How United Should Start vs. Leicester

There has been endless talk this week about who Mourinho should drop, add in, and bring off the bench. As he so eloquently put it, everyone watching soccer today considers themselves “Einsteins” on the matter. Well Jose, in honor of Albert, lets look a little deeper into the general mechanics of the Manchester United team, and how 11 parts can fit together into a well oiled machine.

Let’s start at the back. For the past three years, I don’t think anyone would argue that David De Gea hasn’t been United’s best player by miles (or kilometers…). There is little doubt that the Spanish stopper will continue his reign as protector of the United realm on Saturday, however, with the hope that he won’t be called on to produce another man of the match performance.

The Red Devil’s defense has been a more stable entity this season compared to past years. Under Van Gaal, it seemed there was a new back four every week, partly due to injuries. However, with the arrival of Eric Bailly, who already looks like a fitting replacement for Nemanja Vidic (if he can continue building on his brilliant start to the campaign), and the relative injury free beginning of the season for Luke Shaw, it seems that the United back line is starting to border on consistency.

The only worry that Mourinho will have is the jumpy start to the campaign for last season’s stand out defender, Chris Smalling. Although he isn’t playing poorly, he has looked a little off the pace in his first three appearances, leading some to believe that Blind will start again against Leicester in his place. My chosen back four for Old Trafford on Saturday: Shaw, Smalling, Bailly, Valencia.

The midfield has been another major talking point over the past couple weeks, which have seen United surrender midfield control in 3 out of the 4 games (thankfully seeming to dominate the midfield against lowly Northampton). Over the past couple outings, Mourinho has gone to a 4-3-3 formation rather than his typical 4-2-3-1, under the impression that this system would allow Pogba to thrive more and get forward when United are in possession. However, this hasn’t shown through as much as was desired, and Pogba has still gone missing for large parts of the game.

It seems to me that the only way for Pogba to thrive is to allow him to stride forward in the attack, rather than being asked to be the maestro on the ball in the middle of the pitch, trying to emulate his old teammate Pirlo. This is where Michael Carrick comes into play. Having not played a minute of soccer yet this season, Carrick started against Northampton and certainly impressed, scoring a brilliant first time goal from the edge of the box. Carrick offers both a sound, experienced midfield mind, as well as a fantastic range and accuracy of passing, which will certainly allow more freedom for Pogba.

In addition to Pogba and Carrick, Herrera has been in excellent form when given playing time this season. In his third season now with the club, the Spanish midfielder seems to be really relishing his box-box role. Again, playing Herrera and Carrick will truly allow Pogba to get forward more, knowing that he has the speed and tenacity of Herrera, and the intelligence and cunning of Carrick alongside him to break up counters and block off the passing lanes. This is a far more comforting prospect then the bumbling figure of Fellaini, stumbling about with the grace of one of those dancing man inflatables at a Chevy dealerships…

All in all, United simply need to find a midfield combination that works and stick with it. It is obvious that Fellaini doesn’t fit with Pogba, though I’m sure Mourinho would relish the idea of being known as the man who turned Fellaini into a star at Old Trafford. I still believe that there is also a space for Blind in the United midfield, possibly being the closes thing to a Paul Scholes that United have had in quite some time. However, my starting three for United against Leicester would be: Pogba, Carrick, Herrera.

The front three for United cannot consist of Wayne Rooney… just wanted to get that out of the way first. By no means am I a Rooney hater, just a realist. Rooney was the first player I knew at United as a budding American fan of the game. For years, he has been a fantastic servant and emblem of the club, but his current form is damaging the flow of play in every game so far this season, meaning as captain, it is his responsibility (not to take responsibility away from Mourinho) to recognize this and take a rest, letting someone else make their mark on the team, which will be undoubtedly more productive.

With Martial looking to be still injured, he will likely be left out of the team this Saturday. Rashford’s outstanding and refreshing form will certainly see him get a place up front, especially considering he was rested for the majority of Wednesday’s game (the same can be said for Zlatan). Mkhitaryan and Lingard have strangely gone missing since the Manchester City defeat, which raises questions over their availability for this fixture. Seeing as it is another big game against tough opposition, I doubt Mourinho will throw them into the caldron of expectation again. Memphis had a decent showing against Northampton, but was hauled off early in the second half, Mourinho seemingly not very impressed by the Dutchman.

My prediction is that Mourinho will start Mata in the front three. Against a counter attacking team like the Foxes, Mata adds an added dimension to this United squad, especially with Rooney not dictating the flow of the game in the number 10 role. Mata will sit around the edge of the box, trying to thread through passes for Rashford, Zlatan, and Pogba, acting as the key to the Leicester lock. My chosen front three: Mata, Zlatan, Rashford.

So there you are, how I believe Jose should set up Manchester United vs. Leicester on Saturday. United have looked far from convincing over the last two weeks, and need a positive result against the champions at Old Trafford. With this team on the pitch, United should have a bit more stability and control, and maybe, just maybe, we might see a little more of that devilish style of play we United fans have been longing for.

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