Good thing we're not at home then
Chelsea vs. Manchester United
- Thread starter Damien
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Yea just seen that, I was kinda hoping his warm weather training was going to do the trick.
It will have to be Hernandez up top in my formation then, although I have a horrible feeling we're going to play 4-4-2.
I didn't say it was impossible but it would be extremely difficult.
Specially if you lot score first, you'll just sit deep and we would have no other option than to throw bodies forward in turn getting destroyed on the counter by your AMs.
And I don't think we have scored inside first 20 minutes even once this season.
Who is claiming I'm not a real fan
We had a discussion here few years back. Some posters, top posters, true reds claimed that if you dont go to OT regulary, you are not a true fan. They ignore fans like us who, you know, live in different countires.
Well, I'll be sure to have a beer for each of them. Night Caf.
If we lose this then I reckon our top 4 hopes are over
I don't think they are over, but it will make it very much harder.
One thing is for sure, if we don't sign anyone this January..then the Board and Directors should probably accept the very large probability of no champions league football next season....
If we were chasing just one team we might have had a shot. What are the chances of Spurs, Everton AND Liverpool bottling it?
To be honest if we lose this we should just save our money and go all out in the summer. We're not likely to get anyone in January who's likely to improve us enough to get into the CL places
if Everton win and we lose it'll be 7 points...
But Liverpool dropping 2 points was a very unexpected bonus. And this is probably our hardest remaining games.
But Liverpool dropping 2 points was a very unexpected bonus. And this is probably our hardest remaining games.
If Everton win we'll be 7 points off. You reckon there's a chance all 3 teams will slip up and us finally putting together a consistent run will happen?
I doubt Hernandez would start. We won't have much of the ball and he would be bouncing uselessly around Terry and Cahill deprived of service. Welbeck's the better option
Why can't it? 7 points with 16 games to go is nothing specially considering we'l play both Everton and Liverpool again this season. Our concern is our own form, if we sort it out, we'l be there in the top 4. If we dont, we wont. Just today's result alone wont define our chances of a CL spot.
We essentially need title winning form from this point to even get top 4. Given the way we've played I'd say that's fairly unlikely.
Naah, not really. We arent competing with the likes of City or Arsenal who just dont look like dropping points. Both Pool and Everton will drop points this season. We just need to get our act together. We have been as poor as we really can be and are still 6-7 points off. Beat them both in the reverse fixture and it comes to making up 3-4 points over 15 games. It can obviously be done provided we get our act together. That's the thing that'l decide it, not what happens tonight.
I think that is fair...although lose today AND Ole does one over his old club...(which romantics of the game might even like!!)...then yeah, I think fourth would be out this season..
10 points would make it very tough but am not giving up with so many games left even then.
This has been a crazy season and everything's still pretty close to make strong calls with almost half of it to go.
Given the experience in our dressing room I'd give us a bigger chance of getting a stronger finish than clubs like Everton and Spurs who are more likely to fade away.
Given the experience in our dressing room I'd give us a bigger chance of getting a stronger finish than clubs like Everton and Spurs who are more likely to fade away.
I am guessing it will be something like this:
de Gea
Rafael Smalling Vidic Evra
Carrick
Valencia Fletcher Cleverley Januzaj
Welbeck
Would love to see us play this team today:
De gea
Rafael Evans Vidic Evra
Jones Fletcher Carrick
Kagawa Welbeck Januazaj
De gea
Rafael Evans Vidic Evra
Jones Fletcher Carrick
Kagawa Welbeck Januazaj
Hopefully we can keep it right in the middle and at the back because I can really see Danny giving Terry and Cahill the run around
At best i see this as a score draw,but wouldn't be surprised if renties sneak a win.
We'll win today chaps!
That's my choice too.
Valencia is nailed on to start though to help against the pace they have wide.
So no Vidic? fecking hell.
I just can't believe how bad we are. Or how it's not going well at all. 5 league wins from 6 and were still miles off. 5 end in a row followed by 3 losses. 10 points off if we lose today?
4-3-3/4-5-1 for 70 mins then bring Hernandez on for one of the centre mids and go for it. He's got a great record against Chelsea.
any news on the availability of Jones?
