PBP: Swansea City AFC vs Manchester United FC - Aug 19, 2017 [R]

By all accounts, the Swans were pitiful against Soton. Gylfi sat the match out, as he tries to force a move.

I'm a big Martial fan, but Rashford was a post away from a goal and an assist himself. I'm not sure he deserves to be benched and I'm not sure Martial isn't a better game changer off the bench. I wouldn't be mad either way. I suppose a healthy rivalry for that spot is probably in our best interest anyway.

Also, Blind was only so/so, but his service on set pieces was good compared to what Rashford has delivered in the recent past. Even though he a liability defensively, he's the best crossing FB we have and the best passing defender too, so I think he retains his spot. No other real question marks really.

 

I look forward to scoring another 2/3 goals and looking solid defensively.

With the proper players out there ( I.E no Lingard) we have the mobility and talent to attack with pace.

The only change might be starting Martial for Mata, or dropping Mhikitaryean and shifting Mata inside.

Build up Martiasls confidence, his attitude on the field was so different compared to last season.

I'm still worried about our fullbacks defensively against better teams and how they contribute to the attack when we come up against a midfield that could suffocate our own.

 

Not many of those midfields in the league if we play a 3. Citeh, maybe. Fortunately we are a balanced team and the league isn't particularly strong. Can't think of any teams that are excellent in midfield, attack and defense. The teams that are relatively good at all 3 will give us trouble perhaps if we lineup the wrong way, but I would say our approach to most games in the league should be clear.

 

A decent tactical preview:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/...s/manchester-united-look-good-season-13477793

Still, I can't see Swansea having any chance against us. Our confidence is high, we've got no new injury problems to worry about and the individual matchups all favor United. Expect 0-3 at minimum here.

 

I'm going to be in Chicago this weekend. I doubt that any places would be open early enough to show the game, but if there are perhaps one or two people on here know what they would be?

 

Expectations are high but I'm not joining the circle jerk just yet. Same starting 11 for me as WH and lets see if the lads can continue on with this form.

 

The Globe and Fado's will be open for sure. What area are you staying in?

 

Near Humboldt Park.

 

Cleo's is pretty close to there and should be open. You might want to double check, though.

 

Swansea without Sigi to bail them out with a spectacular fk are toothless. There's no excuse to not destroy them.

 

It's official, Gylfi is gone. Still need to be wary of Llorente and maybe even Abraham.

 

Llorente is injured I think.

 

Ah, an arm injury. I see that now. Abraham it is then.

 

Want to see a vintage Fergie era massacre....

(but will take 3 points by any means)

 

We'll be going 4-3-3 this weekend, with Herrera back in the side:

Dave
Valencia. Bailly. Jones. Darmian
Herrera. Matic. Pogba
Miki. Lukaku. Martial

At LB, it could just as easily be Blind, but while he was not utterly dreadful vs West Ham, he didn't do much IMO to justify a full time stay, ahead of Darmian (who's more solid defensively).
The midfield is as straightforward as it comes when it's a midfield 3. Going with Miki and Martial, flanking Lukaku, but also, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if we see a different combo out there (with Mata, Rashford and Lingard all liable to claim a spot).
It might be close for a bit, but if we can score early and put them in a position to chase the game, we could hit them with a few. The most important thing is to secure the 3pts, no matter what.

 

Mata should be benched for Martial. Rashford and Miki did enough to keep thier places.

 

Not sure what would bring about a formation change.

 

The starting eleven and formation for our second EPL game will be interesting - to see if Jose is minded in the EPL this season to change things for different oppo & home / away etc. Or by and large baring injuries to keep his favoured 11 in his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.

His in-game changes will also be key in a lot of our games. Now we have Matic I liked the idea that if he is still going to bring on his 'closer' in Fellaini at least it now means pushing Pogs forward into the #10 to do damage against tired legs when the game opens up and there is more space. This could give us the bump we need at the end of games in attack to get / secure the 3 points.

Though still unconvinced by Fellaini playing 2nd double-pivot off the bench - would rather Herrera in most games.

 

Don't disagree with much you say except I see no reason to treat Swansea different from West Ham. Now if we were playing Arsenal or Chelsea or even say Everton, I could see a personnel and formation tweak.

Personally, the same xi will play on Saturday.

 

It's possible that even though we're playing Swansea, on their home turf, it will not be enough to convince Jose to switch personel and formation much. My thinking is that the 4-3-3 does not change the offensive posture of the team much, while providing an extra layer in midfield in Herrera next to Matic.
When it's all said and done, Jose may not feel it will be needed and stick with the same formation we saw vs WH. The way I see it though, even with Sigurdsson no longer around, Swansea's midfield trio is really the only source of worry on that team, coupled with the fact that being at home they may choose to be more expansive in their own approach. Hence, the change in setup, which in no way compromises our own offensive capability or approach fundamentally...

 

I would think Martial for Rashford, but that's about the only change in the starting XI we should expect.

Swansea are not only without the players we've already talked about, but Ki as well. Anything less than a 0-4 demolition, before we then turn off the engines out of respect for the opposition, would be a surprise.

 

Why? Rashford was key on the weekend. If anything, Mata is likely most at risk.

But, I suspect we see the same 11.

 

Mata was easily the worst of the front four last weekend but if he loses his spot I suspect Jose will bring in Lingard instead of Martial. For whatever reason, Jose seems hell bent on having when of them in the lineup at all times.

If we got a front 4 of Lukaku, Martial, Miki, and Rashford all in form we would demolish teams. The pace, directness, and dribbling ability would be devastating.

 

A fair question. Martial showed some good stuff too, and Swansea would be a good occasion to let Martial put in a standout performance.

We're going to win this game, with or without Martial or even Rashford. We need to see what Martial can do before the transfer window closes. If he puts in a (or more) poor performance, we may want to sell him now rather than keeping him until January or June. And if he puts in a great performance(s), that would be a good thing to see.

We need to know what we're dealing with. Can he be the high impact player we all expect and want him to be? The only way to find that out is to start him and I can't think of a better opponent to start him against than Swansea and I can't think of a better time to start him than this weekend.

As for Rashford, he's really one more for the future than he is for the present. There's no question whatsoever that he's part of the long term future at Old Trafford. We can't say that, at least not yet with any real certainty, about Martial. He needs a chance to excel and the chance to excel presents itself against Swansea.