Tag Archives: Manchester United

Confident West Ham Could Give Man Utd Troubles; 4-2-3-1 Gridlock

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West Ham have built a good squad that will be a good test for Manchester United on Sunday

West Ham will be Manchester United’s toughest opponent in the Premier league when they square off Sunday. Top of the league United will have their first real test in the league and will hope to bounce back from a shocking defeat in Switzerland on Tuesday.

West Ham are not one of the traditional big six clubs, but they finished sixth last season and are playing in Europe. Both sides have not been defeated in the league. West Ham have two wins and draws, their last match was one of those draws to Southampton.

On Thursday evening they went to the Croatian capital, Zagreb and beat Dinamo 2-0. An impressive win for West Ham on the road against a really good European team. It is always tough for British and Western European sides to play in Eastern Europe, so it is an impressive result for West Ham, who have been dropped early in Europa League previously after having great Premier League seasons.

West Ham Squad

Jesse Lingard had a huge impact for West Ham when he was brought in on loan in January. Lingard had an outstanding goal and assist output and was always involved in chances. Nothing materialized this summer obviously and West Ham seem to have gotten off fine without Lingard.

They have replaced him in that CAM position with the return of form with Manuel Lanzini, Pablo Fornals has looked good early and Said Benrahma, who they bought from Brentford two summers ago, looks like he is getting comfortable with the league and looks more like he did in the Championship.

Jarrod Bowen has also progressed in his maturation since being bought from Hull, he is deadly on the right. West Ham have really scouted well in the Championship. Aaron Cresswell came from Ipswich, when they were in the Championship, and is one of the most underrated left-backs in the league. His left foot is really good, his crosses and long shots are deadly.

Michael Antonio is also another player bought from the Championship. He was bought as a right wing back from Nottingham Forest and is now West Ham’s greatest goal scorer. He scored against Dinamo Zagreb after pouncing on a back pass, he is a willing runner, scores any way he can and is in tremendous form at the moment.

West Ham also have scouted well in Europe. They have got Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal from the Czech Republic and were fantastic last season. They got another Czech, Alex Kral on loan who has yet to appear, but looked really good in the Euros. The Czechs had a surprisingly good Euros knocking out the Dutch in the opening knockout round.

They also brought in Nikola Vlasic from CSKA Moscow. West Ham bought the Croatian international for €30mil on deadline day. He will provide competition in the attacking roles and probably because he is Croatian started in Zagreb on Thursday.

Andriy Yarmelenko rounds out the attacking options and you always have to account for his left foot, it is deadly if he is able to cut in. Lukasz Fabianski is a solid goalie and West Ham also had more good business when they brought in Kurt Zouma from Chelsea.

Zouma had a good loan at West Ham a couple of seasons ago and is paired well with either Craig Dawson, Angelo Ogbonna or even Issa Diop. West Ham have good depth in every position. Ryan Fredericks is a good compliment to Coufal and Alphonse Areola might be one the best back up keepers in the league.

All of these players gel with the most important player in the squad Declan Rice. Rice has been linked for good reason with Manchester United for some time. As well as other top clubs, but the only other club that would rival United for Rice is Chelsea. Rice spent time in Chelsea’s academy from 2006-2014.

The future might be a little uncertain for Rice, but at the present he is an absolute beast in the midfield. His talents were on complete display at the Euros. His ability to run with the ball in the midfield, he even takes on full backs with powering runs, he can hold the ball up and he covers so well.

Rice would probably walk on to any team in the Premier League including Manchester City and Liverpool who have great central midfield talent. Rice is like a Jordan Henderson with what seems like unlimited stamina. He might not be as good of a passer as Henderson, but defensively he offers a little bit more in my opinion.

It is a shame you can not compare him to a United midfielder, but that is why he is linked with Manchester United. Rice scored on Thursday against Dinamo, he intercepted the ball in the middle of the field, ran at the defense and finished on his left foot. He is a game changer in the midfield and United need to track him well.

Mark Noble is the club captain and long time veteran in the club and is almost like a player/coach to Manager David Moyes, who has rejuvenated his career in London.

