Your team v Man United

[Insidious]

Once again, fate brings together those who heed the call.....

But enough about the intro to Tekken 3 - we have an enormous, enormous game at the weekend.

Our title ambitions are still very much alive and thankfully remain in our control due to our narrow lead. So long as we keep winning matches, we render the actions of Man City and Arsenal irrelevant.

Easier said than done. Whilst the ticker descends from nine left to eight, there's still a Hell of a lot of football to play before we can consider ourselves likely winners. One match at a time.

What a match as well - having failed to beat them at Anfield and having beaten ourselves into letting them sneak an extra-time winner in the Cup, the concern is there - surely, SURELY these jammy gits aren't going to deny us again? We bloody owe them one now.

For all that we are a better side, they do pose a threat on the counter. On our best day we beat them, but we know how easily a slow start can be punished. We very nearly conceded to Sheffield United in the opening minutes.

The selection headache, if there is one, will be midfield. Is Jones fit to start and in enough rhythm to do so? Will Endo be over his knock?

I'm inclined to have Endo in, with Szoboszlai and Mac Allister ahead of him - but if he isn't quite ready then I'd go with the following -

..........................Kelleher

Bradley......Konate....Van Dijk....Gomez

.........................Mac Allister

.............Szoboszlai........Jones

.........Salah.........Núñez........Diaz

Whoever gets picked needs to be bang on it. We can't falter and allow them back in. Every ounce of mental strength and killer instinct required.

Let's get stuck in, make damn sure we're top of the League by the time the final whistle comes and ensure they remain miles behind Tottenham and Villa as an added bonus.

Win this and there will be seven left, with the next one a match at Anfield. We have control for now. Let's keep it and let our rivals sweat on the ticking clock.

[Nineteenx]

Kelleher

Bradley Konate Van Dijk Gomez

Szoboslai Endo Mac Allister

Salah Gakpo Nunez

Gakpo false nine interchanging positions with Nunez I feel we have to attack & make runs in behind their full backs more & fell they’ll play Dalot at RB & he’ll look to dominate Diaz as push him back as some full backs do

[miller0863]

Kelleher

Gomez
Konate
VVD
Robertson

Szoboszlai
Endo
MacAllister

Salah
Nunez
Diaz

That should be enough to do them.

[Nineteenx]

I put Gakpo in as a false 9 because I think him dropping in particularly a bit more to our right will help us keep their midfield quite, not make it easy from them to release players down our right, blocking the lines whilst subduing one of theirs & the media’s new favourite things

The tactic we used the prior 2 seasons of having the false nine dropping in & LFW & RFWD both staying up on the full back but both coming in during play making an effective 2 leaving their full backs marking no-one their CBs suddenly faces with 2 forwards who can come in to shoot or go the other side of them and our full backs rapidly arriving with the run on their full backs

And the press set to win it in the middle third & release either LFWD or RFWD with the false 9 & one of the 8’s joining

That’s how we set up when we absolutely bummed them twice that young midfielder is a player that can lift their crowd if we make it easy for him so crowding him out & playing around him would be a fine thing especially going on and scoring from it

[Nineteenx]

The nine dropping in & having one of their mids should make it easier for our mids to read & should help stop their mids running off the back of ours we saw a bit too much of in the first half of the cup game

I really liked that tactic with the forwards because it leaves all 4 defenders not being able to get hold of either forward not having anyone to mark & suddenly in a one v one

[Nineteenx]

Really tempting to go with a midfield 3 of

Szoboslai Mac Allister Jones

[Insidious]

Really tempting to go with a midfield 3 of

Szoboslai Mac Allister Jones

It's nice to have options.

I doubt Jones will be fit for a full 90, but if he could do 60 minutes and Endo was fit to come on for a slight re-shuffle and to take a yellow, it'd be great.

[miller0863]

To be fair, Nunez has been very quiet since the International break and Gakpo will be buoyed by his late goal last night, so starting Gakpo and bringing Nunez on as an impact sub with 20/25 to go isn’t the worst idea.

Doubt Jones is ready to start away at Old Trafford just yet, he’ll start v Atalanta though.

[Nineteenx]

To be fair, Nunez has been very quiet since the International break and Gakpo will be buoyed by his late goal last night, so starting Gakpo and bringing Nunez on as an impact sub with 20/25 to go isn’t the worst idea.

Doubt Jones is ready to start away at Old Trafford just yet, he’ll start v Atalanta though.

I’d start Nunez at LFWD & bring Diaz on as an impact sub against tired legs he just doesn’t do enough he wastes too much energy & too many good opportunities to shoot or put the ball in for me

Last game v these he got bullied by the full back pushing right up onto him but Nunez gave the full back all kinds of problems when he last played LFWD against them

It’s more like this

Kelleher

Bradley Konate Van Dijk Robertson

Szoboslai Mac Allister Jones

Gakpo

Salah________Nunez

[Kev0909]

Maybe we've been saving ourselves for the run in that's why we've been poor