Only question marks are whether Jones/Fletcher to partner Carrick, but anything is nailed on IMO.
Personally would prefer to leave out Valencia and play three through the middle. Keep it tight and use Adnan's and Welbeck's pace on the counter. Valencia will start though, there is no doubt about that.
De Gea
Rafael - Smalling - Evans - Evra
Jones/Fletcher - Carrick
Valencia - Kagawa - Januzaj
Welbeck
Personally would prefer to leave out Valencia and play three through the middle. Keep it tight and use Adnan's and Welbeck's pace on the counter. Valencia will start though, there is no doubt about that.
A win is the only thing good for us. A draw is rather pointless.
If I was offered the draw now, I'd say no. 3 points would be huge today, and I hope we are right game-raising cnuts today. Counter the feck out of them.
If I was offered the draw now, I'd say no. 3 points would be huge today, and I hope we are right game-raising cnuts today. Counter the feck out of them.
Would have been great to have got a couple of signings in before this match to give us all a lift but I guess that was never on the cards. Transfers are very difficult for clubs worth over a billion pounds....
Thankfully the Pool feck up yesterday allows us to still lose this one and just about remain in the hunt.
Thankfully the Pool feck up yesterday allows us to still lose this one and just about remain in the hunt.
The front 6 is what I suggested a few pages back, but Moyes isn't going to put out a 4-3-3, so Valencia will play and 1 of Jones/Fletcher/Carrick will miss out.
I'd disagree with this. Chasing a City or a Chelsea or an Arsenal from 7 points behind would require title winning form, but chasing Liverpool or Everton from 6 or 7 points behind wouldn't require the same kind of form, simply because they aren't going to pick up as many points as the top teams. That being said, we are going to need an improvement in our form to maintain our challenge for a top 4 place.
Expect the worst and we will fear nothing so I expect us to get a hiding at Stamford Bridge. I hope this reverse psychology works.
-------------DDG
Rafael---Vidic---Evans----Evra
-------Carrick---Fletcher
------------Jones
Valencia---------------Januzaj
-----------Welbeck
Carrick and Fletcher to give us some solidity and a foothold in the midfield. Jones to press high on to Mikel/Luiz, starve him of time and space and try to force some errors and break from there.
Not the most clinical front three so may be reliant on the full-backs to create or an impact from the bench.
Rafael---Vidic---Evans----Evra
-------Carrick---Fletcher
------------Jones
Valencia---------------Januzaj
-----------Welbeck
Carrick and Fletcher to give us some solidity and a foothold in the midfield. Jones to press high on to Mikel/Luiz, starve him of time and space and try to force some errors and break from there.
Not the most clinical front three so may be reliant on the full-backs to create or an impact from the bench.
I've been in the library since 11 trying to work on my dissertation but my heads all over the place. Can't wait for this.
First 'big game' for Januzaj, how will he do?
is there any chance of this:
.......................De Gea............
Rafael..........Vidic.........Evans..........Evra
...................Fletcher....Carrick........
Januzaj...............Kagawa............Welbeck....
.......................Hernandez.....................
I know people say welbeck from left doesnt work but hes done well in big games no matter where weve put him. hernandez would get a huge boost from starting in this one i think, if moyes showed him that trust. my reasoning being if we go with valencia and jones instead of hernandez and kagawa we may at best be going for a draw. at this stage a draw isnt worth much and id prefer us take a lead and then try protect it. a win today with a depleted line up would do wonders for us.
not confident at all. im going for an optimistic 1-1. early lead for us, followed by 80 minutes of backs to the wall
.......................De Gea............
Rafael..........Vidic.........Evans..........Evra
...................Fletcher....Carrick........
Januzaj...............Kagawa............Welbeck....
.......................Hernandez.....................
I know people say welbeck from left doesnt work but hes done well in big games no matter where weve put him. hernandez would get a huge boost from starting in this one i think, if moyes showed him that trust. my reasoning being if we go with valencia and jones instead of hernandez and kagawa we may at best be going for a draw. at this stage a draw isnt worth much and id prefer us take a lead and then try protect it. a win today with a depleted line up would do wonders for us.
not confident at all. im going for an optimistic 1-1. early lead for us, followed by 80 minutes of backs to the wall
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