December was a dreadful month for United and the results of that month will cost us challenging for the league in my opinion. The target again has to be secure the a place in the top four. It is disappointing because this season we were all expecting greater progress from United under Van Gaal. 70 points should secure a place in the top four. We are not on track to get this, so the team are under pressure to win matches, it also feels like the team need another win to help establish some confidence again.
“We have won two times in a row and maybe it shall give us a boost. You never know. But now we are playing away, it's also different and Newcastle United is playing very well I think. Ok, I see their game against Arsenal and they played very well. But they didn't win and that's the most important thing in football. I don't hope that they win against us. We have to beat them.” Van Gaal said. The spirit of the side is not good at the moment, we are under pressure and not looking confident. I think playing away might help the players a little bit more as the atmosphere at Old Trafford is not great at the moment and the weight of a victory in a difficult away game is always better. Let’s hope that the team get another win, and lets hope that its generates some more confidence ahead of an immensely difficult trip to Anfield on Sunday.
Tactically the game will be similar to the game at Old Trafford back in August when Newcastle managed to secure a 0-0 draw. United will command possession and Newcastle will look to counter-attack down the flanks. A very predictable pattern of play. We all know United’s problems, they move the ball too slow, don’t take enough risks and play with too many passers which means opponents have time to recover good defensive organisation. Van Gaal needs to do something about this with his team selection, we need more dribblers in the side. Newcastle have improved defensively in recent weeks partly because they've tucked inside and played narrow, and partly because the midfield has screened them better. United will get space wide and need to attack with width. Daryl Janmaat Newcastle’s right-back has made some defensive errors this season, he doesn't like playing against quick, direct opponents. Anthony Martial or Memphis Depay should play on this side so either way, Janmaat will be forced to cope with speed, but he has also regularly been Newcastle’s brightest attacking option, happy to dribble the ball forward dangerously from deep.
United should get some joy against him, but he could also cause problems the other way so it will be an interesting battle down that flank. On the left Paul Dummett plays a narrow left-back role to help protect Coloccini who lacks pace. The right flank is a bit of problem for United at the moment. Playing Juan Mata from the right is disturbing the attacking balance of the side. Mata wide is not a terrible idea and was effective last season, but this was in a 4-3-3 system (which naturally means he is playing higher up the pitch) and he also had an attacking right-back who could get forward and provide width in attack (Valencia), but this season Van Gaal has used a 4-2-3-1 system and Darmian has proved extremely underwhelming attacking threat from right-back. It also means United don't have enough pace going in behind the opposition defence on the outside or when our striker moves towards the ball there is no reverse movement beyond him with Mata in that role. The time has come for change in this position. Lingard and Young could be alternatives. In the centre Newcastle’s centre-backs are protected by a tough-tackling and very defensive-minded midfield duo.Jack Colback and Vurnon Anita have had knocks in recent weeks, so it remains to be seen which of them partners Cheick Tiote. They will maintain a position ahead of the back four. So United’s second striker or No.10 might struggle to influence play in the central zone. In possession this duo keep things simple, tending to move the ball wide rather than attempting more ambitious passes into attack. Who Van Gaal selects in No 10 position will define United’s approach in this match. Herrera, Mata, Rooney and Fellani could all play there and are all vastly different types of player that offer different things.
The most interesting thing about Newcastle’s system is the role of the wide players. , McClaren doesn’t deploy conventional wingers both Moussa Sissoko and Georginio Wijnaldum are central midfielders by trade, and therefore Newcastle’s midfield quartet is often very narrow, the four players extremely close together without the ball. It’s 4-2-3-1 at times, but more like 4-2-2-2 on other occasions, with the wide players moving inside.These two will be the players primarily concerned with counter-attacking. The former tends to hug the right touchline somewhat unconvincingly, and might take lessons from Wijnauldum, who surges forward into inside-left positions and provides a goal threat. The quicker Newcastle get the ball to these two, the more dangerous they'll be. An alternative maybe a cautious, counter-attacking 4-5-1 formation, with Perez on the left flank, and Georginio Wijnaldum playing as the No. 10. Either way United need to defend counter-attacks better than they have recently when they been unusually prone to breaks down the flanks. Overall this season United’s organisation without the ball has been superb -- the distances between the lines, the tracking of dangerous opponents, the covering in defence. So we should be able to control most of Newcastle’s attacks.
Subs – Romero, Borthwick-Jackson, McNair, Herrera, Fellani, Mata, Pereira
Borthwick-Jackson has done little wrong in the handful of game he has played, but Young deserves to play because his form has been really good in recent games. I’d put him at left-back and he tends to struggle more against players who ‘drift’ infield rather than a player like Sissoko who is a pure powerful runner. Young should be able to match him. I expect Schneiderlin and Carrick to return to the side to replace the injured Scweinstiger and ineffective Fellani in midfield. On the right I believe the time has come to remove Mata from this false wing role and get a more direct player like Lingard in the side to try and generate some more penetration. Mata would find it hard to influence the game centrally against a Newcastle side who pack the centre of midfield with defensive midfielders and playing Herrera in this role is effectively playing a 3rd midfielder. Rooney in that role is not ideal either, but he has found some form recently and I think he will provide a greater goal scoring threat than any other option with have in that position. Memphis came off the bench to great effect at the weekend, but he needs to find some consistency to keep his place in the side.