After their 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace, Manchester United have turned their focus to the Everton match.
Coming off three consecutive wins, Manchester United will face Everton on Saturday in the semi-final for a birth in the FA Cup Final at Wembley.
The Red Devils started their run in the FA Cup Quarterfinal Replay with a nerve-wracking 2-1 win against West Ham. They continued their success in the Premier League with a sluggish win over Aston Villa and then a more dominant performance against Palace.
Chris Smalling has played a part in all three matches, as has been the case for most of the season. He has led Manchester United from the back with strong defending and decent passing, a vital element to playing in Louis van Gaal’s possession system.
Speaking to MUTV, the centre-back described his and his teammates’ confidence heading into the match:
"“I’m looking forward to it because it’s going to be a great occasion. Hopefully we can do the job against Everton and get back there for a second visit [for the final]. It was a comfortable win [against Palace]. I think we controlled the game from the start to the finish and we created a lot of chances, so we’ve got a good feeling going into Saturday.”“A lot of the lads have been coming back into the team in the last couple of games, and everyone’s getting fitter. The manager’s now in a great position to pick a strong team, and hopefully one that is ready to go out there and do the job on Saturday.”"
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Manchester United recently beat the Toffees after the last international break, with a great goal from Anthony Martial capping off good team build up. Everton suffered a miserable defeat against Liverpool on Wednesday night, when Ramiero Funes Mori was sent off and John Stones may have picked up an injury. As a result, the two sides will likely be in different spirits heading into their FA Cup clash.
Van Gaal also spoke briefly after the Palace match about the upcoming domestic cup test:
"“Selection is not so difficult because you are following what you see, what your philosophy is, what the game plan is. Now you have to convince the players why you select that way. That is much more important.”"
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"“Of course the semi-final is not nothing. I came to England to win titles and now are very close. But first we have to beat Everton and that is not so easy. Also when they have lost to Liverpool 4-0, with 10 men it is difficult against Liverpool I think.”"
The manager made a subtle change to his tactics in Wednesday’s league match, choosing to use only one holding midfielder and two attacking midfielders. This gave the squad more attacking strength against a defensively organized Palace, though it remains to be seen if the formation will stay for the Everton match.
Roberto Martinez has had difficulty defending this season, and the team’s strength certainly lies further up the pitch. Manchester United might be able to exploit their defensive frailties without playing two attacking midfielders, though it would certainly make for a more interesting affair.
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But the most important thing will be to secure a win and move on to the final. The FA Cup is, obviously, the last chance for silverware this season for Van Gaal and Manchester United, an accomplishment that might allow the manager to leave on better terms.