we have seen that,” Van Gaal said.

Subs - Lindegaard, Blackett, Fellani, Fletcher, Herrera, Young, Wilson.

The main change is Mata for Fellani, but this is not a straight swap and on form this is unlikely to happen, but I want Di Maria inside rather than on the wing so I would tuck him in and play Mata wide, but Mata natural movement is to come inside which allows Di Maria space to make the reverse movement and supply width. Mata struggles on the wing, but playing there in a 3 is different to playing wide in a 442 because he has an inside left player that can shuttle laterally to cover space and help the left-back. I just think it would be a good way of dragging Palace out of shape and get more from Di Maria.

 

[K_Ash]

let's not go with 2 'kids' as CBs! Carrick and McNair were just fine against City! at this Point, Herrera and Blind are just too light as a partnership unless Fellani is in the mix

DDG
Val- Carrick--McNair--Shaw
Fellani----Blind
Herrera
Mata --------ADM
-Rooney-

If Mata still cant influence then you bring in RVP/Wilson...
Let's not give up on Mata quite yet!

RVP needs to look at things from the bench a bit though I dont believe he has been bad.

 

[Glanville95]

I'd like to see us revert back to the diamond for this game.

de Gea
Valencia - Carrick - McNair - Shaw
Blind
Fellaini - di Maria
Herrera
Wilson - Rooney (c)

Subs: Lindegaard, Blackett, Fletcher, Pereira, Januzaj, Mata, van Persie
​

I want to see us revert back to the 4-4-2 diamond for this game and for the foreseeable future in general. It's allows us to deploy di Maria in his most effective position, where the contrast in his performances centrally compared to out wide is truly staggering. He's our best player and thus needs to be utilised to his maximum capabilities.

It should also coincide with an upturn in our attacking threat, with Herrera playing a huge role offensively by linking the midfield and attack better than anyone else and subsequently giving us better fluency in midfield, which I think has been lacking in the past few games; even if Fellaini has performed admirably. From a defensive perspective, Herrera also has more license to press and harry from the front and beyond the forwards, without playing an as disciplined role with more restriction.

Plenty of option to turn to if we need an impact off the bench too.

 

[2 man midfield]

Can't wait for Carrick to get back into the swing of things. He could have brought a much needed calming presence to a team of headless chickens. The Leicester game springs to mind.

His covering of the defense will be invaluable and should improve us hugely, just need to wait until he's playing in front of it, and not in the bloody thing.

 

[Skåre Willoch]

I think we will see:

De Gea
Valencia Carrick McNair Shaw
Blind
Fellaini Herrera
Di Maria
Rooney Van Persie​

 

[El-Manos]

What I would like to see
-----------De Gea---------
Valencia----Mcnair---Carrick---Shaw

-----------Blind-------
-------Herrera----Di Maria-----

Januzaj------------Wilson
---------Rooney------

What I think we will see

---------De Gea--------
Valencia-----Mcnair---Carrick---Shaw

---------Blind-----Fellaini-----
------------Rooney--------
Januzaj-----RVP------Di Maria

 

[Maagge]

Our injury list is even too ridiculous for the line-up predictions game.

 

[coolredwine]

 

[coolredwine]

Tbh, I'd rather see Blackett and McNair at the back with Carrick coming in at the 60' minute mark.

At the front, have absolutely no idea what's going on with LvG seemingly giving a start to Wilson ahead of Persie. He has also denounced the two striker system, so I am guessing we are going to see di Maria and Adnan on the wings again.

 

[Sam]

We're going to lose this, and the cafe, the media, the ABU's, everyone...is going to go into complete meltdown.

 

[bosnian_red]

Just realized this is tomorrow morning (10am) and not on Sunday like the last month of games were. Pleasantly surprised

 

[Varun Raveendran]

How about blind with McNair at CB and carrick taking blinds current role...

 

[shamans]

Any team will do provided Fellaini goes back into his box. And by box I don't mean the one's on the pitch. I mean the bench.

Stupid post.

 

[togg]

wow...a 3pm kick off on a Saturday...it feels sooo old fashioned!

 

[Twigg]

Stupid post.

He's got a problem with Fellaini for some weird reason. I'm sure he's a troll.

 

[SirAF]

I'm clueless about the line up As per usual after a defeat I've avoided all news all week