26-Oct - Man United vs Chelsea
02-Nov - Man City vs Man United
08-Nov - Man United vs Crystal Palace
22-Nov - Arsenal vs Man United

Shite has just got shittier. LvG's biggest test till date and what realistically can we get from these 4 and more importantly the 3.

How should we approach these games. Should we attack? Should we park the bus and settle for a point? What do you guys think ?

For Chelsea and City we have no option but to pack the midfield, play Blind and Carrick(if fit) to give the defense the protection it badly needs. 4-2-3-1. Have Blind and Carrick as DM's, then Valencia on the wing (to give protection for Rafael on Hazard) Di Maria on the other side( he is going to have to help out Shaw as much as possible) . Play Herrera as CAM and Falcao as the lone front man. That's my ideal set up for those difficult games.

Against Palace I expect us to win comfortably.

Against Arsenal, same as against Chelsea and City.. but with more flexibility. We can play them at their own game, no need to sit back too much. Their defence is as fragile as ours and their midfield is vulnerable on the counter.

I think if we can get 7 points out of the 4 fixtures, that would be great. A draw v Chavs, a loss against City, Win v Palace and Arsenal.

In saying that, we could lose all these matches barring the Palace one, such is the unpredictability of what United turns up, and whether our defense can withstand from having constant brain farts(unlikely).

isnt valencia injured ?

Don't think LvG will park the bus. Mourinho has beaten van Gaal before, not sure when, maybe Hans can remind us

Di Maria did well vs Atletico so can play vs a park the bus team him and Falcao are key, imo. Crystal Palace we should be beating, but I'll be really annoyed if we don't raise our game for the other 3 big matches, like we did vs Bayern/Arsenal last season but weren't able to do to Liverpool/City.

I'd rather not Valencia on the wing, think we'll concede regardless, we need to outscore teams. So an attacking presence is more important imo.

can we trust fellaini against chelski ?? In a more advanced role like he played yesterday I think he can unsettle their fluidity a bit and keep a check on matic therby freeing di maria to play his natural game. He was quite effective yesterday going back and forth when required. was a decent B2B. So should we take a gamble ?

Tbh, I don't want him to start, but considering the other options he might have to

Lumiere_Blanche wrote:isnt valencia injured ?

Damn I forgot.

Januzaj on the right then, for the Chelsea game.

I think we should play:

Do you think Mourinho will play both Oscar and Fabregas he did vs Arsenal but that was at home

Lumiere_Blanche wrote:can we trust fellaini against chelski ?? In a more advanced role like he played yesterday I think he can unsettle their fluidity a bit and keep a check on matic therby freeing di maria to play his natural game. He was quite effective yesterday going back and forth when required. was a decent B2B. So should we take a gamble ?

I don't trust Fellaini. He did well yesterday against a team that sat back and didn't threaten in our half, he had license and space to do well.

He won't be afforded that against Chelsea. They will press him in the middle whenever he gets the ball, and due to his lack of mobility and technique on the ball, he will be disposessed easily. And the added fact that he is lazy and never seems to track runners. He will be a liability imo.

I'm worried he will give away a lot fouls too around our box. Other than his height and physicality which we will need against Chelsea, he doesn't have enough to warrant a start i such an important game.

We may have no other option but to start him unfortunately. I'd rather he comes on the 2nd half if we're losing so we could just lump the ball to him to get on the end of.( last chance solution type of thing)

Busby Babe wrote:I think we should play:

DDG
Rafa-Jones-Rojo-Shaw
Whoever is fit-Blind
Herrera
Januzaj-Falcao-Di Maria

Exactly what I want to see. And I'm hoping that Carrick is fit enough to partner Blind.

If not, how about Jones? and have Mcnair at the back? He did a job there at the Bernabeau and at White Hart Lane v Bale 2 years ago. Could be an option, albeit a risky one considering he's not really 100% fit atm.

If LvG sets you up like against WBA, that's the kind of possession football Jose eats for breakfast.

Not that I know what I'm talking about, I have no recollection whatsoever of any previous encounter between the two.

Spoiler:

Hapless_Hans wrote:If LvG sets you up like against WBA, that's the kind of possession football Jose eats for breakfast.

Not that I know what I'm talking about, I have no recollection whatsoever of any previous encounter between the two.

Spoiler:

They're gonna sit deep and play on the counter anyways. It will be a typical Mourinho away performance in a big match.

We're just gonna have to be not naive enough to go all out gung ho on them. Impose ourselves, keep our shape. I do think we'll create chances....only hope is that Falcao is on the end of them rather than the laboured RVP.

Di Maria is the best crosser I've seen at United since, Beckham, not as consistent as Beckham but he also doesn't have to stop the ball he can he can hit it really well after a full on run. Hopefully we're more lethal can't keep creating chance after chance and not finishing them.

Looks like Valencia is back.

Maybe a diamond instead? That way he can help Rafael defensively but has less offensive responsibility than he would on the right wing.

        Blind
Valencia-Di Maria
     Herrera

Or 4-3-3

Blind
Valencia-Herrera

I have a feeling the formation is going to be this.


with valencia in the subs

fellaini's role to nulify matic and on a regular basis get into their box to unsettle their shape and free our other creative players for space. And I kinda feel lvg sees fellani as a more attacking player rather than defensive one (which is the right way to go actually). and also it seems gaal kinda rates him. So dont be surprised if he put himas an attacking outlet tomorrow.

