How will Manchester United line up tonight - and how should they?
- Oli Gent
- Aug 10, 2018
- 4 min read
This report was published on the Eurosport website. You can read it at: https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/premier-league/2018-2019/premier-league-2018-19-how-will-manchester-united-lineup-this-weekend-and-how-should-they_sto6876821/story.shtml
It is not a happy time to be a Red Devil right now.
They’ve had a nightmare pre-season, with the 19-point hangover still fresh and rotting in the memory.
Mourinho continues to make excuses and sulk, and on the field his side have been lacklustre, with tiresome draws against Club America and San Jose, a fluky penalty victory over a poor Milan, and a 4-1 hiding at the hands of bitter rivals Liverpool summing it all up.
Throw in the off-field problems with Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial on top of the centre-back crises, and all hell breaks loose at Old Trafford.
It is not a happy time to be a Red Devil right now.
HOW UNITED WILL LINE UP v LEICESTER
Mourinho was forced into a tactical switch after Paul Pogba’s complaints went publicly viral, and United’s performances slightly improved after the switch from the boring 4-2-3-1 that Mourinho insisted on for three quarters of the season.
He has signed Brazilian Fred to be the box-to-boxer while Andreas Pereira will be the regista, giving Pogba the license to drift forward and affect the game in the final third with his direct running and his ability to do the unexpected. The Brazilian will do the job that Lucas Torreira will do for Unai Emery's Arsenal, and be the aggressive holding player while Scott McTominay and Fred push on.
Nemanja Matic is sidelined after sustaining a knock at the World Cup, and could be out for some weeks. Pereira, however, excelled in the regista role during pre-season when Uniteed played a 3-5-2 and will be trusted again tonight.
On the flanks of defence captain Antonio Valencia will continue to be first-choice despite the arrival of teenager Diogo Dalot, who will sit out the start of the season nursing an injury, and it seems as though Ashley Young will be first choice left-back despite Mourinho’s promises to Luke Shaw that he will get a look-in this term.
However, with the Ecuadorian out nursing a pre-season injury and Young lacking match sharpness since his World Cup outings, Shaw will in fact come in on the left with unwanted Italian Matteo Darmian on the right.
Romeu Lukaku will be the lone man up top again this season but will get more support from Jesse Lingard and Alexis Sanchez operating behind him, as well as Pogba charging forward from midfield and Fred offering an energetic hand when his carrilero duties allow.
Pogba and Lingard could sit this game out on the bench if Mourinho feels they lack fitness, so it will be likely that Scott McTominay and Juan Mata come in for two of United's more creative players.
However, if Lukaku isn’t physically fit enough for the start of the new season, it should be up to Marcus Rashford to lead the line for United, with the Englishman publicly declaring that he wants to be considered as a number 9, instead of an inside forward.
BUT HOW SHOULD UNITED LINE UP?
Despite the complaints from manager and fans alike, there is still a lot to work with for Mourinho and his new 4-3-2-1.
They have undoubtedly the best goalkeeper in the world, even if he did had a poor World Cup. This most definitely helps when taking the entire defence into account.
At centre-back, Mourinho will be furious no deals were done before the deadline, but Eric Bailly and Chris Smalling are a reliable partnership that are quick on their feet, good in the air and strong in the tackle, and Mourinho cannot ignore that fact that they both play well together.
Luke Shaw would come in at left back, as you need a natural left-footer there, and a start in the first game of the season would bolster his confidence with the rest of the season ahead. He and Valencia would offer width on the flanks, overlapping the midfield trio and whipping crosses in towards the striker.
In midfield, United are light, weight-wise. Fred is a smart signing due to his energy and defensive ability combined with his eye for a pass, but his height and small stature could cause him problems when coming up against the most physical of midfields, despite his aggressive style of play. However, he will play having had a full pre-season.
It is different for Silva and De Bruyne at City because they always have the ball, and they’re constantly moving because Guardiola demands a high tempo. But with Mourinho’s side, it’d be different due to the tortoise pace that they usually attack at, which allows sides to get at them and press them hard.
These are difficult calls to make, especially when considering returning World Cup stars and their lack of match sharpness. Therefore, Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard will be rushed into the matchday squad, but could feature off the bench if Mourinho is worried about fitness.
If not, Pogba of course has to play on the left of the three after his solid World Cup, and Lingard could play on the right of the front three if Mata is not preferred.
Anthony Martial though is an interesting option. After his public fall-out with Mourinho, it's unlikely that he will play, but he really should.
His pace, directness, and eye for goal make him stand out in comparison to Juan Mata, and selecting the Frenchman would mean moving Sanchez to the right hand side, where he shone against Tottenham in the FA Cup semi-final last term.
With Leicester not particularly strong in wide areas in defence, Martial and Sanchez could be the ideal two to torment Ricardo Pereira and Ben Chilwell.
More fluidity in the attacking phases would allow Martial and Sanchez to drift inside and look for a shot or a key pass, while Lukaku would be the roaming target man, creating space for the onrushing four to exploit in behind him. Lukaku should start due to his stature of being the complete forward, with his pace, power and poacher's instinct all at the very highest level, exampled well by his World Cup performances for Belgium where he played in a similar role in their front three to that of Mourinho's selection.
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