Could be a really testing period withing the next month or so, due to injuries and suspensions - particularly in midfield. Jones and Carrick are supposedly out to the start of December and end of December and Fellaini's suspended for the Leverkusen game. Leaves us with just Giggs, Anderson, Cleverley and Fellaini's for the upcoming league games...
Cardiff will be very resolute, organised and physical, so I don't think we should opt for too lightweight a team, particularly with their strengths at set-pieces and our inability to deal well with set-pieces or crosses, we could endure a bit of a torrid time in that respect. I think it'll be a very difficult and competitive game.
Still, we obviously have to set up right tactically and with the right personnel, but also rotate the squad accordingly with Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham on the horizon, while also rewarding our form players with gametime.
With that in mind, I hope we see something along the lines of:
Cardiff will be very resolute, organised and physical, so I don't think we should opt for too lightweight a team, particularly with their strengths at set-pieces and our inability to deal well with set-pieces or crosses, we could endure a bit of a torrid time in that respect. I think it'll be a very difficult and competitive game.
Still, we obviously have to set up right tactically and with the right personnel, but also rotate the squad accordingly with Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham on the horizon, while also rewarding our form players with gametime.
With that in mind, I hope we see something along the lines of:
de Gea
Smalling - Ferdinand - Evans - Evra
Valencia - Fellaini - Cleverley - Januzaj
Rooney
van Persie
Subs: Lindegaard, Vidic, Fabio, Giggs, Nani, Kagawa, Hernandez
David de Gea in goal obviously picks itself, but given Cardiff's height and strength and Leverkusen, Tottenham and Everton all within the next weeks, I'd select Smalling over Rafael and give him a rest given his recent injury. Vidic is invaluable and I think we should save him for the Leverkusen and Spurs games, which leaves Rio and Evans as starters and Evra obviously nailed on.
There's not exactly room for maneuvor with our midfield depleted and Anderson seemingly out of the picture, so some selections are purely by default. Fellaini I would assume is nailed on to start given his suspension in the Champions League and I'd opt for Cleverley given he is better defensively than either Giggs or Anderson. Valencia to start because of the opposition we are facing and Januzaj because he's been our star performer.
Hopefully Rooney and van Persie can strike up a bit of momentum as a partnership now, but Rooney would have to drop deeper to support the midfield and hopefully show similar workrate to that of his game against Arsenal. Those two kind of picks itself.
And then there isn't exactly a draft of options to choose from for the bench. Personally, I don't really want to see Buttner, Anderson or Young near the first team, so if we at least have other options I'd like to see them take a place on the bench. Fabio on the bench instead of Rafeal, because of his versatility in filling in at right back or left back if needed.
With that team in mind for Cardiff, hopefully we would see our more technical players and a bit more pace in the team and especially in defence given Leverkusen's counter-attacking ability. The likes of Rafael, Vidic, Nani, Kagawa and possibly Hernandez in the team for that game.