United vs. Sunderland Match Report

United vs. Sunderland Match Report

Final result: United 2 - 0 Sunderland

Pre-match news: Luke Shaw came off the team sheet due to injury, so Rojo had to push out to left back and Jonny Evans came in at center back. It was a surprising decision, choosing Evans over Phil Jones or Paddy McNair, considering how much Evans has struggled recently. I didn’t mind it all that much giving Evans another chance to redeem himself before putting the nail in the coffin, especially against a weak attack in Sunderland. Granted, Young could have played at left back to allow Rojo to stay central. In the midfield, van Gaal elected to go with a seemingly flat four, with Young and di Maria on the wings. I’m happy he selected two natural wingers, though I would have preferred Januzaj over Young (even though I know I’m in the minority with that opinion). Blind and Herrera in the midfield, both good choices. Still wish there was a way to fit Mata into the starting lineup, but the only real way would be to drop a striker. Up top, sticking with the two strikers, Rooney and Falcao got a chance to start alongside each other. Falcao probably got the nod over Wilson just because of experience, but Wilson was ready to go on the bench, along with the other subs: Lindegaard, McNair, Carrick, Fellaini, Mata, and Januzaj.

Update: Changes to the projected lineup as it looks like it will now be a 4-2-3-1 with changes to the midfield and strikers. Herrera will drop into holding midfield with Blind while Rooney, Young, and di Maria will control the attack midfield. Falcao will get the chance as the lone striker. Biggest issue now will be service into Falcao, hopefully he can make enough runs to get into decent position.

United vs. Sunderland Match Preview

Manchester United:

Injuries: Robin van Persie will be out without a reported timetable for return thanks to an ankle injury picked up in the match against Swansea. Carrick’s return will likely have to wait another week as, according to van Gaal, he needs more match rhythm.

Last 5 matches: W-W-D-W-L

Likely formation: 4-1-3-2

Storyline:

Following a 2-1 defeat to Swansea last week, United look to regain their footing and capture three crucial points towards a tight race for the top four and a berth in next season’s Champions League. United currently sit in 4^th, one point behind Arsenal and one point ahead of Southampton, so there is no room for comfort, especially with a tough slate of games to finish the season. In a seven game stretch starting March 9th, United will face Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Aston Villa, City, Chelsea, and Everton, in that order. I reckon United will need to secure approximately 27 points in the final 13 games to secure a place in the UCL, so three points against Sunderland is a must.

With van Persie out due to injury, who will start as the two strikers remains to be seen. Falcao, Wilson, and Rooney are all available as the most natural choices, and I expect to see Rooney and Falcao. Given Falcao’s form this season, though, I could see van Gaal using Wilson instead. The right side of the defense will also be something to keep an eye, specifically who van Gaal elects to use in right central defense and who he choose between Rafael, McNair, and Valencia at right back.

Expect United to continue to dominate possession, but the result of the game will likely depend on the quality of chances they can create from that possession. United’s midfield will need to provide proper service to the strikers and quick passing. As such, I hope to see Fellaini on the bench for the game unless United are desperate late in the game, which wouldn’t surprise me.

Sunderland:

Injuries: Jones, Rodwell, and Giaccherini

Last 5 matches: L-W-D-L-D

Likely formation: 4-4-2

Storyline:

Sunderland enter this matchup struggling, having dropped 10 points in the last five matches. At only three points clear of the relegation zone, Sunderland, like United though for different reasons, have little room for error. In the last round of the FA Cup, Sunderland lost to League One side Bradford City, so Gus Poyet must be feeling the pressure to win or at least hold their own versus United. Jermaine Defoe and Steven Fletcher will provide a decent attacking duo with Sebastian Larsson creating from the midfield.

Like other teams that have faced United this season, expect Sunderland to play counter attacking football. When United’s defense has been caught on the break thus far this season, it has not been pretty, most recently in Swansea’s game winning goal last week. If Sunderland can stay organized in defense for the duration of the game and capitalize on the few chances they’ll most likely get, United could be in for a second straight upset which would put Champions League football in jeopardy.

Prediction: United 3 – 1 Sunderland 

Manchester United’s All-Time Best XI

This may be the most difficult post I’ve made so far. With United’s rich history of talent in every position, it’s extremely challenging to narrow the pool down to the best starting XI. A lot of my choices are biased somewhat by personal preference and really who I was able to watch. Don’t agree with my picks? Let me know who you'd change in the comments!

Falcao's Folly

When Manchester United signed Radamel Falcao on loan at the closing hours of the summer transfer window, there were a multitude of reactions from the fans and press. The fan base mostly had a feeling of overall excitement after the signing with the hopes that Falcao would return to the form he showed before his knee injury. The press was more skeptical. Falcao missed the World Cup because of his knee injury and there were questions raised about whether or not Falcao would ever return to his peak form. Regardless, United had signed one of the world’s best attacking players. Or so they thought.

And the award goes to...

With the Oscars happening last night, I thought it would be fun to write a quick article handing out awards for the United season thus far. Granted, there’s no way I can give out an award for best Actress, but I’ll do my best to give a parallel award for some of the major categories. Bear with me.

