How do we maintain playing every 3 days for the rest of the season?

For us to achieve the maximum from this season (top 4 and more trophies) we are going to need both Eriksen and Martial to come back into the fold asap, no more suspensions for Casemiro, and our wide players (other than Rashford) finding some consistency and form.

This could be the most exciting end to a season we've had in over a decade.
 
How can anyone say fatigue is not an excuse? Constantly playing against fresher legs takes a toll.
 
Care_de_Bobo said:
The difference is there was no World Cup plonked in the middle of the season. Even in our most successful seasons I don't remember us competing very often on four fronts either. Even in 98/99 we were dumped out of the League Cup by Spurs in round 3 or 4.

I really appreciate Wehgorst's effort and he has been a vital option for us at times, but reminding us of a time when we had Yorke, Cole, Sheringham and Solskjaer to call on at the same time really highlights how well ETH is doing with such limited resources.
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Yakuza_devils said:
SAF used to do that many years back. Carabao and FA Cup were mainly for youth and squad players. CL and EPL usually were the first 11. He also rotated and mixed both the combination well across competition to ensure we challenged for 3 or 4 trophies. He was obviously very successful. It's what most top team do anyway.

Club World Cup I think will be played in the off season during summer and if the prices money are huge I think the club will also take it seriously like World Cup.
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What you say is true but there is a huge difference between now and then, 5 subs allows the manager to take off players that would have previously had to have played the whole game and ETH uses this quite frequently

Everybody seems to focus on the WC, for most players that actually meant a mid-season break pf 2-3 weeks
 
Yakuza_devils said:
SAF used to do that many years back. Carabao and FA Cup were mainly for youth and squad players. CL and EPL usually were the first 11. He also rotated and mixed both the combination well across competition to ensure we challenged for 3 or 4 trophies. He was obviously very successful. It's what most top team do anyway.

Club World Cup I think will be played in the off season during summer and if the prices money are huge I think the club will also take it seriously like World Cup.
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Its an off season for a reason.........
 
So far this season:
CC - winners
PL - 3rd with 50 points
EL - into the last 8
Fa Cup - into semis

Basically it's been successful season so far but crucial 2 months coming now. Don't think anyone will care about performances much and it'll all be about results now. We've played 46 games this season, at least 15 more to go (possibly 19 more) which is so much.

When it comes to physical fatigue, I'm mostly worried about Bruno, Rashford, Weghorst + Martinez, Shaw and Fred to extent. Also Casemiro, Eriksen and Martial should be back in April, Garnacho too so that could be a big boost. Expect players like Maguire, Lindelof, McTominay to play plenty of minutes over next two months.
 
Adisa said:
How can anyone say fatigue is not an excuse? Constantly playing against fresher legs takes a toll.
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Probably because quite a few of our lads are fresh. Or should be. Some of those playing yesterday probably have less minutes under their belt than the Fulham players.

This is down to us having a large squad. Some say we haven't. We can debate quality but we have the numbers. Literally two players for every position.
 
How? It’s really about mental strength. We know about the physical fatigue and there’s not much that can be done about that, but whether you’re Bruno who plays every minute or Lindelof who makes a cameo here and there, the coaching staff has to — and will — do whatever it takes to hero each of the players mentally strong.
 
I quite like this international break. As good as this season has been, it honestly gets a bit wearing with the overload of matches. Even as a fan it feels like an overload. Teams just need a midweek off here and there, leads to a higher performance level IMO. Maybe every other week or every 3 weeks having a midweek off is ideal.

We haven't had a midweek off since when we just got back from the world cup, as we played the league Cup game the week before the league started for everyone else (which was the midweek after the world Cup final...). Go back to the first half of the season, we had a weekend break between sept 8th and 15th (2 Europa League games). So August was really the only time all season we had full weeks in between. Been relentless ever since.

Rashford, Bruno and Shaw will need a good break this summer.
 
Tincanalley said:
Anybody got an encyclopaediac knowledge of the international scene want to fill us in on what our players are facing during the break? Are Brazil, Argentina, Holland or Portugal playing? Who do England face? How many matches etc?