How Man Utd And West Ham Match Up

In the disappointing opening to the Champions League David Wagner and Young Boys matched Man Utd in formation. West Ham will do as well as they also operate in the 4-2-3-1. Rice and Soucek complete each other well in the pivot and Lanzini and Benrahma roam in the CAM spot.

If Aaron Wan-Bissaka does not get red carded, United probably do not lose that game. So Wagner matching Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in formation is not indicative of the result, but Solskjaer should worry about the capabilities of Moyes team in the formation.

Soucek and Rice are tall and like to get in the box and attack the posts. They also do well in understanding when to provide cover when the other makes the run. They have wide players who like to cut in and the full backs like to overlap and also put crosses in from different angles, they do not always have to overlap. Cresswell puts in a good cross from anywhere.

Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane are fantastic in the air and should quell those threats, but if one of those runners attack the full backs or a trailing midfielder like Fred, they might fine success. At one point you can see a Nemanja Matic even off the bench come on to help defend. Craig Dawson is all great at attacking set pieces for West Ham.

Scott McTominay and Alex Telles have returned to training with the first team and McTominay is also another big body who can help with West Ham’s height. If McTominay or either Matic start look for Fred to try and get on the ball as well United to pass the ball around.

This could fit West Ham’s style of play, they like to counter, like most 4-2-3-1 sides and if they do not create the chance on the counter, West Ham do not mind being fouled for those dead piece situations. The sides could create a gridlock where both sides can not and will not let the other break each other down.

The substitutions, when they happen will try and exploit the other, so it will be interesting to see who flinches first, Moyes or Solskjaer if they can not break each other down. United should be confident that Ronaldo, Bruno, Pogba and Sancho should pick the lock, but West Ham play good defensively as a unit.

United should also be in confident in defense. Antonio is suspended after picking up a late red card against Southampton. There is really no back up striker for West Ham, the only negative thing about their recent business. Yarmelenko has been used in the past as a back up striker by Moyes.

Varane and Maguire should bully the center of the field as a result. Antonio is always trying to get in behind and has good hold up play it will be hard to replace him. They could also go with Bowen or Vlasic at striker, maybe with pace they can attack Maguire, but they might not be used to being central and knowing when to make those runs.

United should be high up the pitch because of the lack of the threat and look to get on the ball and make things happen with all the great creative players they have.

This is a great match for United against an inform team playing in Europe. It will be a good indicator of how things might go against a Tottenham or an Everton.

Manchester United Disappoint In Bern

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Manchester United Face Young Boys

Manchester United fall to Young Boys in Switzerland after a late winner from American international Jordan Siebatcheu in the final minute of the match.

Young Boys decided to match Manchester United with formation, both sides used the 4-2-3-1. Donny van de Beek steps in the starting XI as Paul Pogba moves more towards the wing.

Cristiano Ronaldo got the scoring underway when he attacked a cross to the back post from Bruno Fernandes. He slipped it under the goalie to take the lead, the goalie could have done better.

The dynamics of the game changed when Aaron Wan-Bissaka overran his dribble, his subsequent challenge showed his studs and he was sent off.

Manchester United try to tame Young Boys

Despite the man advantage most of the match, Manchester United kept their lines tight and let Ronaldo try and run on to things.

Ronaldo had a penalty shout early in the second half after he beat his man to get in behind. He was eased off the ball when looking to shot, but the ref waved it off.

Raphael Varane came in for Donny to start the second half. Five defenders flooded the box for United, making life real difficult for the Swiss side despite the man advantage.

The goal finally came for Young Boys in the 66th minute after some sustained pressure from the Swiss side. The ball was switched out wide and Young Boys had plenty of space, the cross found Nicolas Ngameleu and his redirected shot found the back of the net.

A long range shot in the 87th minute by Sandro Lauper had to be tipped over the bar by David de Gea. Young Boys continued their siege on the Manchester United box.

It was the American international who got his goal in the final minute after Jesse Lingard played a terrible back pass that played in the American. He kept his cool and slotted it past de Gea with ease.

Ronaldo Returns To The Premier League With Brace   

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Old Trafford was packed to the rafters Saturday for Cristiano Ronaldo’s return. Fans started the match singing loudly and didn’t stop until after the final whistle. Everyone was full of confidence with Ole Gunnar Solskaer starting Ronaldo at the top of his  4-2-3-1 formation.

