[Lynty]

Meh, league titles are out of fashion. It's all about the FA Cup nowadays...

 

[CassiusClaymore]

I would actually like to smash this lot if possible. They can win it against someone else.

3-0 United.

 

[Dan]

This is United who everytime we think have turned a corner end up coming up short. This has a draw written all over it. The back four will be putting their lives on the line to shut us out. It's going to be tighter than people think. Think it will be 1-1.

You're in today's i newspaper.

cc @Damien

 

[sunama]

You clearly don't watch much sport then. Seeing the finishing line can sometimes have a very profound mental effect in any sport, hence the phrase "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory".
I'm not saying it will happen to Leicester, I'm just saying it will be interesting to see their reaction if we beat them.

I assure you, I watch plenty of different sports (not just Football).
And I know that when a team has utterly dominated a season, the likelhood of a collapse is extremely small.
In a few days, we shall know how was right

And just to re-iterate my belief that the LCFC will collapse rhetoric is ludicrous:

 

[Norris]

Wow, we've been that woeful away from Home ?

 

[Jerch]

De Gea ws never a champion and Rooney and Carrick only once? Well he could read a little more about our recent history I think.

edit: so players in our team who won PL:
De Gea, Jones, Smalling, Young, Valencia, Rooney (5), Carrick (5).
Player who won other leagues:
Schweinteiger (8 Bundesliga titles), Blind (4 Eredevise titles), Rojo (something in South America), Depay (Eredevise), Romero (Eredevise)

So from 20 players from first team only 8 never won a league. That ( players are Fellaini, Schneiderlin, Januzaj, Varela, Shaw, Herrera, Mata and Martial.

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

You're in today's i newspaper.

cc @Damien

Do they need permission to quote people? Or is there something in the RedCafe terms and conditions that signs away any privacy rights?

 

[Silva]

Do they need permission to quote people? Or is there something in the RedCafe terms and conditions that signs away any privacy rights?

It's a public forum.

 

[DWelbz19]

Is that the fourth time?

 

[Emrethis]

Martial's in form. That alone gives me hope. Along with Rooney, Herrera and lingard coming into good form, I think we beat them easy at home.

1-0 to us

 

[Zoo]

The pundits keep going on about how embarrassing it will be for United if they win the title at OT. All the big teams have been embarrassed by what Leicester have done this season, how about just giving them the credit they deserve if they do it tomorrow.

 

[Drifter]

Just seeing that sky advert with Souness smugly sitting there talking about Leicester winning it at OT is enough for me to want us to delay their party. 2-1.

 

[RedPed]

You're in today's i newspaper.

cc @Damien

WTF !!

Thought it was a wind up! Is that for real?? What paper is it?

 

[izec]

WTF !!

Thought it was a wind up! Is that for real?? What paper is it?

I newspaper. He wrote it there

 

[SqueakyWeasel]

You're in today's i newspaper.

cc @Damien

We really are the go-to forum for slow news days!

 

[WhoDaGOAT]

WTF !!

Thought it was a wind up! Is that for real?? What paper is it?

You should sue.

 

[Rednotdead]

I assure you, I watch plenty of different sports (not just Football).
And I know that when a team has utterly dominated a season, the likelhood of a collapse is extremely small.
In a few days, we shall know how was right

And just to re-iterate my belief that the LCFC will collapse rhetoric is ludicrous:

Firstly I didn't say they WOULD collapse, I said it was possible.

I've heard stories of some club that was 8 points ahead with only a few games to play then collapsed and lost the league when their local rivals won it with the last kick of the ball on the last day - but that can't be true because they had dominated the league up to then and teams that dominate the league can't collapse. Never happens in any sport does it?

 

[Alex99]

Think we'll be surprisingly comfortable tomorrow and win. Then Spurs will cock it up at Chelsea and Leicester will win the league this weekend anyway.

 

[Fitchett]

Think we'll be surprisingly comfortable tomorrow and win. Then Spurs will cock it up at Chelsea and Leicester will win the league this weekend anyway.

Agreed

 

[sunama]

Firstly I didn't say they WOULD collapse, I said it was possible.

Me waking up in the morning, to news that I won the lottery is possible...but extremely unlikely.
In any case, I realise you are talking up our chances of delaying LCFC's title win (with us winning tomorrow)...which is fair enough.

 

[zeekey]

Maybe someone will unfurl a bed sheet with "come back when you've won 20" spray painted on it.

Now Arsenal have won tonight our slim chances of Champions League have gone. Not sure what Liverpool will do at Swansea but if they win it'll put the heat on us to win to make sure we scrape fifth!

 

[Raw]

Maybe someone will unfurl a bed sheet with "come back when you've won 20" spray painted on it.

Now Arsenal have won tonight our slim chances of Champions League have gone. Not sure what Liverpool will do at Swansea but if they win it'll put the heat on us to win to make sure we scrape fifth!

Think we'd have to worry about West Ham first. Currently ahead of us on GD and we still have to face them away.

 

[Gerald G]

Maybe someone will unfurl a bed sheet with "come back when you've won 20" spray painted on it.

