Should we take the FA Cup seriously?

[Fooza]

Yeh, I don't care about this unfortunately. not with games so close together and Europa after. Just throw in our second string team vs Chelsea and see how it pans out.

 

[eire-red]

As much as you'd love to win the FA Cup, top 4 has to be priority. We need to beat Crystal Palace and West Ham, we should be resting a few key players against Chelsea.

I know we're United, we should be looking to win every match, every competition and all that. But we need to look at the bigger picture here.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Don't care.

 

[m1tch]

Making a 4 or 5 changes is the right way with this fixture. Maybe start with Ighalo, Fred, McT, James, Romero but keep the rest of the first 11.
I'd say we've less chance of winning this than finishing top 4 or winning the Europa, so we've got to bare that in mind.

 

[wr8_utd]

Winning Palace and West Ham is more important (and more likely) than beating Chelsea and City back to back at a ground we don't seem to do particularly well. Rest Bruno, Pogba, Martial and Matic for this match.

 

[RkkMan]

Yeah feck it. 3 points against Palace and West Ham gets us CL and enough finances to make necessary signings the FA Cup won`t. I`d happily go full strength vs Palace and rotate heavily vs Chelsea to keep the lads fresh for West Ham. The Europa League is more winnable and manageable than the FA Cup anyway much rather we focused on that.

 

[KChucky88]

Send second team and very interesting who will be left back in fa cup after shaw and Williams are outs

 

[DevilRed]

Couldn’t care less. We need champions league football. That should be the priority.

It will affect the players we can sign and obviously will affect whether we can tie down pogba to a contract.

Rotate the squad for this one. It’s not like we weren’t able to beat the rent boys with our squad players.

 

[Bastian]

----------------Romero
Laird-----Bailly---Mengi----Dalot
---------McTom----Fred
Lin/Per-----Mata------James
----------------Ighalo

Hopefully not lose by too much and preserve the first XI.

 

[Offside]

What’s the point of getting the top 4? Is it not so we can win trophies? Yet some are talking about turning their nose up at the chance of a final? Honestly it’s a modern obsession that Arsenal started that makes little sense. I’d rather finish 5th and win the FA Cup than 4th every single time.

 

[bondsname]

What’s the point of getting the top 4? Is it not so we can win trophies? Yet some are talking about turning their nose up at the chance of a final? Honestly it’s a modern obsession that Arsenal started that makes little sense. I’d rather finish 5th and win the FA Cup than 4th every single time.

Don't know if you are sarcastic, but I actually agree with your point. I feel the same way as anyone else, I don't care at all about the F.A Cup, I just want top 4. But we should really care more about the F.A Cup because... it's a trophy. Top 4 is not a trophy. And it's not like we have a good chance to win the champions league next season.

Weird.

 

[RkkMan]

What’s the point of getting the top 4? Is it not so we can win trophies? Yet some are talking about turning their nose up at the chance of a final? Honestly it’s a modern obsession that Arsenal started that makes little sense. I’d rather finish 5th and win the FA Cup than 4th every single time.

Its looking at the bigger picture lad. A second successive season out of the CL will cost us financially and from a football perspective. (30% off the adidas money on top of COVID losses, no Sancho or any big signing and no contract renewal for Pogba) We simply dont have the squad depth to deal with a tough top 4 run in and the FA Cup unless we want to injure our players and risk losing everything so a choice has to be made if we want to salvage something. A guaranteed CL place with top 4 plus the EL in the off season with no pressure is a much better option than risking top 4 AND the FA Cup.

 

[RkkMan]

Don't know if you are sarcastic, but I actually agree with your point. I feel the same way as anyone else, I don't care at all about the F.A Cup, I just want top 4. But we should really care more about the F.A Cup because... it's a trophy. Top 4 is not a trophy. And it's not like we have a good chance to win the champions league next season.

Weird.