Despite the fans being in full voice, United started sluggish and seemed unable to break down Newcastle’s low block. Newcastle began with all 10 men playing mostly in their own half. Joelinton and Saint-Maximin were the two outlet men looking to catch United on the break.

United final woke up and got a goal in stoppage time of the first 45 minutes. Ronaldo, in the right place at the right time, taps the ball in the back of the net. Woodman spilled Mason Greenwood’s left footed shot, giving Ronaldo an easy goal to start with. This was Ronaldo’s 119th goal for United with his last one coming on May 10, 2009, 4,507 days ago.

Second Half

United started with the same malaise that impacted them in the first. This lead to Newcastle starting the half on the front foot and pulling a goal back to draw level. Harry Maguire leaves Ralphe Varane exposed at the back after a missed challenge. Saint-Maximin finds an open Manquillo and with only David De Gea to beat he slots home and pulls Newcastle level.

Saint-Maximin and Almiron were real threats all match and played some good counter attacking football for Newcastle. The goal seemed to wake United and the match itself up, with chances being created at both ends of the pitch.  Then in the 58th minute Ronaldo gets his second of the match.

Ronaldo Gets His Brace in the Stretford End  

Paul Pogba picks the ball up in his own half and passes to a breaking Luke Shaw on half way line. Shaw slides the ball to Ronaldo who splits two defenders and scores between Woodman’s legs. Fans went wild with the goal lifting the mood to a fever pitch.  The goal just about killed any fight Newcastle had left and all three points seemed inevitable.

Jesse Lindgard came on in the 66th minute for a largely unproductive Jordan Sancho. He had some moments but they were few and far between. He looks like he still needs some time to adjust to the Premier League. The match slowed considerably after Ronaldo’s second and Newcastle looked tired with 10 men behind the ball.

Bruno Scores a Peach of a Goal

In the 80th minute Fernandes scores a beautiful goal that put the fans back on their feet and singing his name.  Pogba gets his first of two assists passing to an open Fernandes who is at the top of the box 20 yards out. Newcastle’s tired defenders didn’t close him down like they did in the first half and Fernandes has a delightful, right footed shot hit the back of the net. The goal started with long up field pass by an attentive David De Gea.

 Lindgard Adds a Fourth

United dominated possesion and were causing all kinds of problems for Newcastle. In the 85th and 86th minute Donny Van De Beek comes on for Fernandes and Mason Greenwood makes way for Anthony Martial respectively. Newcastle offered little attacking threat at this point in the match and United get a fourth from Lindergard. Martial leaves a “give and go” return ball from Pogba for Lindgard who smashes a right footed shot past Woodman in the box.  The goal came about from some lovely, tight passing from Pogba who had two assists and gave a stand out performance.

United are Top of the Table   

United looked extremely dangerous going forward with Ronaldo up top.  He is going to make a huge difference this year with the amount of goals he scores and will take United closer to winning the league and he echoed that sentiment in an interview with MUTV. Ole’s starting eleven look like they could go all the way but I still feel we are one or two players away from taking the crown from Manchester City.

United still have some defensive issues, meaning another center mid and maybe another more attacking minded right back. Once United get those taken care of we will have a real chance at the crown.  This year will be very close but I think we are still a bit too weak at the back.  

Manchester United Need 3 Points Against AN Underperforming But Solid Wolves Side

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Wolves host Manchester United at the Molineux Sunday in Match week three of the Premier League. The club are looking to make a statement win after dropping points against a beatable Southampton last Sunday.

Even though it’s the start of the season United dropping two points against Southampton has fans worried. United were unable to keep hold of the ball in midfield with Fred and Matic particularly guilty of losing possession. It is a big week for the club after the confirmation of Ronaldo.

The Red Devils looked much better with Scott McTominay starting alongside Fred in center mid against Leeds. Unfortunately McTominay had a groin issue and needed surgery this week. He will be out of the squad for a few weeks meaning Matic will likely get the start again.

Fans are wondering if Raphael Varane will get his full debut. United are one win away from breaking Arsenal’s away games unbeaten streak. Look for Ole to make no mistakes and give Varane and Sancho their full debuts Sunday. United will need to be on the front foot and attack, attack, attack against a Wolves side that will be full of confidence.  