Now Arsenal have won tonight our slim chances of Champions League have gone. Not sure what Liverpool will do at Swansea but if they win it'll put the heat on us to win to make sure we scrape fifth!

Nah. City are away to Southampton tomorrow and at home to Arsenal next week. Our chances are still slim but there's still a chance.

 

[FujiVice]

Amazing that Kasper Schmeichel has never played at Old Trafford before. His Dad just revealed his dream was to play at Old Trafford his whole life, so to win the league would be an amazing story. Not for me, obviously because I hope its a nightmare for him, but in general.

 

[3KDré]

It would be quite iconic if Peter Schmeichel a Manchester United legend, having won the league several times, watched his son grow up and win the league in the stadium his father had played in countless times to establish his Legend status ALL before Liverpool won the league again.

 

[Kaos]

It would be quite iconic if Peter Schmeichel a Manchester United legend, having won the league several times, watched his son grow up and win the league in the stadium his father had played in countless times to establish his Legend status ALL before Liverpool won the league again.

Yeah but feck that.

I loved The Great Dane but I hope we put a shed load past his son tomorrow.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Yeah but feck that.

I loved The Great Dane but I hope we put a shed load past his son tomorrow.

Judas

 

[Kraftwerker]

Judas

Not a great leap for him after cartwheeling in front us when playing for City.

 

[The red panther]

I want to see:

-----------------------DDG--------------------------
Valencia-----Smalling----Blind--------Rojo
Fosu-Mensah---Schneiderlin-----Rooney
Lingard---------Rashford---------Martial

 

[SalfordRed1960]

My first ever United game at OT, hopefully we get a better result. Top 2 in the league Leicester and Spurs. United were 19th at the time.

15 Apr 1963 Manchester United v Leicester City D 2-2 League Division One

Same year we beat them in the FA Cup, 3-1.

 

[devil in me]

I reckon tomorrow has got 0-0 written all over it. Both teams decent at the back, Leicester (as much as they want to wrap it up tomo) know that a point will be massive, especially with Spurs away at Chelsea on Monday.
We will struggle to break them down because theyre well organised and it will be pretty cagey.
And when sky hype something as much as they have been doing with this, its a huge anti climax!

 

[SilentWitness]

I want you to get top 4 because i'm hopeful it makes the caf a better place but i also really really want Leicester to win the title tomorrow. Would be amazing.

 

[SalfordRed1960]

I want you to get top 4 because i'm hopeful it makes the caf a better place but i also really really want Leicester to win the title tomorrow. Would be amazing.

Think Chelsea will do them a favor on Monday. Really don't know why they didn't re-arrange the games for the same day. Must be strange being told you are the champions when sitting on the couch at home.

 

[SalfordRed1960]

Just read Rooney could score his 100th OT PL goal if he scores tomorrow against Leicester. He has also not scored against Leicester before.

 

[friendlytramp]

---------------de gea--------
--------Smalling--blind-----
Valencia------------------darmian
-----schneiderlin--carrick---------
Lingard-------Rooney-----martial
----------------rashford-----------

 

[endless_wheelies]

Think with Vardy they could have stuffed us 3 or 4 nil given the significance of this and with his pace inevitably running in behind us on the break, but without him we will draw or sneak the win.

Say what you want about LVG but the dice tends to fall for him where actual ability is lacking.

 

[The Red Roman]

VS

Date - Sunday, May 01 2016.
Kickoff Time - 1405 Hrs BST.
Venue - Old Trafford, Manchester.

Referee

Michael Oliver.​

Last weekend’s FA Cup semi-final win over Everton was easily one of the best moments this club has had in the last 3 years since Ferguson retired. The way the fans and players celebrated and connected with each other at the end will no doubt give the squad a huge confidence boost heading into our final four games of the season. The Cup final is in the bank no matter what happens between now and the last league game on May 14th. We still have work to do in the league. The top four is unlikely, but possible and the pressure is on us to win all four of remaining games and see what happens elsewhere. This situation is something Van Gaal accepts, “I think we have to beat Leicester because we are still in the race for the first positions, so we have to beat them,” he said. “We cannot allow that they are the champions this weekend at Old Trafford. I think they shall be the champion a week later, so we don’t spoil the party, just postpone it a little bit. We have to close the gap so the pressure is on us still. We have to win every game that we have to play. City still have to play against Arsenal, though, so one of those shall lose points." The top four race is an intriguing situation, because Arsenal have to play City at the Ethiad. It is a big ask for United to win every game and they must hope there is a loser in the game between Arsenal and City because of our inferior goal difference. United have generally performed better when the pressure has been on and the games have been big, they must be confident after last-weeks dramatic late win against Everton and there is the added motivation of trying to deny Leicester winning the league on our home ground. I believe the players will have this feeling also, Ander Herrera pointed this out in an interview he gave to Sky Sports “It is true that we are playing against Leicester, a very good side who are playing fantastic. But we don't want them to win the title at Old Trafford - I think they deserve to win the league but I hope they can do it at home.” With a strong motivation and high confidence I expect United to produce a performance against a Leicester side that may get nervy and of course we need nothing less than a win.