Us being in the CL benefits us financially and makes us attractive in the market as well as giving Pogba an incentive to sign a new deal. If we make good buys we will have a solid CL campaign.If you want a trophy the EL is still there and its much more manageable in the off season with a healthy 1st leg tie we can use for rotation, a very winnable QF final tie and no pressure of fixtures in between as well as no mandatory pressure to win it if we get top 4.(that mandatory pressure could make us crumble)

 

[DickDastardly]

Feck yes we should!!

This reminds me of the 99 season, in a very toned down sense....(battling for 4th instead of the title) (being in the Europa cup instead of CL)

But still!

It's make or break time for the whole team, first team players, reserves, coaches, manager.

It's what you want at the end of the season - in with a shot of winning it all!

Couldn't give a feck about the cl money, the adidas money, the Sanchos and what else.

I want them to be a Team! Show some fecking passion and be rewarded with lifting trophys!

 

[Offside]

Its looking at the bigger picture lad. A second successive season out of the CL will cost us financially and from a football perspective. (30% off the adidas money on top of COVID losses, no Sancho or any big signing and no contract renewal for Pogba) We simply dont have the squad depth to deal with a tough top 4 run in and the FA Cup unless we want to injure our players and risk losing everything so a choice has to be made if we want to salvage something. A guaranteed CL place with top 4 plus the EL in the off season with no pressure is a much better option than risking top 4 AND the FA Cup.

The same way Arsenal were looking at the bigger picture fighting for top 4 9 years in a row and winning absolutely nothing. That’s the bigger picture we don’t want to end up with.

 

[RkkMan]

Feck yes we should!!

This reminds me of the 99 season, in a very toned down sense....(battling for 4th instead of the title) (being in the Europa cup instead of CL)

But still!

It's make or break time for the whole team, first team players, reserves, coaches, manager.

It's what you want at the end of the season - in with a shot of winning it all!

Couldn't give a feck about the cl money, the adidas money, the Sanchos and what else.

I want them to be a Team! Show some fecking passion and be rewarded with lifting trophys!

Huge ask beating Guardiola 4 times in one season though especially vs a City side that will be desperate for silverware after losing their PL Title

 

[DickDastardly]

Huge ask beating Guardiola 4 times in one season though especially vs a City side that will be desperate for silverware after losing their PL Title

Feck me, if they can't bring them selves up for a Cup final on Wembley against your city rivals, then what the feck are we watching this for?!

I don't expect us to win it all, i just want a proper outing, a gutsy performance!

A show of character if you will.

And certainly not a resignation for the greater good ( read adidas money, getting fourth no matter what just for the money that CL brings).

 

[Bojan11]

Impossible this season with the games coming fast. City have the luxury of not having anything to play for. I can see Chelsea making a lot of changes too.

 

[Tony247]

Can't go with same starting 11 for sure. AWB, pogba, bruno, rashford, matic, greenwood all look tired. Not for importance of the cup but simply on humanitarian ground they need rest and let their body recover.

 

[Adam-Utd]

I'd love to win the FA cup but honestly right now I just don't think we can go full strength.

Our first string need a rest before West Ham and Leicester otherwise we risk throwing it all away.

We also then have City in the final who will be fresh as daisies, while I have faith we could beat them it's going to be very tricky.

I think if Ole made 5/6 changes and we lost people would be unhappy, but we have to look at the bigger picture.

 

[roonster09]

After Southampton's result, it's better to play second 11 against Chelsea, at max one or two from the front 6.

 

[Godfather]

I have to be honest. I don't care much about it. Rather see us go hard in the league and Europe.

 

[Berbasbullet]

Maybe rest 3 or 4, think Ighalo deserves a game anyway, and maybe James, and a couple of others.

 

[Trex]

We need to do a Klopp here and focus on the league, qualifying for the UCL is more important for our long term goals... When the EPL is over we can then switch our attention to winning the Europa league

 

[Judas]

I wouldn't want to see us lose out on CL because of it. We'll take it as seriously as Chelsea will, both teams won't be full strength.

 

[Devil81]

Chelsea have a five day break before they play, totally unfair if you ask me.

As much as I love the idea of winning the cup common sense must prevail, Ole hasn't been rotating enough so I'm in the camp of resting certain players in this game.