After beating Nottingham Forrest midweek 4-0 Wolves will be believe they can come away with at least a point Sunday. Wolves have lost both of their opening matches against Leicester and Spurs 1-0, but both matches were close affairs. Bruno Lage’s side will be more of an attacking threat than Southampton was last Sunday. 

Wolves can be vulnerable at the back when they are attacking so look for United to attack on the break. In the past six matches United have played against Wolves there was only 1 goal scored by either team. Don’t look for this to be a high scoring match for either side.

Paul Pogba looked like a real threat attacking down the left against Southampton. If Sancho starts on the right look for Anthony Martial or Mason Greenwood to get a goal. Bruno Fernandes’ free kicks will also be a real problem for Wolves Sunday. Varane or Maguire will score from a Fernandes free kick Sunday.

The Red Devils should win this 2-0 with Greenwood and Maguire on the score sheet.    

Manchester United Legend Returning At The Perfect Time

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Manchester United have completed the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo according to the club. Ronaldo left the club in 2009 to join Real Madrid and returns to Old Trafford after a small transfer battle with rivals Manchester City.

Ronaldo has scored over 600 goals in his entire career. Ronaldo spent the last three season at Juventus and has a brevity of awards and trophies in his cabinet.

Ronaldo returning comes at an interesting time for United. United could compete for a title and need someone more consistent at the number 9 position.

Consistency has been lacking at the position since United had the likes of Berbatov, Rooney, Van Persie, Tevez and even Zlatan. It has been a few seasons without a consistent striker.

Ronaldo began his career at United as a left winger looking to run at defenders. Now, he operates mainly in the center and still utilizes his athleticism to great success with outrageous leaping headers.

Manchester United Strike Force

This is a little more opinionated, warning. I think United need to hold possession and play with a classical number 9. I think Mason Greenwood could be that guy, is he there yet if he is only scoring 10 goals? No, but he is extremely promising.

Greenwood has shined early this season, scoring a goal in each game and he finished last season off well. In a press conference in 2019, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said of Greenwood, “natural finishing, he is one of the best I have seen.” High praise from a striker who also played with and around great strikers.

If Greenwood wants to be that guy, he needs at least 20 goals in the league. You have to get goals if you want to be the main striker. During the Leeds game he was that guy and played more centrally, In the poor performance against Southampton he was pushed wider and had to share the middle with Anthony Martial.

Martial

There have been some rumors of bids coming in for Martial. If I was a team wanting to buy Martial, I would wait to the deadline and cut €10-15mil off of Martial’s value. The only buyers in the French league seem to be PSG, who are not bringing in Martial.

Maybe a team in Spain or Italy could come in later for a bid. There was rumors of Atalanta if Duvan Zapata gets sold, it was hot air mostly and a couple of weeks ago the club will not allow him to leave this summer according to Sky Sports.

Not surprising with the injury of Marcus Rashford, the frequent injuries of Edinson Cavani and Mason Greenwood still being young that United have not moved on from Martial.

I do not think Martial is a classical number 9. He does not always hold up the ball well, his headers could be better and his turn and shot skills are lacking lately. Martial had some great moments as a Red Devil, but lately things have not been kind to the Frenchman.

Martial scored 17 league goals in 2019, only four last season, injuries hampered him a lot last campaign. Edinson Cavani has pushed Martial out of the center and with Marcus Rashford’s natural position looking more like the left wing, Martial is slowly getting pushed out of the squad.

Cavani

The Uruguayan is a great talent, his talents was on display at times last season, especially towards the end of the season. But, the big man can not stay healthy.

Cavani is a class athlete and wonderful player when fit and would work well with Ronaldo if they were up top together and it might not require a huge revamp of the system.

Greenwood and Martial pretty much did that at the weekend at times the formation going forward looked like a 4-2-2-2 with Pogba and Bruno playing attacking midfielders on the right and left. They looked to both get in the middle and make things happen.

Defensively that could be problematic. Both Cavani and Ronaldo are up in age and at the point in both of their careers that being asked to do too much defensively may harm their ability to be as effective offensively.

Someone like Greenwood can run for days and might pair better with either or. It looks like Cavani might be a super sub when Ronaldo comes.

