So. Looks like I was right after all?
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So. Looks like I was right after all?
If he does start with the exact 11 he did so far, Yes. Blind at CB over Smalling would be so fecking ridiculous though.
surely the future of the midfield is
schweinsteger/carrick schneiderlin
herrera
schweinsteger/carrick schneiderlin
herrera
It might be, but he has to see what Morgan can do and how he copes in our side. Also Bastian had not done any training, so needed minutes, unfortunately that might have led to the slight injury.
There is nothing this boy cannot do from central midfield. Nothing. Right foot, left foot, header, tackle, pass - to space, to feet, high, low, short or long, shoot, hold, high energy. Everything in his locker. Easy to forget just how many goals he was a part of too, not just the assist or finish. 
Football things only.
EDIT - watching that has reaffirmed my view that he is the most complete, all round central midfielder in the league. No doubt about it.
Football things only.
EDIT - watching that has reaffirmed my view that he is the most complete, all round central midfielder in the league. No doubt about it.
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It think it's quite likely that "the most complete midfielder in the league" won't be in our first 11 when the season starts. He's probably gonna have to fight his way into the team (again).
There will be plenty of games to go round. Plenty of injuries likely as well. Ander doesn't seem like a sulker, so at least we know if he does come on in games he will try his best. That is all you can ask for. LvG has a load of shiny new toys to play with, so it was likely they would get game time to prove themselves. It's Smalling I am feeling the most sorry for atm.
Aye, I had a suspicion that Herrera would be in and out of the team this season anyway so him starting off on the bench isn't a particularly big shock. Not picking Smalling surprises me though, I'd have thought he was nailed on.
Smalling and Herrera should both be nailed on starters this season imo.
tbh lets wait and see.
It could all change remarkably quickly. Bastian is good, but was warned by Bayern about the pace of the PL. Luckily Morgan has played in the PL so he should settle, but there is a lot of pressure playing for United compared to Southampton. I would prefer a midfield of Carrick/Morgan/Herrera, the latter two providing lots of enery, with Bastian to be rotated in when necessary.
Herrera will get back in very quickly, LVG will notice the lack of creativity and pace without him in the side soon enough.
But how many points will it cost us before he realises this? LVG will lose a lot of my faith if he replicates last seasons mistakes.
Cant tell, it's not like Herrera will single handedly win us the games so maybe LVG will be putting it down to other things again. Like the new players having to get to understand his new philosophy again.
The one thing that worries me is if the pace of the game is slow again, it was at times even with Ander in the side. That to me was down to the boss. Having Depay in the team might change that, but it is no good for him if the build up from midfield is laboriously slow.
With Schneiderlin and Herrera I think we could seriously speeden up our game. If he goes for a Carrick, Bastian, Schneiderlin midfield for instance, maybe the tempo wouldnt be too bad, but the creativity and depth in our game would suffer.
You say that but I think Herrera was one of the most important players in the team last season and should be undroppable. I think I saw a stat that said in every game Herrera and carrick started together we won, which really should cement his importance. I think people are forgetting just how good he was last year at times.
It's a bit weird if two of our best players last season get dropped from the starting eleven to start the season. But I've given up trying to second guess LVG's selections.
Smalling will likely get in when Phil attempts some kamikaze tackle and brains himself on the goalposts.
I'm hoping for a 433 with our squad as it is as our midfield selection is exceptionally strong on paper and imo, gives us our strongest line up.
Wait where did this „Herrera will be benched again” story originated from?
I'm looking for major improvements in Jones I was such a fan when he first came. But in time he looks like that youthful power and over eagerness to do well was masking a few things and the last couple of seasons he has looked incredibly brainless and incapable of sensing danger. I hope he pulls it all together and for the sake of him realising his full potential he doesn't become a bit part player at United because that what he looks destined to become at best and I had much higher hopes. (That's why I'm probably incredibly hard on him in my past posts).
Herrera wasn't in the group of players who trained together, the group which LvG seemed to imply could possibly start against Spurs.
But he's the better player, he shouldn't be getting into the side through injuries, he should already be in it. Likewise for Herrera.
Does anyone have any idea who might start for Barcelona to see if Blind will be torn a new one?
You'd hope so, but then Herrera did play just 75 minutes of football between mid-December and February last season. In my view we should be going with a midfield three of Herrera & Schneiderlin and then one of either Carrick/Schweinsteiger to dictate the tempo of the game; a midfield containing both of the latter two players would surely be short of energy/mobility.
Out of all the managers in the Premier League Lvg is the only one i would expect to drop Herrera after the fantastic season he had. He just has these weird decisions time and time again.
Suarez will play and that's enough
Hopefully if Phil pulls some of his faces it might scare Suarez away from Blind.
I doubt he will care too much as long as we keep the ball as per philosophy. He will blame the lack of creativity down to not having a Robben to carry the attack on behalf of his team.
His teams seem to be built to just keep the ball and with only one player allowed to take risks/carry the attack - at least recently watching us for the first half of last season, Netherlands at the World Cup and his Bayern team.
LvG's preseason experiments are Blind at CB and Depay as a 10, I don't think he's made his mind up yet about the team for next season at all, and he's spread some of the experienced players about between his two teams, I would say the PSG team would say far more about his thinking then Barca.
I would say that he thinks the balance and structure of the team is more important then the individual. If you don't follow the instructions he wants from you in the position selected then you are left out. For example last season Young deposed Di Maria as he integrated far better into LVGs system, despite being an obviously inferior player.
And he's back to being on the bench 
Then will have to carry a pile of kids in the 2nd half.And he's back to being on the bench
RIP Herrera. You were pretty good.
van Gaal clearly doesn't rate him and that infuriates me.
He doesn't rate Smalling then either. I presume he wants to see what Morgan can do. I know Fellaini is banned but he is available for the CL qualifying. Is he that pissed with him about the sending off?
I guess re Fellaini as well he no longer has his position from last season as the formation has changed (same with Ander as well). I'm guessing both competing for the 10 position that Memphis is occupying in preseason.
I love him but I do understand if we're playing a 4-2-3-1. He can play as a 10 or as a deeper midfielder, but he's more a box to box. Schneiderlin and Carrick are more defensive midfielders, Mata/Memphis are more suited to behind the striker positions. When we play a real 4-3-3 like last season he walks in IMO. Or should. As a proper mid I probably rate him higher then Schweiny, Carrick and Schneiderlin currently, maybe not Schweinsteiger as we are yet to see how good he is currently but he's class obviously.
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