Seemingly, for apparently no reason whatsoever, Zirkzee is not ready to start the season. No injury, has been back from holiday for 3 weeks, not a particularly long summer. Just not ready for some reason.
FA Premier League
Manchester United 1:0 Fulham
Old Trafford
- Kick-off
- Fri, 16 August 2024 @ 8:00pm BST
- Status
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Closed
Discussion Your Lineup Prediction
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- Status
Onana
Dalot Maguire Martinez Mazraoui
Casemiro Mainoo
Amad Mount Rashford
Bruno
Think it makes sense to stick with Bruno as false 9 and ease Zirkzee in, as that set up will suit us against Brighton and Liverpool too.
De Ligt in for Maguire would be great but might be a sub instead with the game time.I'm wondering whether it would be better to play Amad and Bruno centrally. Either can play both the 10 and false 9 positions. Then have Rashford and Garnacho on the wings. Amads movement and passing could be brilliant to open up space for either Bruno or the wingers to run into. He's decent at pressing and tracking back too as we saw in the Liverpool game last seasonLiterally pushing back my start date at my new job to be able to watch this. Had to use a medical issue for my absence.This is played during the first home game of the season for my local club, ffs. Since when do United play on Fridays?!
Hello Mr Ugarte
Think we played a game or two on Friday last season.I’m a firm believer in the concept that having a good opening game can set the tone for the season. We haven’t started the season with a bang in ages (from what I can remember). A convincing win could really give us some good early momentum.Buzzing for this now. Thought the performance against City was good and it’s got me excited for the start of the real thing. A lot of that is also the fact that I’ve missed domestic football and can’t wait to get back into the usual routine. Hoping for a similar performance but just a bit more clinical.
Barely played at the Euros. I suspect it has more to do with match fitness rather than physical.For this game I would play a line-up like:-
Onana
Dalot De Ligt Martinez Shaw
Casemiro Mainoo
Bruno
Garnacho Zirkzee AntonyWill Shaw be fit for this? If so, hoping for:
OnanaWhen fit, Zirkzee in for Rashford.
Dalot -------------- De Ligt ------------- Martinez -------------- Shaw
Casimiro
Mainoo ------------- Bruno
Amad ------------------- Rashford ------------------- Garnacho
Bench: Bayindir, Maguire, Lindelöf, Mazraoui, McTominay, Sancho, Antony, Zirkzee, Mount
Casimiro hopefully replaced soon.
Amad has bearly had a sniff at starting. Wouldn't be productive to then play him out of position, and it would leave us with nothing off the bench.
Having a steady 10 like Mount would be good in a game like this. And if he cant get a start when Bruno vacates the 10, when will he ever?
You would drop the best player in pre-season that gives us most balance and start Zirkzee and Antony who haven't featured? That's a terrifyingly awful take, I think we will stick with something like this:
Onana
Dalot De Ligt Martinez Shaw (Maguire for De Ligt if not ready and Martinez to LB if Shaw is still out with Evans coming in)
Casemiro Mainoo
Garnacho Amad Rashford
Bruno
We battered Leeds a couple of years ago, and everything looked rosy.
There isn't much evidence to support your belief at all (see below) but definitely some terrible opening games that led to terrible seasons. The best opening game in the PL we've ever had in my opinion is 2006/07, which led to the best surprisingly great season. If we start like that again I agree it can set the tone for us doing much better than people think we will.
2023/24: Win 1-0 at home to Wolves (abysmal performance) finish 8th
2022/23: Lose 2-1 at home to Brighton at home, finish 3rd
2021/22: Win 5-1 at home to Leeds, finish 6th
2020/21: Lose 3-1 at home to Palace, finish 2nd
2019/20: Win 4-0 at home to Chelsea, finish 3rd
2018/19: Win 2-1 at home to Leicester, finish 6th
2017/18: Win 4-0 at home to WHU, finish 2nd
2016/17: Win 3-1 away to Bournemouth, finish 6th
2015/16: Win 1-0 at home to Spurs, finish 5th
2014/15: Lose 2-1 at home to Swansea, finish 4th
2013/14: Win 4-1 away to Swansea, finish 7th
2012/13: Lose 1-0 away to Everton, finish 1st
2011/12: Win 2-1 away to WBA, finish 2nd
2010/11: Win 3-0 at home to Newcastle, finish 1st
2009/10: Win 1-0 at home to Birmingham, finish 2nd
2008/09: Draw 1-1 at home to Newcastle, finish 1st
2007/08: Draw 0-0 at home to Reading, finish 1st
2006/07: Win 5-1 at home to Fulham, finish 1stLast edited:
Woodward and Ole went and ruined everything by signing Ronaldo. If he had just stuck with the team that started that Leeds game I have no doubt in my mind that it would have been a great season.
Was it Swansea away in 12/13? Moyes first game and we battered them and everyone thought it was business as usual.
That 06/07 opening game against Fulham was magical. You just felt something special was happening with that team
Match fitness that is supposed to be build during pre-season. Isn’t that the whole point of it? I don’t get why/how he’s been considering ‘not ready’ to even start getting ready.
I famously missed that game as I went to V Festival with 2 girls I was trying to cop off with. I missed the game, didn't get a sniff of either of them and as we were playing I was watching fecking Girls Aloud.Really think that Ten Hag will continue playing Bruno as a false 9 also in order to get another body in midfield and close more the spaces in 4-4-2 when we don't have the ball rather than playing Zirzkee, or Rashford upfront.
Nevertheless, it's going to be tough for this game and would play a maximum of match fit players and introduce the like of Garnacho, Zirkzee, etc little by little.
