Manchester United dismantled Everton at the weekend but now must turn their attention back to European competition as they travel to Moscow to take on CSKA on Wednesday.
After a defeat on the opening day to PSV Eindhoven, United bounced back with a hard fought win over Wolfsburg on match day 2 to ensure the group is totally level, with all four teams sitting on 4 points after two match days.
With Manchester City to come on Sunday, van Gaal will have to make a choice about which players he plans to use at the weekend and will either have to rotate the squad or play in a way that will hopefully allow him to withdraw some players early from Wednesday’s game.
In goal, David De Gea doesn’t need any rest. The Spaniard turned in another high class performance against Everton to deny Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku at Goodison Park and earn his fifth clean sheet since returning to the first-team fold last month.
In defence, Manchester United finally have some options again. After a series of injuries left van Gaal with no option but to play Ashley Young at full-back against Arsenal, the boss now has Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo fit to compete for the role left vacant by Luke Shaw’s injury.
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Blind sat out the win over Everton after starting every United game this season prior to that, while Rojo impressed with an assist and overall solid performance. Despite this, I think Blind may come back into the side for this one. Rojo’s lack of game time this season means it would be increasingly difficult for the Argentine to complete three games in a week and if van Gaal is to use to him against Manchester City, then Blind should get the nod in Moscow.
At centre-back, van Gaal has found his best pairing. Chris Smalling and Phil Jones compliment eachother well and with both fit and in form, United look very solid at the back. Smalling’s leadership qualities have come to the fore over the last 18 months and he’s now among the best defenders in the Premier League.
In midfield, Louis van Gaal’s decision is more to do with who plays against Manchester City. Bastian Schweinsteiger started against Everton alongside Morgan Schneiderlin and the Frenchman shone in his best performance so far in a Manchester United shirt.
That performance should see him start on Wednesday and Sunday, meaning van Gaal must decide between Schweinsteiger and Carrick. With Bastian getting the nod in the Premier League and the performance it delivered, I’d be tempted to say van Gaal will bring Carrick in for the Champions League and save the German for Sunday’s bigger game.
The attacking positions are much more open now too. Sunday saw Memphis given his first rest of the season, which allowed Martial to show his ability on the wing.
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The French teenager was fantastic against Everton, causing havoc for Seamus Coleman who is often rated as one of the top right-backs in the division. While his form is fantastic at the moment, I wouldn’t be against seeing him start on the bench on Wednesday. With Memphis ready to come back into the side, Martial could be given a rest to be completely fresh against Man City with the Dutch winger given another chance to impress in the tournament he’s been playing his best football in this season.
Ander Herrera was magical on his return to the first-team, getting a goal and an assist during an all-action display that saw him named as man of the match against Everton. While van Gaal hinted after the game that he could still drop him if necessary despite his great performance, he did praise him and hinted that he was substituted as he is likely to play against CSKA.
Juan Mata was substituted against Everton too, at half-time, in a tactical switch but I’d expect him to return to the first XI once again. The Spaniard has admitted he’s been looking forward to this big week ahead and with his form excellent at the moment, Mata’s role on the right wing is almost assured under Louis van Gaal right now.
Up front, Wayne Rooney is a sure thing for the team. The England skipper started as the main striker against Everton and grabbed his first goal at Goodison Park since 2007 and turned in a decent performance despite. His goal and general performance was a sign that he could be coming back into some form and with two goals in his last three games, he’s probably earned himself another shot.