Ronaldo

Ronaldo was not enough for a strong Juve team to recapture Serie A last season after winning it for a decade. It was not all Ronaldo’s fault or even any of it and Ronaldo held Juve accountable for it, he expects to win.

Not only does United get a number 9 that they need they also get an extreme winner, someone for Greenwood to try and emulate, someone is going to hold the United looker room accountable.

Match Report: Manchester United Crush Leeds 5-1 With Wild Second Half and Bruno Hat-Trick

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Manchester United begin their Premier League campaign with a 5-1 victory against Leeds. Goals from Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood and four assists from Paul Pogba saw Manchester United cruise past Leeds.

Raphael Varane was also unveiled to the fans setting up a joyous mood in Old Trafford that would continue through the early after in Manchester.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted for a safer lineup choice by choosing Fred and Scott McTominay in the middle with Paul Pogba and Dan James out wide.

Strong First Half for Manchester United

Mason Greenwood almost got the scoring started when he deflected an attempted back pass to the Leeds goalkeeper Meslier. The ball almost looped over the Leeds keeper, but he did well to save.

United almost took the lead again when Paul Pogba was played in, but his left footed finish went wide after United won the ball in the middle of the field to create the chance.

Leeds still posed a threat and had some decent crosses defended well by United’s defense. Mateusz Klich found some space in the 16th minute, his curling effort was well saved by David de Gea.

The atmosphere was amazing during the first 30 minutes and it was the half hour mark when Bruno found the breakthrough. Pogba delivered a beautiful pass into the feet of Bruno and he finished with his left foot.

A solid first half for Manchester United, they continued to create chances despite going up and looked solid defensively when Leeds got forward, 1-0 going into the break.

Sensational Second Half Sinks Leeds

Leeds leveled early in the second half when Luke Ayling struck a sensational strike from outside the box that found the top corner. David de Gea could not do anything but pick the ball out the back of the net.

Manchester United took only three minutes to respond. Mason Greenwood got in behind the Leeds defense after Pogba played in a beautiful pass. Greenwood’s first touch placed him perfectly on his left foot and he found the bottom corner low and hard to put United back on top.

Again, after only a short break, it was Pogba again with the assist. Bruno was played in and held the ball up well, his left footed shot could not be cleared off the line by Luke Ayling and the second half got even wilder.

Bruno got his hat-trick before the hour mark after Victor Lindelof played a beautiful over the top pass to the Portuguese. Bruno took it off the volley emphatically beating Meslier.

Pogba again, four assists for the French maestro, this time finding Fred of all people. Greenwood found Pogba down the left and he slotted a low cross inside to Fred who easily beat Meslier, 5-1. Pogba became the first ever United player to have four assists in a Premier League match.

Jadon Sancho made his Manchester United debut to break up the goals. The new signing got a standing ovation by just warming up. Sancho replaced James in the 75th minute.

Manchester United’s lead was comfortable and the Red Devils saw the game out, subs got some minutes and United stayed injury free to close out the game.

Manchester United will travel to Southampton next Sunday for another early afternoon kick-off.

Manchester United Transfer News Will Get Aggressive ONce Teams Begin To Get Knocked Out Of The 2020 Euros

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Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was recently spotted in Norway.

Manchester United will look to build off a second placed finish in the league this season and compete with Manchester City and other top clubs for the league next year, a healthy off season will be needed for that push.

The European Championships group stages are about to wrap up this week, players looking for new clubs who are eliminated will begin speaking to clubs, Turkish playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu signed for Inter Milan a day after Turkey was eliminated.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City has made an offer to Tottenham for Harry Kane. Once teams get knocked out and players get done with their vacation the market will start to heat up.

Manchester United have been in the news somewhat. Linked players playing in the Euros, potential loan deals and star players leaving has dotted the tepid transfer news lately.

Possible Manchester United Players in the Euros

Two of the biggest and most probable names that Manchester United have been linked with and are playing in the Euros are Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho.

Jadon Sancho has not played one minute for England, but that could change after the poor offensive performance against Scotland, Scotland got tuned up by Czech Republic in the first game. England was supposed to play them off the pitch in London, but got booed off instead.