Academy Award for Best Result (Best Picture)

Nominees:

September 14^th vs QPR: 4 – 0

November 22^nd vs Arsenal: 2 - 1

November 29^th vs Hull: 3 – 0

December 14^th vs Liverpool: 3 – 0

And the winner is…

United 4 QPR 0 – Way back in September, if you can remember back that far, United had one of their most complete performances this season. Granted, the result came against a side who is now fighting to avoid relegation in QPR, but the performance is still in my opinion United’s best showing. It was a game of debuts for the Reds as Rojo, Blind, and Falcao all made their first appearance with the team. Rafael and Herrera also returned from injury to give the squad a needed boost. Di Maria sparkled in his home debut, netting a goal off of a brilliant free kick and setting up Juan Mata in the second half; Rooney and Herrera joined them on the scoring sheet. In defense, van Gaal used a back four consisting of Jonny Evans, youngster Tyler Blackett, and the aforementioned Rojo and Rafael. Blind played a holding role with Herrera, Di Maria, and Mata completing the midfield and Rooney and van Persie up top. The Reds dominated possession and the scoring chances, as well as holding QPR off the scoring sheet to get their first win of the season.

Feb 21st - at Swansea Match Report

Swansea 2 Manchester United 1

To start, I'll try not to use this as an opportunity to vent my frustrations with how the game went.

Pre-match notes: Rooney started in his natural position at striker, Paddy McNair started at right back, and Fellaini started in the midfield. Falcao remained on the bench for the duration of the game.

It was a game that symbolizes much of how the season has felt for Manchester United fans. United dominated possession and had more chances but failed to capitalize. In the first half, United scored on the result of a beautiful run of passes. Herrera got a lucky deflection after a nice lay off pass to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. Great play from Luke Shaw to get up the flank with his pace and cause problems for the Swansea back line. Things looked bright for the United squad, with Rooney and van Persie linking up better and being more involved than the other striker pairings that have been used this season. Herrera was working well at both ends of the pitch, having also cleared a shot off the goal line, as proved by goal-line technology.

Swansea answered just a minute later with a nice cross from Shelvey into Ki for the equalizing goal. It looked like a nice play, but Shaw really lost his mark on the goal. That was pretty much the story of the first half for the United defending, Swansea players finding too much space in the box and Gomis being able to dominate the defenders.

At half time, Valencia came on for Paddy McNair, who was having a rough go at it in only his third start at right back for the senior team. Valencia provided more pace down that side and really increased the attacking options for United. The marking from the United defense continued to be poor, however, with Shaw again letting Ki get past. On the attacking end, Rooney was playing exceptionally well in his natural position having played in a deeper midfield position recently.

United had a dominant spell to open the second half, with plenty of chances. Fellaini did well to hold up the ball and distribute to other players moving forward. It seems like van Gaal knows how to utilize Fellaini's talents, which is ironic because Moyes had played Fellaini in a deeper midfield role last season even though he had worked with Fellaini for years at Everton. Fellaini is able to tower over other players to put the ball back into the danger area.

Ashley Young eventually came on for Luke Shaw, a sign that van Gaal was really going for the win in this matchup. Young picked up where Shaw left off, providing his own pace to again cause havoc for the Swansea defense and winning numerous corners. However, on these corners, di Maria failed to deliver any good services for the United players to run on to.

Through a combination of strong defense and poor finishing, Swansea weathered the storm to go on to counter and take the lead. After an errant pass, Shelvey had a strike on goal that deflected off of Gomis' head, leaving de Gea helpless. The play, a quick counter from the opposition leaving the defense stranded, has been all too familiar for United fans this season. From then on, United would force the attack by playing long balls into Fellaini and hoping a chance would present itself. In recent games when United has been losing, this technique has worked well, but for this game it just didn't go to plan. Swansea was too strong in defense and United couldn't equalize, leading to the 2-1 loss.

It's frustrating to watch United dominate possession so well only to still lose the game. It was a combination of bad luck in the go-ahead goal for Swansea and not capitalizing on opportunities. Credit to Swansea though for playing a great game, it's the first time they've completed the double against United, having already won back in the season opener at Old Trafford.

Update: As Louis van Gaal stated in his post match press conference: "We played well today, we just forgot to score." United drop to 4th in the table for now as Arsenal move up the table and Southampton in 5th with a game tomorrow against Liverpool.

Up next for United is a matchup against Sunderland, a game which United fans will hope United will win easily. That remains to be seen, however.

The State of Januzaj

Last year, Adnan Januzaj was one of the few bright spots in a long and dreary season for the men in red. While many of the more senior players struggled to find their form under David Moyes, some going on to eventually voice their concerns, several younger players, including the likes of James Wilson, Tom Lawrence, and Adnan Januzaj made their first team debuts for the club. Januzaj showed impressive ability and a certain flair, leading many to believe he could someday be as great as Ronaldo.

Then things took a turn. After finishing in 7^th in the Premier League and being eliminated without a deep run in the FA Cup, League Cup, or Champions League, United parted ways with Moyes and eventually appointed the then Netherlands manager, Louis van Gaal. At the time, the new manager spelled promise for Januzaj, as van Gaal has been credited with the rise to stardom for several players, including, but not limited to, Xavi and Iniesta with Barca and Müller with Bayern.