Edit: looking on Google I can see the following (update if you know of others)

Euros: I see Italy play England. Shaw, Rashford and Maguire probably have to play!
Portugal v Liechtenstein - not too bad. Change of scene and easy enough opposition.
Morocco v Brazil (not sure if it’s a friendly)
Argentina v Curaçao
Korea v Uruguay
Argentina play Panama in a friendly
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Thu 23 Mar
Italy vs England - Maguire & Shaw will probably start
Portugal vs Liechtenstein - Dalot probably on the bench, they might even start Bruno from the bench as they have done previously. Then again Martínez might want to see his best players play. Let's hope he at least doesn't play the whole match
Argentina vs Panama - Let's hope they stick with Romero & Otamendi

Fri 24 Mar
France vs Netherlands - It's likely both WW & Malacia start from the bench
Austria vs Azerbaijan - Sabitzer likely to start
Sweden vs Belgium - Lindelöf likely to start if he's not ill
Japan vs Uruguay - Pellistri likely to start

Sat 25 Mar
Scotland vs Cyprus - McTominay likely to start
Morocco vs Brazil - Casemiro likely to start unless the manager wants to try the younger options from their domestic league, Antony likely on the bench

Sun 26 Mar
England vs Ukraine - Shaw likely to start, another CB might be chosen to start instead of Maguire
Luxembourg vs Portugal - Think Martínez will rotate in this one to have a look at other options so Dalot might start, re: Bruno the same as vs Liechtenstein, if he starts one let's hope it's that one

Mon 27 Mar
Netherlands vs Gibraltar - Both WW & Malacia might get the nod for this one
Austria vs Estonia - Sabitzer likely to start
Sweden vs Azerbaijan - Lindelöf likely to start

Tue 28 Mar
Scotland vs Spain - McTominay likely to start
South Korea vs Uruguay - Pellistri likely to start
Argentina vs Curaçao - Same as vs Panama, let's hope if Licha has to play one he'd play the first one and rest in this one

My two cents.
 
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TheReligion said:
So you won’t back up what you said? poor form
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No need to back up what I said. I said what I meant already. Unless what you really want is for me to address things I did NOT say as is often the case - (third in the table, Carabao Cup winners, quarter finals in the cups) etc is not relevant in the slightest to me feeling that the squad could have been managed better, and I see no need to get into a conversation as to measuring Ten Hag’s achievements thus far. He’s been excellent here. And I believe he hasn’t managed his squad as well as he could have.
 
Smart rotation. Use the whole squad. DDG can and will play every game no problem and we have decent back-ups in most other positions. If ETH can nurse Casemiro, Bruno and Rashford carefully through April and May we'll be OK.
 
It's quite the packed schedule. Can anyone see any window for the Chelsea and Brighton games if we continue to progress in the Europa league? I can't. They will have to be fixed so where giving less than 72 hours between games. Maybe even 48! Hopefully we seal top 4 quickly enough, cos kids might have to play those games.
 
People get way too carried away with the rotation despair. Bruno plays every game, but he’s a Lampard-like anomaly (honestly, enjoy the fact we have one of these freaks). Everybody else, particularly big worries like Varane and Shaw, are managed as carefully as can be.

I love the fact we don’t have a manager that plays completely fecking mental teams. After years of watching dogshit like Ashley Young masquerade as a United full back it is genuinely refreshing.

Also, the reason we played shit yesterday is less to do with fatigue and more to do with the spine of our team being Maguire, McTominay and Weghorst. We really don’t have the players in reserve. When they play, we suffer.
 
Rozay said:
No need to back up what I said. I said what I meant already. Unless what you really want is for me to address things I did NOT say as is often the case - (third in the table, Carabao Cup winners, quarter finals in the cups) etc is not relevant in the slightest to me feeling that the squad could have been managed better, and I see no need to get into a conversation as to measuring Ten Hag’s achievements thus far. He’s been excellent here. And I believe he hasn’t managed his squad as well as he could have.
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So the question I asked was how could he have managed it better and what better results would we have got from that?
 
