Potential Manchester United XI vs Liverpool
This biggest game of any Manchester United fans calendar, Liverpool come to Old Trafford this Saturday evening for the first clash of the season between the two rivals.
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Both sides are coming off their first defeat of the season with Louis van Gaal’s side being beaten by Swansea, while Liverpool were thrashed at Anfield by West Ham.
Now, with the transfer window closed and decisions to be made Louis van Gaal has to make the choices that he’s paid big bucks to make.
In goal there’s finally a decision to be made that has a relatively simple answer.
Sergio Romero has started every game so far this season for Louis van Gaal and has only conceded three goals. Despite this, he should be on the bench by the time Saturday’s 17:30 kick-off comes around. David De Gea is still at the club and therefore David De Gea is the No.1 goalkeeper at the club.
The Spaniard’s move to Real Madrid collapsed at the final hour due to paperwork issues and on the other side of a war of words between the two clubs De Gea claims he is ready to take his place between the sticks at Old Trafford once again.
The defence is likely to remain unchanged. Matteo Darmian and Luke Shaw have provided the best full-back partnership at the club in well over a decade, showing defensive solidity as well as a fluidity when going forward. To add to that they’ve both shown a reliability in the new season when it comes to fitness, with both players starting every game for club and country so far.
In the centre, Chris Smalling was praised by ex-England man Martin Keown for his international performance this week against Switzerland while Daley Blind was praised by the legendary Johan Cruyff for his improvement in the 12 months since joining United. Both men are expected to continue in the centre of defence despite Marcos Rojo’s return to fitness. The Argentine is expected to return to the match day squad for Saturday’s game.
In midfield, the same question rears it’s head – Michael Carrick or Bastian Schweinsteiger?
Normally you’d push for experience, something both players have. Carrick however, has the experience of this fixture and the pace of the game. Bastian has stuggled with that. In his substitute appearances he’s brought a presence to the pitch that has helped to see games through and got an assist in the second leg of the Champions League qualifier with a lovely pass to Ander Herrera.
Despite this decision, it may be taken out of the manager’s hands. Michael Carrick was forced to withdraw from the England squad with a calf injury and is a doubt for the game, although van Gaal should clarify whether he’s available for selection during Friday’s press conference.
If he’s unavailable then the German is expected to take main stage in a game that he has built his career off dominating. Alongside him, Morgan Schneiderlin is expected to start and will be hopeful of continuing his good start to the season. The ex-Southampton man impressed for France during the international break and his energy will be key for United to break down any Liverpool attacks.
The No.10 position is up for grabs once again too. With Marouane Fellaini back in contention, he will challenge Ander Herrera for that position.While I expect the Spaniard to get the nod, Fellaini offers a decent back-up option from the bench and will also possibly offer the Reds an advantage at set-pieces should he be picked from the start.
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Memphis is a shoe-in for the left-wing role he’s been occupying in recent months, with his goal threat something that will test Nathaniel Clyne throughout the game and his developing relationship with Luke Shaw something else that the Reds currently have going for them.
On the right, van Gaal has a few options. The obvious one is to stick with Juan Mata.
The Spaniard scored the decisive goals in United’s 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield last season starting on the right-wing and has made the position his own ever since. He scored in Spain’s 1-0 win over Macedonia on Tuesday and his intelligence may be a big test for young defender Joe Gomez who has seemingly cemented his role as the first choice left-back for the Anfield side at the moment.
Another option is to bring in Ashley Young, although his favoured option is on the left so he can cut in and cross with his stronger right foot. One final, untried, option is to start new signing Anthony Martial on the right wing. The France international is quick, tricky and has an eye for goal which is something van Gaal could look to use to mirror the effect Memphis has on the opposite flank.
With that said I think it’s unlikely that Martial gets thrown straight into the line-up. He hasn’t even trained with his team-mates yet and won’t join up with the squad until Thursday. While he’ll likely be on the bench, I’d be highly surprised if he makes any real impact in the game so early on in his United career.
That leaves the striker position open for Wayne Rooney. Fresh from becoming the all-time top goalscorer for England, Rooney will look to kick on for United and start to turn in performances of a high level at club level for the first time in a number of months. With the record for England gone now, Rooney can turn his full attention to surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton as Manchester United’s all-time top goalscorer and he needs just 17 goals to complete his mission, starting with Saturday.
