Manchester United vs. Sunderland

I'd be surprised if we did that. With City playing first, the pressure will be put on us to make sure we keep the 6 point gap (assuming City will beat Newcastle).

There's a time and place for major rotations - doing it now would be risky. I agree with a few tweaks here and there, but playing a basically new eleven from beating City would be nuts. Keep the momentum going with the team we have, and if we're trouncing Sunderland - take off 3 star guys and then rest SOME of the star guys that didn't sub in the next game, while the 3 that went off starts.
 
Not even the best political spin doctors will be able to paint a rosy picture of this for Sunderland's non-executive vice-chairman David Miliband MP. The former Foreign Secretary was just two years old when his club last won a league game at Old Trafford.
It was 11 May 1968 - the day when United were expected to get the victory to clinch back-to-back titles. But goals from Colin Suggett and George Mulhall (so good in the air they called him Chandelier) sunk Busby's boys, and Manchester City's win at Newcastle that day earned them the title.
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Thought this was interesting given all the talk of the fans celebrations last season.
 
Hernandez - BFA said:
I'd be surprised if we did that. With City playing first, the pressure will be put on us to make sure we keep the 6 point gap (assuming City will beat Newcastle).

There's a time and place for major rotations - doing it now would be risky. I agree with a few tweaks here and there, but playing a basically new eleven from beating City would be nuts. Keep the momentum going with the team we have, and if we're trouncing Sunderland - take off 3 star guys and then rest SOME of the star guys that didn't sub in the next game, while the 3 that went off starts.
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Agreed. This is a danger match, with the same risk of a non-performance as you might get with a big European hangover. And the best way to bring on a shit performance like that is to weaken your team, sending a psychological message to both them and us that we'll find this easy. Cue shit football and an awkward draw/loss or scraped 2-1 victory.

Tactically, taking Sessegnon out of the game is crucial. They have so little threat in open play without him. Even their wingers are useless without him on the pitch, because it's so often him who finds them, and his presence that forces the opposition to give them space.

So get Carrick stuck tight to him all day long, the same way he was stuck to Cazorla against Arsenal. If it worked on Cazorla, it'll work on Sessegnon, and it'll do so much to neutralise whatever threat they have. Cleverley has plenty of energy to buzz around doing whatever work needs doing, and if Rooney is allowed to do his usual freeish role thing, he'll wreak havoc.
 
#Carl said:
Have a feeling we'll see some major rotation for this game with the Christmas pile up coming. Expecting all of Jones, Smalling, Scholes, Fletcher, Welbeck and Hernandez to start. Maybe even Buttner and Giggs too.
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I doubt that. Our next game comes 8 days later, then another 3 days after that. The match that worries is Newcastle, so we'll see how Fergie handles those two games. This one, Sunderland, calls for a strong hand.
 
I don't think Rooney will start tomorrow. SAF said "let's put it this way, he's in the squad" and he didn't train the last 3 days.


What sort of message would he be sending out to the likes of Welbeck and Hernandez if a guy who hasn't trained is starting ahead of them? I can't see him starting :(
 
Ronaldo's Mum said:
I don't think Rooney will start tomorrow. SAF said "let's put it this way, he's in the squad" and he didn't train the last 3 days.


What sort of message would he be sending out to the likes of Welbeck and Hernandez if a guy who hasn't trained is starting ahead of Rooney? I can't see him starting :(
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Well Rooney is Rooney and he has earned the right to start whenever he is fit and feels like he can do the job, he missed training because of a bug not because he was lazy so I have no problem with him starting and I'm sure no one in the squad would either.
 
Swaters16 said:
Well Rooney is Rooney and he has earned the right to start whenever he is fit and feels like he can do the job, he missed training because of a bug not because he was lazy so I have no problem with him starting and I'm sure no one in the squad would either.
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No he hasn't. As far as I am concerned he isn't as consistent as some of the others in the squad. However, that said, didn't he get really angry at what their fans done last season and said he checked for the fixture this year as soon as the lists came out? He should probably start.

Edit: Rooney, RVP and Hernandez should all start, I can see their defence being annihilated by all 3 of them! Hernandez running off and taking defenders with him or just destroying them in a foot race into a through ball :drool:
 
Due respect to Sunderland , but i can't see to much trouble today. 3 - 1
 
There's no need to mess around with the lineups today. Put out a strong team and we'l batter them.
 
I hope we fecking batter them. Same team as against City.

High tempo and attack the hell out of them.
 
Not sure why, but I feel we're going to absolutely paste them. Like the 7-1 blackburn match. There's going to be at least one game this season where our team runs riot. This well could be it.
 
Are we gonna see another caSAFtrophe? Weird rotated line-up? Bad team selection? Underestimating opponents etc?
 
I have a strong feeling we will rotate our side for this and could turn out to be the problem.
 
Rotation would be totally stupid, the next game is eight days away! Play the best team and keep Scholes, Giggs and Lindegaard as far away as possible from the starting XI.
 
Anduin said:
Rotation would be totally stupid, the next game is eight days away! Play the best team and keep Scholes, Giggs and Lindegaard as far away as possible from the starting XI.
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They will all be required over the Xmas period. He will need to rotate at some stage
 
CONFIRMED MUFC XI:

de Gea

Jones
Ferdinand
Smalling
Evra

Valencia
Carrick
Cleverley
Young

Rooney
van Persie

SUBS: Lindegaard, Vidic, Giggs, Scholes, Fletcher, Welbeck, Hernandez.
 
Smalling and Jones start in defence. Vida on the bench.


I'm guessing the rest will be the same as last week.
 
Sunderland: Mignolet, Larsson, Gardner, Colback, O'Shea (c), Bramble, Johnson, McClean, Cuellar, Fletcher, Sessegnon.
 
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