Honestly I think the issue is less fatigue and more that the drop in level of a midfield with Casemiro and Eriksen, to a midfield with Fred/Mctominay/Sabitzer is very big, and is the difference between us being able to control and win a game fairly comfortably, and surrendering control to the opposition and relying instead on luck or moments.

Not to say I don't think fatigue is an issue as it clearly is, but generally even when we have looked tired and jaded we've still been good enough to win. The pattern from what I've been watching is that when our first choice midfield is missing, the game is always a massive struggle. When you take Varane out of the equation as well and consider we have Weghorst up front who (as much as I actually love him) is a championship loanee, it becomes a big ask.

I don't necessarily think Sabitzer, Fred or Mctominay are useless players either, but they are all the same type of player. i.e. someone you put next to a midfield or midfielder who runs the game for you, not someone who will help you do that themselves. The spine of the team along with Rashford has been our big strength this season and on Sunday 75% of it was missing. Fatigue is one thing but you can't ignore the impact that will obviously have on any performance.

5 (arguably 7) of the outfield 10 on Sunday haven't been playing in enough of the games to suffer from schedule related fatigue anyway.

The one good thing with Eriksen's injury and Casemiro being banned is thy should both have something in the tank for the last 6 weeks. Although in Eriksen's case it depends how much fitness and sharpness the injury has taken out of him.
 
It‘s taking a toll. We lost most second balls yesterday and didn‘t have the focus to play through their press much.

Thank Gawd there is a break now.
 
You don't with our squad something will crumble, league position or get knocked out one of the cups.
 
The problem with prioritizing one competition over another is that the EL final is within days of the last match of the season. If history is any indication, ETH will not do what Jose seemingly did and we will focus on each game as they come. We will push for a top 4 finish and also the FA Cup and EL which we have a very good shot of getting to the final for both. It's going to be tough. Expect us to lose another player or two due to suspension or injury. Fatigue will cause poor tackles just as much as anything. Hopefully it's only due to yellow accumulation and not straight reds.
 
TheReligion said:
So third in the League, won one trophy, in one semi and in a European quarter final.

Injuries to Martial, Eriksen, Van de Beek, Garnacho, Varane.

Suspension to Casemiro.

No money to spend in January so two budget loan options brought in.

Tell us all. Just what more would you have liked to have seen from the manager?!
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This is what I can't get my head around. We are SO far ahead of where I would expect us to be at this stage of any new manager's tenure - especially given the state of the club when he took over and the Ronaldo shit. I genuinely don't understand what some people expect?!
 
Marwood said:
Aside from Bruno and Rashford I think they're all getting a break here and there.

Problem is those two are absolutely crucial.
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Rashford is out of the Euro qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine after getting a knock against Fulham.
 
Ahmer Baig said:
Rashford is out of the Euro qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine after getting a knock against Fulham.
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So thats Rashford, Sancho, Varane, AWB, Garnacho, Fred, and I think Weghorst who are not going away on international duty. Hopefully there are a couple more that pull out too.
 
Josh 76 said:
So thats Rashford, Sancho, Varane, AWB, Garnacho, Fred, and I think Weghorst who are not going away on international duty. Hopefully there are a couple more that pull out too.
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Glad our players will get much needed rest.
 
Josh 76 said:
So thats Rashford, Sancho, Varane, AWB, Garnacho, Fred, and I think Weghorst who are not going away on international duty. Hopefully, there are a couple more that pull out too.
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Bruno hopefully but its not in his DNA. Shaw is another since he's pretty injury prone
 
Ahmer Baig said:
Glad our players will get much needed rest.
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We will need it. We will have at least 15 games left till the end of the season. If we are successful, 19 matches left.

Arsenal for example has only 10 left. This hardest period is coming up in April -- and it's only 6 matches. (We have 10 in April.)
 
Focus on the ultimate aim (getting back into the CL) and prioritise competitions that allow us to do that (the PL and the Europa League).
 
