PBP: PSF - Manchester United FC vs UC Sampdoria - Aug 2, 2017 [R]

Still toying with going to the Aviva for this one if I can find a flight back to London after the game. Should be packed with mancs.

 

We'll get hammered

 

Perfect scenario for that game: Schick plays, has a blinder, Jose then instructs Woody to sign him!
His release clause is €30mil (even if there is a concern about his health, having allegedly failed 2 medicals with Juve).

A man can dream I guess...

 

We will see a full strength squad with the Super Cup in a week. It'll be interesting to see who our starting squad is for the season.

 

This game will tell us who is starting the Super Cup game. If we see Smalling and Lindelof paired together then it should be pretty clear. I wouldn't rule out 3 in the back with those two and Blind either.

 

3 at the back really ought to be way to in the Supercup game. So if tomorrow's game is a rehearsal for that, then we ought to go with:
Dave
Lindelof, Smalling, Blind/Tuanzebe
Valencia, Carrick, Herrera, Pogba, Darmian
Rashford, Lukaku

The 3 CBs at the back would help contain Real's attack with the extra man. Real's defense really hasn't looked all that impressive so far and playing with 2 guys upfront really ought to be the way to go to apply some extra pressure on their CBs. We'd have a real chance with that sort of setup. Matic would start ahead of Carrick, but it still might be too soon perhaps.

 

I'm interested in the middle configuration more than anything else.

We've seen Pogba play in the right and left. I wonder if he will gain a free role it stick to one side.

 

Frig, the last flight back to London is at 9:05. I'll have to watch this one on TV.

 

Team/squad news ahead of today's game.

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/man-utd-team-news-sampdoria-13419437

 

I like that midfield. Matic sitting back and AP and Pogba freedom to get forward. I wonder if Miki is playing as a second striker or just behind Lukaku.

 

Hmm mutv showing 4-3-3 but said guess;

ddg
valencia - smalling - lindelof - darmian
matic - blind
---- pogba
pereira - lukaku - mikhi

I reckon back 3 more likely (smalls, lindelof, blind).

Likely a defensive setup with the Real game in mind.

 

3 6 1.

Okay.

Im not against 3 at the back at all. I was just hoping for at least 3 attackers (not including Pogba) in the XI.

 

No way it's a 433 because that would mean Blind at CM and Jose has been unwilling to do that for a year.

 

My guess;

------------------ DDG
---- Lindelof - Smalling - Blind
Valencia ----- Matic -------- Darmian
----------Pereira - Pogba
----------------- Mikhi
-----------------Lukaku

ie Mikhi supporting Lukaku in a 3-5-2 (probs finding width like Lingard did when we played this formation before)
ie as a mid 3 could also show matic with pereira/pogs ahead
ie matic pereira pog mikhi diamond with wingbacks

edit: with an ascii diamond (kind of!)

 

I very much doubt AP will be playing alongside Matic. More likely he'll be in the Herrera role next to Pogba with Miki higher up supporting Lukaku.

 

what i said in the ie (cant draw a diamond)

 

Matic playing alone in the holding role is the precise reason we've got him. AP and Pogba will have license to have more offensibe role and support Miki and Lukaku.
With those 2 (AP and Pogs) in midfield, I personally would have rather have Rashford or even Martial in support/alongside Lukaku, but Miki should do. Looking forward to see how it will translate in terms of our style of play.

 

My bad, didn't see that.

 

Mou said Matic will get 45mins to accelerate his progress as has been training alone.

 

Sampdoria's XI: Puggioni, Regini, Silvestre, Pavlovic, Sala, Caprari, Torreira, Praet, Linetty, Barretto, Quagliarella

No Schick for Samp starting or on the bench. Was kind of looking forward to see him in action against us. Quagliarella is the only player I'm really familiar as we were linked with him at some point when SAF was still in charge.

 

Quagliarella is still playing? He was shit back during his glory days at Juve. Can't imagine he's gotten any better.

 

And it's taken less than 5 minutes for Darmian to ruin two attacks.

 

We were linked with him way before he played with Juve. He was still with Sampdoria as it happens. It was over 10yrs ago. He never did to anything special indeed. Just stood out in memory because of his name and the fact that we were linked to an Italian attacking player.