Is there a way we can squeeze falcao and herrera into the 11 against $ity ? Rooney will replace mata but the rest of them will retain their places it looks like. Perhaps herrera might get a nod in place of adnan. But if the formation is a 4-3-3 like it was yesterday then Adnan makes a strong case for him as well. But if falcao is fit may be team might revert back to the diamond also considering thats where di maria is most effective.

Would go with this, if Falcao's fit, then it becomes Fellaini vs Herrera for RCM, if Herrera is fit then he plays. Unfortunate for Fellaini, I know. Also, they like to come through, the middle, if Silva plays on the wing, so stuffing the middle with the diamond will be good. Navas is the only true winger in their team, so important Di Maria tracks back. Jones is also injured for this game I think.

Only problem is that the left side of their defense is weak Clichy/Kolarov-Mangala, so a 4-3-3, might be the better option.

someone in GS asked about our up coming fixtures like last week and i said we would

Draw Chelsea
Beat City
Beat Palace
Beat Arsenal

let's hope my correctness continues


but I think we will definitely play the diamond, we have played the best with the diamond this season and injuries are the only reason we have switched to 4-3-3 recently imo, and we lack the pacey wingers to play 4-3-3 effectively, and I think Di Maria is much much better playing LCM and is a waste on the wing.

fully expect Rooney, RVP, Falcao all to start.....Rooney has a knack of scoring vs City, no way you can leave him out he will def be in the #10 role....RVP scored and his movement and hold up was better yesterday so I can't see him being dropped...and Falcao well he is just Falcao

Midfield is where the question will be, Di Maria on the left of the diamond for sure, Blind at the base...but the right side if Herrera is fully fit no rib issues then it's tough, Fellaini as hard as it is to believe has played well and would be unfair to drop...but Herrera is still more dynamic.

my fear playing Fellaini is he gets into yellow trouble mixing it up with City's big powerful midfielders Fernandinho, Fernando, Yaya and we haven't seen Fellaini played in the diamond. So if we do play diamond i think Herrera should play if he is 100%

Mystic Mac I predicted we'd either win or draw v Chelsea but lose to City, but after yesterday, I'm feeling confident we can get a result.

I'd pick the formation Busby suggested in the above post but have Falcao instead of RVP (Not gonna happen, I know). Admittedly, RVP did well to get the equalizer and his general seems to suggest he may be getting his sharpness back, but I thought overall he was lacklustre and showed his lack of pace and inability to make runs time and time again.

At home it's one thing, but away against City we're gonna need someone to constantly be on the move in their box, hassle their cb's and pull them all over the place creating space for our other attackers to exploit. Falcao is the perfect foil for that......but seeing as RVP scored yesterday, that has effectively given him licence to start every game now. Sigh.

And I agree that ADM should be moved back centrally where he is most effective. He is our best player and biggest threat to the oppo, having him on the wings diminshes his impact on the game, and we saw against WBA and Chelsea, he had less threat, although he had moments of class, we're hindering him more or less.

I'll also start fellaini, not because his current form merits it, but because again, we'll be coming up against some giants in the middle, and having him for set plays will be vital.

I think City are overrated. If we treat this like a European game and have the mind set of going there to control the game, keep posession and hit them on the counter with efficiency, we will damage them. LVG excels in these type of games where his team are the underdogs, similar to how he set up in the WC. Soak up pressure, then boom, score.

Great to know that Rooney is back. For all the crap I give him, atleast he imposes himself on games, whether awful or not, he is always trying to get involved...and that's something we missed by having Mata there.

My one concern at the back is Rojo atm. He hasn't been bad, but he has 'error' written all over him. Yesterday, that pass back which sent willian on his way, and then that awkward header that lead Drogba to having a direct shot on target are 2 examples that he can be exposed ruthlessly on another day against elite teams.

Smalling was a beast yesterday. I rewatched the match and he had a very solid game.

agree regarding fellaini. I personally would drop him too if Herrera is 100% fit mainly because cshity and chelski are totally different propositions. You cannot expect fellaini to man mark for eg. toure out of the game. Solely because their other central midfielder(fernando/fernandinho) is not a DFM unlike matic who was a pure dfm. So man-marking one wont be enough against chitty. You need a dfm with you for that strategy to work against them and not a physical pseudo AM like fellaini. Jones would have worked. or even valencia since his defensive attributes are slightly better, but under the circumstance since the former is injured and the latter simply wont be able get into the team I would opt for a different strategy next week without fellaini. Then again we can bring him in the 2nd half as part of a plan B of sorts if we are trailing.
But then again it wont be too big a problem if he do start. He is in fine form also there are merits like the set piece and disturbing their shape for eg.

Yea agreed with Busby that their left side is where we should aim. So may be Januzaj or even we can instruct rooney to play wide to the right. Mangala-clichy is a clear weak spot. But unfortunately the other pain in the arse Kompany will always raise his game against us.

3 man midfield will hopefully cause them problems like it does for them in europe, Yaya walking about and such not pressing at all

Them mofos always play like a team posessed whenever they face us, especially Aguero, Kompany and Toure.

I hope we match their fight and stick it to them.

well it's the one time a year the emptyhad is sold out lol