First of all, we need at least some contribution from Martial if he ever fully recovers until the end of the season. Jadon can also do better. We need someone to help Rashy upfront.
The likes of Maguire, Lindelof, McT, as more experienced players, have to be ready to step up when needed, as they will certainly get more minutes in April and May. Hope that Sabitzer can be very useful as well

The first week after the break will be of massive importance. We play three games within 7 days (@Newcastle, Brentford, Everton), before the Sevilla game. If we do well, Top 4 will be very close
And I still can't understand some of the comments about us sacrificing the FA Cup and the EL. We have a great opportunity to reach another two finals this season, and luckily ETH certainly won't calculate there. He'll play to win another two trophies.
 
It’s an issue more from a playing style perspective because we revert to ugly as feck football as soon as we ring changes. Hopefully we give the likes of Mainoo, Sabitzer (little deeper) and Pellistri some more chances to give us more.
 
amolbhatia50k said:
It’s an issue more from a playing style perspective because we revert to ugly as feck football as soon as we ring changes. Hopefully we give the likes of Mainoo, Sabitzer (little deeper) and Pellistri some more chances to give us more.
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Unlikely considering the games we got left.
 
I have always hated international breaks but I hope this time its a blessing in disguise.
 
sglowrider said:
Unlikely considering the games we got left.
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I don’t see why not. He looked really mature when he came on in the PL sometime ago. It’s not like our current midfielders are extremely assured in possession and don’t play any loose passes at all. I understand being weary of a kid playing in pressure games but if they have good qualities we have to also see what they might add to the table (instead of let’s say McTominay) and if getting that chance can inspire them.
 
Onerealunited said:
We start to give more game time to some of the young players like Pelliatri, Iqbal, Mainoo. A fresh young player that want to prove his quality should be a better option than an experienced and good player with no energy left to run or think correct
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I agree 100%. Mainoo in particular needs to be developed, and be trusted. Look at that young midfielder Real Madrid have; 18 or something. It will help if Eriksen is back.
 
top1whoisman said:
Thu 23 Mar
Italy vs England - Maguire & Shaw will probably start
Portugal vs Liechtenstein - Dalot probably on the bench, they might even start Bruno from the bench as they have done previously. Then again Martínez might want to see his best players play. Let's hope he at least doesn't play the whole match
Argentina vs Panama - Let's hope they stick with Romero & Otamendi

Fri 24 Mar
France vs Netherlands - It's likely both WW & Malacia start from the bench
Austria vs Azerbaijan - Sabitzer likely to start
Sweden vs Belgium - Lindelöf likely to start if he's not ill
Japan vs Uruguay - Pellistri likely to start

Sat 25 Mar
Scotland vs Cyprus - McTominay likely to start
Morocco vs Brazil - Casemiro likely to start unless the manager wants to try the younger options from their domestic league, Antony likely on the bench

Sun 26 Mar
England vs Ukraine - Shaw likely to start, another CB might be chosen to start instead of Maguire
Luxembourg vs Portugal - Think Martínez will rotate in this one to have a look at other options so Dalot might start, re: Bruno the same as vs Liechtenstein, if he starts one let's hope it's that one

Mon 27 Mar
Netherlands vs Gibraltar - Both WW & Malacia might get the nod for this one
Austria vs Estonia - Sabitzer likely to start
Sweden vs Azerbaijan - Lindelöf likely to start

Tue 28 Mar
Scotland vs Spain - McTominay likely to start
South Korea vs Uruguay - Pellistri likely to start
Argentina vs Curaçao - Same as vs Panama, let's hope if Licha has to play one he'd play the first one and rest in this one

My two cents.
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Well done; thanks
 
sglowrider said:
Agree. The FA cup is the lowest priority at the moment.
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And that's a choice it looks like we'll be very much forced to make - there's less than 48 hours between the second leg against Sevilla (away) and the SF against Brighton.
 
justsomebloke said:
And that's a choice it looks like we'll be very much forced to make - there's less than 48 hours between the second leg against Sevilla (away) and the SF against Brighton.
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I wouldn't have minded this busy schedule if it was ETH's 2nd or 3rd season at United. But we are unprepared for this in his 1st.
 
top1whoisman said:
There will be more than 60 hours between them.
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Both are away matches. So a lot of recovery time is lost in travel. Besides, no players can fully recover and be 100% within that time frame. This is when squad depth matters but unfortunately it's something that we lack in ETH's first season.
 
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