England need a good offensive performance against a surprising Czech side. Sancho could be the guy, but it does hurt Sancho’s transfer value if he can not get in a side that is lacking for chances. If Sancho were to turn things around and produce his value might rise.

The deal is almost done, Romano reported that a couple of weeks ago, I would not be surprised if Manchester United are holding out until the Euros is finished and use Sancho’s performance as leverage in negotiations.

Raphael Varane is still under contract until 2022 and Real Madrid have already parted with club legend Sergio Ramos. Replacing two center-backs will be more daunting.

If Varane does not sign an extension, Real Madrid could look to move on from the Frenchman. Manchester United, PSG and other top clubs have been interested.

PSG is a real competitor for United, they have already signed Georginio Wijnaldum and have also been interested in United star Paul Pogba. PSG look willing to spend even more to bring home the Champions League after coming close in the last two years.

Varane and France look like they will go deep in the knockout rounds, so news with him could take awhile.

Manchester United Players Possibly on the Move

Axel Tuanzebe is reportedly going to seek out a possible loan move away from Old Trafford according to ESPN. Not shocking after United signed Eric Bailly during the season.

It would be good to see Tuanzebe during the pre-season to see how he would mesh with newer signings, but we know what we have with Tuanzebe, he is solid. Like Bailly, there might be a yearning for more, someone world class like Varane makes sense for a club like Manchester United.

A loan could do him well, I would not mind him going somewhere in Europe. Tomori’s loan to AC Milan from Chelsea worked well and something like that could be beneficial for both Manchester United and Axel Tuanzebe.

Paul Pogba will always be in the news, it is good for his brand and he is one of the best midfielders in the world. His talents have been on full display for France. He plays really well for the French.

Swap deals with him has a piece has been constant. It is speculated that clubs could use swaps more this summer because of monetary problems because of lockdowns. PSG, Juve and Real Madrid have been constantly linked to the playmaker not just this summer, but previous windows as well.

If PSG were to lock up Varane and Pogba this window they could be favorites to win the Champions League.

The window during a major tournament is always cool and the windows always heat up once they get closer to deadline day, nothing new.

Just a heads up to see where Manchester United currently stand in the window.

Manchester United’s Europa League Final Preview: A Final With Possible Future Ramifications That Go Beyond the 20-21 Campaign

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Manchester United Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and players Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw speak to the media.

Manchester United face Villarreal tomorrow in the Europa League Final and the final game of the 2020-2021 season, it might not be the final that United wants, but it is a final.

The true ambition of a club like United will always be the Champions League Final, every United supporter could agree, but the reality is, United is still a work in progress.

Too take that next step one can conclude that Manchester United must beat Villarreal in this final, if they do not, questions could arise about the capabilities of the players and coaching staff, could they compete for Champions League if they can not win the Europa League?

Manchester United’s Press Conference

Tomorrow’s final could be a catalyst for the future success of the club. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has spoken about that during United’s Europa League run and used his own career as an analogy for how important a team winning a trophy is for the overall chemistry of that team, Ole said this before the Roma game.

“It will be a dream come true, the day I can lift a trophy for this club as a manager, of course. That’s what we’re building for. But for this team and for myself, our ambition this season is to finish it with lifting a trophy and being able to celebrate. I know how much that can mean to a group moving forward.”

“It gives you more of that feeling that you are hungrier for more, you want it all the time, you want that feeling again with your teammates,” said Ole in the press conference for the Europa League final.

Solskjaer also echoed that the final is not about him, and it is for the players.

“Just sit back and relax and, if you have to make decisions tomorrow, you have to do it. If it’s been 10 minutes and Luke’s sleeping on the other side, that’s a problem for him.”

Manchester United’s Squad Preview

It was announced last week that Harry Maguire will not feature in the final, a decent sized blow to the cohesion that the defense has created at times in the second half of the season.

Without Maguire, United have given up eight goals in their last four games, four of the goals came against Liverpool who cut United’s defense to shreds in the second half.

The center back pairing could be an interesting one, the pairing of Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly looks the likeliest, but Axel Tuanzebe deserves a shout after the Fulham and Wolves games. His ability to mark quicker players was on display earlier in the season against PSG as well.

The center back pairing is of decent speculation, as well as who would be the first choice keeper, Dean Henderson and David de Gea have both been used in both European and domestic campaigns.