Mata, Ighalo, Fred, Mctominey, Romero, James and Bailly in for me. Williams if he's fit.

The rest of the squad aren't up to it.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

Chelsea have a five day break before they play, totally unfair if you ask me.

As much as I love the idea of winning the cup common sense must prevail, Ole hasn't been rotating enough so I'm in the camp of resting certain players in this game.

Mata, Ighalo, Fred, Mctominey, Romero, James and Bailly in for me. Williams if he's fit.

The rest of the squad aren't up to it.

He'll need stitches over that eye. How is he supposed to head the ball?

 

[Samid]

Same formation as our win at the Bridge and City at OT. Mostly same personnel as well.

Romero
Lindelof - Maguire - Bailly
AWB - Fred - Matic - Shaw/Williams
Bruno
James - Ighalo​

Rest Matic vs Palace. If both Shaw/Williams are available then bench Bailly. If neither are available then James down to LWB and Rashy up top.

Bench: Pogba, Martial, Lingard, Rashy, Greenwood, McT

 

[Infra-red]

Securing CL football is more important and should be the club's primary aim. I wouldn't start any of Pogba, Fernandes or Rashford against Chelsea.

 

[Devil81]

He'll need stitches over that eye. How is he supposed to head the ball?

I'm sure they can wrap his head up with a decent bandage, I think he will be playing on Thursday myself.

I'd rather a patched up Williams than the alternative which is Dalot.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

I'm sure they can wrap his head up with a decent bandage, I think he will be playing on Thursday myself.

I'd rather a patched up Williams than the alternative which is Dalot.

I doubt it

 

[Devil81]

I doubt it

Either way, I think we can get through the Palace match with Dalot but I wouldn't want to face Chelsea with Dalot at left-back as defensively he struggles on his natural side so I wouldn't like to see him at left-back.

The form Willian is in I'd hate to see him up against Dalot.

 

[RedStarUnited]

The same way Arsenal were looking at the bigger picture fighting for top 4 9 years in a row and winning absolutely nothing. That’s the bigger picture we don’t want to end up with.

We still have Europa league to win after the league season ends. And we have the team to win that to be honest.

 

[Siorac]

Don't know if you are sarcastic, but I actually agree with your point. I feel the same way as anyone else, I don't care at all about the F.A Cup, I just want top 4. But we should really care more about the F.A Cup because... it's a trophy. Top 4 is not a trophy. And it's not like we have a good chance to win the champions league next season.

Weird.

CL participation is just much better for the club overall. Sure, the FA Cup's a trophy - a trophy that barely anyone cares about these days if we're being honest. Wenger won like what, four of them in his last few years at Arsenal and yet no one would call those years successful - all the talk was that he's past it. We effing fired a manager a day after winning it.

CL brings a lot of money, CL is an incentive for top footballers - of course people care about it more.

So yeah, I'm in the camp of "I don't want to see Martial, Pogba, Fernandes, or Rashford against Chelsea".

 

[roonster09]

There is a good chance Chelsea will be resting players too for this game. They have game vs Liverpool on 22nd, so just 2 days between games.

 

[charlenefan]

A lot will depend on who wins the first SF. If Arsenal do the unthinkable do I care about the FA Cup then? Absolutely. If City win the first SF then nah not so much

 

[Inigo Montoya]

A lot will depend on who wins the first SF. If Arsenal do the unthinkable do I care about the FA Cup then? Absolutely. If City win the first SF then nah not so much

So we should only care as long as we know the final opponents on the basis that we could lose against City.

Kind of mid table club mentality

 

[charlenefan]

So we should only care as long as we know the final opponents on the basis that we could lose against City.

Kind of mid table club mentality

What can I say these past 7 years have damaged me

 

[Siorac]

So we should only care as long as we know the final opponents on the basis that we could lose against City.

Kind of mid table club mentality

We shouldn't care much at all, we have more important stuff to worry about.

 

[Berbasbullet]

Think both sides will rotate.