The game should be pretty straight forward in terms of its pattern of play. We know what Leicester’s strategy is, they defend deep, look to counter-attack quickly and also pose a set-play threat. It will be a typical possession vs. counter-attack game that we have seen a lot this season. Leicester must cope without top scorer Jamie Vardy after his suspension was extended by the FA. He wasn’t missed in last weekend’s 4-0 win over Swansea, but I think he will be missed here. He has given United a lot of problems in recent games against Leicester. He runs the channels tirelessly, and thrives by collecting the ball on the run in the channels on the counter-attack; he is pretty much the perfect player you want against United. We have struggled against counter-attacking teams, particularly when pushing our full-backs high up the pitch, there would be plenty of space for Vardy to thrive here. Ranieri will instead play with Leonardo Ulloa up front. He is a different type of striker and may cause Daley Blind problems with his aerial power, but generally Blind has performed fine against more powerful opponents. His positional sense, distribution skills and reading of the game make him perfect for a high defensive line and United will push up the pitch to force Ulloa away from goal. Okazaki is a clever little player who play just in behind, without the ball he will sit on our deepest midfielder to ensure Leicester don’t get over run in this zone before storming forward into the channels on the counter-attack. He is nowhere near as effective from deep as Vardy would be from higher up the pitch, but United will need to be weary of his clever movement off the ball. For me the real threat comes from the flanks particularly the right-side with PFA Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez. Van Gaal continues to use Marcus Rojo at left-back despite his poor form and lack of discipline. I would be worried about him trying to contain Mahrez. Mahrez has been tying defenders in knots with his trickery - continually feinting to go outside, then inside, then outside again. He could cause Rojo big problems and I would be inclined to finally drop Rojo because of his poor form and play Fosu-Mensah as his direct opponent here - he's keen to tackle, is physically powerful but will need to be disciplined. On the other flank Ranierir will use either Schlupp or Albriighton depending if wants the extra counter-attacking threat the electric Schlupp provides or the more defensively diligent Albrighton. Overall I feel Vardy will be a big miss and if United can minimise Mahrez’s threat Leicester’s goal threat will be massively reduced.

Van Gaal has tilted his midfield triangle in recent weeks. He has often played 4-2-3-1 this season, but seems to have reverted back to a 4-1-4-1/4-3-3. United have seemed to play their best football under Van Gaal in this system so I would be hugely surprised if he altered it now. Carrick was the deepest midfielder of the three last week against Everton and will have Okazaki buzzing about him when United are in possession. I might consider Schneiderlin over Carrick in this role for this game as I feel his ability to break up play with tackles and interceptions could be really useful at nullifying Leicester’s counter-attacks. Later in the match Ranieri tends to withdraw Okazaki and then this would be the perfect time to introduce Carrick who offers better passing quality in midfield. Danny Drinkwater and N'Golo Kantewill remain in deeper positions to protect the Leicester centre-backs, but they are capable of storming forward from deep particularly on the counter which is why a more physical player like Schneiderlin might be useful. Rooney and Fellani played in front of Carrick last week and both performed really well so I would expect them to keep their places here. They will push high up the pitch looking to arrive in the box to provide a goal threat. This is certainly a role that has got the best from Fellani and maybe the future for Wayne Rooney. Of course the danger for United with these three in midfield is that they will move the ball too slowly. Leicester will be happy not to see much of the ball, they will be confident United’s passing will be too slow and unambitious to offer regular penetration. There midfield quartet will stay tight together, moving laterally across the field, forcing United to go around them rather than play through them.

With Leicester likely to force United’s play wide, the main threat for us will surely be Anthony Martial. He is dangerously quick and a very direct dribbler who causes more problems playing from the left wing rather than up front. Leicester defend extremely narrow with the full-backs tucking inside to protect the centre-backs, this leaves the flanks bare for opponents to exploit. Martial will have room, United will look to find him quickly so he can take-on ex United player Danny Simpson at right-back. I also think Marcus Rashford could cause problems, his quickness and movement has bought a new dimension to United’s attack and with the Leicester centre-back pairing of Robert Huth and Wes Morgan desperately lacking pace, they will be absolutely terrified by the prospect of a player running at them and in-behind them. This is why Ranieri's side defends deep to guard against conceding space in behind. If United can catch Leicester high up the pitch, they will be vulnerable against him. On the right there is not much point bringing Mata back into the side. He will drift infield from the right and will find his space restricted against an ultra-compact Leicester team. Although he probably doesn’t provide the same quality the more mobile Jesse Lingard is a more dangerous option because he can offer running in-behind and even though he likes to come inside as well, United have a proper overlapping option in Antonio Valencia at right-back to provide attacking width.



Subs- Romero, Darmian, Rojo, Carrick, Herrera, Mata, Memphis.

 

[Gerald G]

De Gea
Valencia--Smalling--Blind--Rojo
Schneiderlin
Herrera--Rooney
Lingard--Rashford--Martial​

 

[peridigm]

De Gea
Valencia--Smalling--Blind--Rojo
Schneiderlin
Herrera--Rooney
Lingard--Rashford--Martial​

Went for the same.

 

[.Rossi]

They are winning this

Watch

*Not that it's a profound statement