David de Gea has had some great saves lately and Henderson has benefitted have some great team performances. It is hard to say that the teams overall performances revolve around who the keeper is, but when Henderson is in goal the team seems more compact and tight.

When de Gea is in goal, there is almost like there is more trust that he can get a big save and bail out the team if the team plays more attacking.

At the weekend Wolves had only one solid chance, and they scored, Henderson had little to do all match, although it was a lot of youngsters there was emphasis tactical to stay compact.

The Milan games were like that as well, and those matches featured Henderson. When you compare the Milan matches to the Roma matches, it is night and day.

In the Roma matches, de Gea’s talents were on full display in both matches, and Manchester United played some extremely entertaining football because you have a shot stopper that allows your team to go for it.

The decision who starts has massive implications on the game, but also who is going to be the keeper in the future with the club. Tom Heaton looks set to sign and is a likely backup keeper for Manchester United, one of the two could be out the door this summer.

Manchester United’s Opponents

Villarreal finished the La Liga season in the seventh place, four points behind fifth placed Real Sociedad, United easily defeated Sociedad in the round of 32.

A final obviously has a different energy, so anything can happen, Villarreal has some solid players, players that United have been linked to in this upcoming transfer window. But, Villarreal is nothing special and Manchester United should be and are the favorites.

Villarreal defeated a few decent sides to get to the final: RB Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb, Dynamo Kyiv and Arsenal, no one amazing, but some decent competition with some highly rated players sprinkled in the squads.

Seventh place in La Liga is underachieving for this Villarreal squad on paper, a lot of solid players, Gerard Moreno is their top scorer with 29 goals in all competitions.

Francis Coquelin, Etienne Capoue, Ramiro Funes More and Alberto Moreno all have Premier League experience. Parejo, Trigueros and Albiol are experienced savvy veterans in Spain and Pau Torres has been linked to Manchester United recently.

Carlos Bacca and Paco Alcacer add extra experience in attacking positions as well. Alcacer always has a goal off the bench, at Dortmund he scored a hat-trick off the bench.

Unai Emery’s side underachieved this season in La Liga, but they have a decent side that handled themselves well in the Europa League this season and will offer stern competition to Manchester United in the final tomorrow.

Manchester United’s season hinges on this final, do you go into the summer on a high or a low? That is always the case for a final, the club, the players and the supporters all know that.

This game could be seen as a catalyst if Manchester United use it as a spring board and compete for more prestigious trophies.

Manchester United’s Back Ups Frustrated By Leicester 1-2, Handing City the Title

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Manchester United were defeated by Leicester 1-2, the defeat means that Manchester City is the Champions of the Premier League and Leicester are now extremely likely to qualify for Champions League.

Because of the congested week, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had to rotate his squad heavily, with 10 changes being made compared to Sunday’s game against Aston Villa and a debut for Anthony Elanga.

Ole said he was going to rotate heavily when speaking to the press and this was the likeliest game. Manchester United face Liverpool on Thursday.

Leicester City come in to the game with a slight dip in league form, but still have a five point cushion on West Ham for the last Champions League spot, Leicester had a grasp on the Champions League last season but faltered at the end.

Manchester United 1, Leicester City 2

Leicester could smell blood against Man Utd’s heavily rotated squad and attacked early and often putting massive pressure on United.

Luke Thomas got the scoring going for Leicester early in the 11th minute after he smashed home a volley after sustained amount pressure from Leicester.

Despite the obvious chemistry problems between the team, the attackers looked lively. Amad, Anthony Elanga and Mason Greenwood were taking on defenders and looking good on the ball.

Mason Greenwood leveled the game in the 16th minute after he received the ball from Amad he wiggled in the box to find space. He expertly picked out the bottom left hand corner of the goal, squeaking it past Kasper Schmiechel.

The game appeared to settle after the Greenwood goal. Man Utd were able to hold onto possession a bit and take some pressure off their backline.

After the initial 20 minutes of the first half the game drastically settled down and both sides went into the half leveled.

A lot of the same in the beginning of the second half, both teams trying to stay compact and get possession. After a stable few minutes of possession Leicester City won a corner.

On the subsequent corner Cagar Soyuncu out jumped his marker and headed home in the 66th minute. This was his first goal of the season and a crucial one for Leicester’s Champions League hopes.