----------------------------------------------------Onana------------------------------------------------------
Dalot---------------------------Maguire------------------Martinez---------------------Mazraoui
-----------------------------------Casemiro----------------Mainoo--------------------------------------
Amad--------------------------------------------Mount---------------------------------------Rashford
------------------------------------------------------Bruno------------------------------------------------------
I dont think Amad is ready to be a regular starter yet and will probably be used from the bench.
Having Rashford in the side is pointless and no help to the other attackers if he is just going to do the bare minimum, show a lack of interest, and waste posession by trying to walk the ball through the defence or cutting inside and trying a crap shot instead.
Zirkzee should definitely start this one.
Rashford played well in pre season - Other than him being off with his shooting the effort has been there and he won't be dropped as it will cause issues behind the scenes, we all know it.
Zirkzee should definitely start but Amad isn't ready? One is further ahead in pre season and has shown more in the league, Zirkzee needs to be urged in or the press will devour him.Onana
Dalot De Ligt Martinez Shaw
Casemiro Mainoo
Garnancho Bruno Mount Rashford
Opposition manager saying after “we might have just lost the the future champions”. Oosh those two season from then were probably the best we will ever experience.Is Shaw not back fit?
Otherwise only a question of De Ligt or Maquire at the back, Garna or Amad right, maybe Garna left, Rashford central and Mount to the bench
Amad is more ready to start than Anthony has ever been. You’ve got to be on a wind up.
Why on earth would we drop the most consistent, lively and dangerous player from our pre season for a player who’s been desperately searching for form since his arrival?
Zirkzee is our only fit Striker so of course he should start, Amad has had a good pre-season but doesnt always mean they automatically become a starter as we have had multiple youngsters over the years that have stood out in pre-season but havent done much in the regular season.
I never understand this ridiculous hate a lot of our fanbase has for Antony and im expecting him to push on this season and find his best form, he did well in his first season for someone who had never played in a top league and his struggles last season were down to both injuries and his head not being in the right place due to stuff going on in his personal life
Who has been on better form in our pre season games, Amad or Anthony?
Who has been playing more? Who has been more dangerous? Who has been scoring more goals and creating more chances?
On what basis is Anthony more ready to start than Amad right now?
If Antony hadnt have gotten injured against Arsenal he'd have played more during pre-season.
Amad is still young and is not ready to be a regular starter yet, we should use him from the bench and maybe give him sime starts in Europa and/Caraboa games.
He's not a 17 year old
So what? He did get injured and hasn’t played more, so how on earth does it make sense to start him over the one that has been playing and scoring? The same one that’s also been our best player during pre season? It doesn’t make any sense.
The age argument doesn’t make any sense either. Amad is 22 years old FFS. Anthony was 22 when he made his Utd debut.
If Amad isn’t ready to start a game against Fulham at 22 years old after being our best player in pre season then why is he even at the club? We already have other younger players regularly starting games for us.Trying to pick a team without an available striker is giving me palpitations.
Knowing our luck, both Rasmus and Zirkzee could be injured together at some point in the season.
We could really do with a third striker, like a Jonathan David.
Amad is 22, there is absolutely no need to protect him like he is 17. We will never stop hearing that he is too young to play as a regular starter.We don’t have the 2 new additions yet for prediction line-up. Guess we wait till it’s official got a feeling both will start
I think having two strikers for 1 position is enough. We also have Rashford and EtH likes to play Bruno there anyway.
But is that enough goals to move us up the table? Rashford upfront always looks good on paper but the actuality of it doesn't work.
Also Zirkzee isn't an out and out striker, is he going to score enough goals?Onana
Dalot Maguire Martinez Shaw
Mainoo Casemiro
Amad Bruno Garnacho
Rashford- Status
Man of the Match
Runners-up
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22%
Harry Maguire
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17%
Joshua Zirkzee
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17%
Casemiro
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5%
Bruno Fernandes
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3%
Lisandro Martinez
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3%
Kobbie Mainoo
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1%
Mason Mount
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1%
Diogo Dalot
Player Ratings
Total Average Rating
Highest Rated Player
Lowest Rated Player
Compiled from 395 ratings.
Score Predictions
286,10,20
- Man Utd win
- Fulham win
- Draw
Detailed Results
- 28% Man Utd 2:0 Fulham
- 20% Man Utd 2:1 Fulham
- 15% Man Utd 3:0 Fulham
- 15% Man Utd 3:1 Fulham
- 5% Man Utd 1:0 Fulham
- 3% Man Utd 1:1 Fulham
- 3% Man Utd 4:0 Fulham
- 2% Man Utd 2:2 Fulham
- 2% Man Utd 4:1 Fulham
- 1% Man Utd 3:2 Fulham
- 1% Man Utd 1:2 Fulham
- 1% Man Utd 0:0 Fulham
- 1% Man Utd 0:2 Fulham
- 1% Man Utd 5:0 Fulham
- 0% Man Utd 1:5 Fulham
- 0% Man Utd 0:1 Fulham
- 0% Man Utd 9:1 Fulham
- 0% Man Utd 9:9 Fulham
- 0% Man Utd 1:3 Fulham
Match Stats
- Man Utd
- Fulham
- Overall Possession
- 55% 45%
- Shots
- 14 10
- Shots on target
- 5 2
- Shots off target
- 7 4
- Blocked shots
- 2 4
- Total touches in the box
- 23 22
- Goalkeeper saves
- 2 4
- Aerial duels won
- 18 14
- Fouls
- 12 10
- Corners
- 7 8
Referee
Robert Jones
Man Utd Lineup
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replaced by Matthijs de Ligt
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replaced by Jonny Evans
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-
-
replaced by Joshua Zirkzee
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-
-
replaced by Scott McTominay
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-
replaced by Alejandro Garnacho
