After securing a return to Champions league by thrashing club Brugge 4-0 on Wednesday and 7-1 on aggregate, Manchester United turn their attention to Premier League on Sunday when the Red Devils will travel to Wales to face Swansea City.
Manchester United started the season strongly with two wins and one frustrating draw against Newcastle. On the other hand Swansea have also made a promising start which includes a crucial 2-2 draw against the defending champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
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Swansea were able to complete a double over Manchester United last season and will be a tough nut to crack this year as they have made some very good signings. The following key battles will help in deciding this key fixture:
Jefferson Montero vs Matteo Darmian
The Ecuadorian winger has been an of attack for Swansea. His pace and trickery has punished the other teams and he will be again a crucial player for Swansea while going forward. Montero was very effective against Chelsea and gave Branislav Ivanovic all sorts of problems which lead to Swansea’s goals. He will be a key player who will affect the outcome of this match.
The right flank of Manchester United is considerably weaker in terms of defending compared to the opposite side. Juan Mata’s insistence on drifting into a central position will give Montero plenty of room to run riot, leaving Matteo Darmian with the biggest test of this season so far.
The Italian has been sublime in all his appearances this season, bringing a sturdiness that the club has lacked since the retirement of Gary Neville. His positioning has been very key as he hasn’t allow any winger to get better of him and his attacking play has been good too.
He might be restricted going forward but stopping Montero will be more important than bombing ahead on the flank on Sunday.
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Jonjo Shelvey vs Ander Herrera
Manchester United’s team selection has been pretty consistent so far this season but their No.10 role has been changed a number of times already.
They started the season with Memphis Depay in that role but later Adnan Januzaj was brought in and he has thrived. In the away leg fixture against Club Brugge, Ander Herrera was given this role in second half after Januzaj picked up an injury and earlier in the week van Gaal revealed Fellaini will play there this season too.
Herrera did well there by grabbing one goal and one assist but that hasn’t guaranteed his place in the side. Whoever plays the attacking midfield role will have a big role to play against Swansea. They will have to show their swift movement and vision to dismantle Jonjo Shelvey and help the Reds be as clinical as possible.
The Englishman has been a vital cog in Swansea’s team since signing from Liverpool three years ago. He doesn’t allow the opponents attacking players to play their natural game as he looks to dispossess them and also regains the ball with his tackling.
Moreover the attacking midfielder will also have to do better defensive work as Shelvey often bursts ahead and plays those killer passes which could lead to Swansea threatening our goal. Shelvey’s long range shooting will be an issue for the Reds too as so far they’ve not allowed many shots on goal but with someone able to let rip from distance, he’ll need to be closed down quicker which will help if the No.10 presses the opposition well early on.
Wayne Rooney vs Ashley Williams
Wayne Rooney finally struck form as the Manchester United captain scored a hat-trick against Club Brugge in midweek. The Englishman has endured a very disappointing start to campaign as he has been largely anonymous in all other games. If he continues to hold his position up front rather than dropping deep, he can find himself in more scoring positions than he has been in last three matches in the league. Rooney will have to drag the centre-back away so that he creates space for other attacking players to do well, something Ander Herrera and Memphis profited from well in midweek.
Swansea have not enjoyed a good defensive record in league this term but they were able to stop strikers like Diego Costa and Papiss Cisse from netting. It was largely due to impressive defending of their captain Ashley Williams and the Wales international has been good in terms of his defensive positioning and tackling. He has not allowed strikers to get ample amount of space so that they can have a go at the goal. It will be a very tasty battle between a rejuvenated Rooney and an impressive Williams.