In the 73rd minute Youri Tielemans had an opportunity to finish the game after Jamie Vardy redirected a cross across the face of goal, Tielemans could not stretch enough to get a shot on goal.

Manchester United were hardly getting good possession in the second half and constantly gave up the ball in their own half by trying to dribble out or with poor clearances, this allowed Leicester to compound pressure.

Manchester United never really got close to equalizing, a couple of half chances after Bruno Fernandes came on is all United could muster at the end.

A decent game to give some younger players some minutes, but what if everyone was fit and had the energy to go? Tough game for Manchester United because of the current fixture overload to end the season.

Mason Greenwood was easily the man of the match, a good finish for the youngster who is in really good form, Greenwood has six goals in his last six league appearances.

A good shout to someone like Axel Tuanzebe or Nemanja Matic for defending nobly against a potent Leicester attack, you would have hoped for the defense to be lights out, but being realistic two goals allowed for a defense that never started together is not bad.

Manchester City were always going to win the title but United would like to be as competitive as they possibly could in every match.

Leicester looked destined to return to the Champions League after losing to Manchester United on the final day last season. Leicester can clinch the spot if West Ham drop points in any of their remaining matches.

Manchester United would look to bounce back after a frustrating second half against Leicester. United will host their biggest rivals Liverpool on Thursday.

Man Utd’s 3-1 Win Against Burnley Overshadowed By Controversial European Super League Revelations

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Man Utd defeated Burnley 3-1 on Sunday afternoon with a brace from Mason Greenwood. Edison Cavani sealed all three points with a late goal as Man Utd close in on second place.

The result would be overshadowed by a stunning announcement that Manchester United have agreed to join a European Super League.

Both sides went into half-time with some decent chances, Chris Wood looked a threat for Burnley and Paul Pogba was close to scoring for Man Utd. The game would open up in the beginning of the second half as well as the scoring.

Mason Greenwood would score in the 48th minute after Marcus Rashford beat a couple of Burnley players down the left side, his low cross was dummied brilliantly by Bruno Fernandes finding a wide open Greenwood who finished nicely.

Burnley would respond a minute after the celebrations. James Tarkowski headed home off a corner leaving Harry Maguire on the ground. The game tightened back up and Rashford continued to look amazing on the ball.

Mason Greenwood would give Man Utd the lead again after Burnley could not clear their lines after a corner. The ball was pinged to Greenwood on the far right side of the box. Greenwood cut in and shot from a tight angle, his shot was deflected in, making it 2-1.

Man Utd would kill off the game after a stunning counter attack was finished off by an Edison Cavani tap in. Fernandes, Greenwood and Cavani combined well in the build up. Fernandes then found an open Donny van de Beek who stayed calm and played in Cavani to seal the points.

The news of Man Utd agreeing to participate in a European Super League broke before kick-off and stole the show after the game.

European Super League

Five other English sides to include: Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool would join Manchester United and clubs from Spain and Italy in the league. The league could have up to as many as 20 teams.

The news of the league was met with great disdain:

It is not guaranteed that the league will happen but it could. All teams announced it on their social media and were berated by fans in the comments. The news would also be confirmed on Manchester United’s official website manutd.com.

The clubs may also be punished by the governing bodies of their league. The FA could ban those teams from ever competing in their leagues again. There are also talks that it could impact the players on an international level as well, players that participate may not be allowed to play in certain competitions.

It is possible they could just be using the announcement as a filler out, one big focus group. The super league idea has been flirted with before, but never an announcement this drastic, stay tuned for more.

Post-Match Comments

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was coy in responding to the European Super League news stating that he had just heard about the news today and would not comment.

Greenwood had another great game today and was the likely man of the match, other players played well, Ole was asked about the return of form for Greenwood.

“Very. Very confident because he is a natural footballer, natural finisher. He is a fantastic finisher and I think the improvement in his overall game has been there for everyone to see and I have always known he was going to score goals. That was not an issue. I have liked the variety of his goals, more varied. Today both with his left, last week against Tottenham he went on the outside with his right which is a big thing.”

Man Utd will travel to take on Leeds next Sunday in the league, the first week off in a very long time.

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