1. The return of Rafael to the starting line up in place of Antonio Valencia
I am not here to chastise Antonio Valencia. In fact, there are many aspects of his character I respect such as his determination, his willingness to play out of position and strength of mind to return from his horrific injury record. However, I find it difficult to understand, even puzzling, when fans speak of Antonio Valencia and comment on how he is a consistent and reliable performer for Manchester United. He certainly should not be playing ahead of Rafael and against an energetic and attack-minded Tottenham side; Mauricio Pochettino would certainly look to exploit Antonio Valencia’s naivety at Right Back.
Antonio Valencia is a strong and quick athlete but that is not enough. Whilst being deployed at Right Back this season under Louis van Gaal, he has consistently been found out of position where he repeatedly follows his man inside the pitch, consequently leaving space for the opposition in the area of which he is supposed to occupy. We were punished for it against Arsenal midweek when Nacho Monreal scored, and it is not the first time this season it has happened. Whoever van Gaal plays at Left Back is never guilty of following his man inside so we cannot even assume that there is a tactical reasoning behind this; Valencia simply does not understand the basics of playing full back.
He presses and harasses well as a defender but he has been tied into knots by wingers all too often this season simply because he chases the man/ball rather than anticipating what an attacker will do. Once Valencia has been beaten, if the opposition player has not already crossed the ball in or made their way into the box, he relies on making last ditch challenges and blocks. I am not a fan of any defender who depends on making last ditch challenges; fans are guilty of misinterpreting that as a sign of a good, hardworking defender, when the reality is the player is making up for a simple mistake they just made.
Sure, Rafael is not the most refined Right Back in football and he is guilty of making the odd rash decision but more often or not, he is a consistent and effective player. He defends well, has great energy and is an effective attacking outlet. There are not many opposition players you can say have had the better of Rafael down the years, and with his strong performance midweek for the United U21’s against Tottenham, it is the perfect time for Louis van Gaal to introduce Rafael back into the starting line-up
2. How will Manchester United’s defence cope with the threat of Harry Kane
With nine league goals in January and February, and standout performances against Chelsea and Arsenal where he helped himself to two goals in each game, Harry Kane was announced on Friday as the Barclays Premier League Player of the Month for February, and became the first player since Cristiano Ronaldo to win consecutive Player of the Month awards.
This season, Kane has shown his ability as an effective number nine with his high energy levels, insane work rate and of course, ability to find the back of the net. He is different to many lone strikers who largely operate in and around the penalty box, as he likes to work from touch line to touchline, stretching defenders out of position where he exploits the space or creates space for his team mates.
One of the main reasons behind Harry Kane’s form is his relationship with Danish maestro, Christian Erikson. Whilst it is not a strike partnership, it is certainly a partnership or rather a relationship where the two have formed an understanding to bring the best out of each other’s game. It is no coincidence that the pair have passed to each other the most often this season in comparison to any of their other team mates. Whilst Erikson starts on the left side of Spurs’ midfield, he often comes inside naturally as a right footer, but he is invited to do so due to Kane’s movement.
Louis van Gaal must ensure that his defenders and even midfielders show positional discipline against Tottenham because Pochettino possesses players who have the ability to capitalise on any space afforded to them. Daley Blind has struggled whenever he has faced an energetic midfield so with the timely return to fitness of Michael Carrick, it would not be a surprise to see him replace the Dutchman, or have van Gaal opt to pair them together.
3. Will we see Juan Mata return to the starting line up?
Is Juan Mata only being paid to blog every Monday on the Manchester United website? Surely he must be one of the most well paid bloggers in the world? The dream job some might say! It has been an awfully long time, approaching almost two months in fact, since we have seen Mata start a game for Louis van Gaal. However, Juan Mata is no ordinary player who should expect to not be starting, which makes his continuous absence from the starting line-up all the more startling, but telling of the style of play van Gaal has elected to play this season.
There have been times in recent weeks where we could have used his ingenuity, intelligence and creativity but the manager believes the most effective form of attack at this moment in time is to play directly through Marouane Fellaini instead. Whilst Fellaini can be an effective target man who could control a rocket propelled grenade to the chest as well as he controls a football, once he has the ball at his feet, he struggles to do anything productive in the final third. The big Belgian is not a creative player and is unfair to expect him to create for Wayne Rooney or other supporting attackers; going direct through Fellaini is a good option to have if other options fail to break down teams, but it he shouldn’t be our Plan A.
Personally, I hope to see the Spaniard in the starting line-up against Tottenham, especially as he would now be able to play in his best position floating off the striker. We need more players in the team who are capable of scoring and creating goals, both of which Mata almost guarantees, even when he is not playing to his expected standard.
4. Wayne Rooney to score…
We have become accustom to seeing Wayne Rooney scoring bursts of goals, where he will be going through a goal scoring drought, but then go on a goal scoring run where he will score in a consecutive run of games. In previous seasons, it has been a result of many circumstances such as form, confidence and playing out of position. This season, his confidence and form has never been questioned as he has performed consistently and diligently, but of course he has been playing in midfield where he has understandably been unable to find himself in goal scoring positions.
Whilst I think Wayne Rooney’s best position is as a supporting striker, he is still a top class forward when he is the focal point of the attack, and since he has been playing there, he has found himself on the score sheet three times in the previous three games. As we are reaching the final straight of the season and with a run in of games that include Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and of course Tottenham on Sunday, we hope that Rooney is about to embark on a goal scoring run, continuing on Sunday.
5. Who will support Wayne Rooney?
In order to get the best out of Wayne Rooney, Louis van Gaal must select a more attack minded, technically accomplished side. With the likes of Adnan Januzaj, Ander Herrera, Angel Di Maria (who is suspended for Sunday’s game against Tottenham), Juan Mata and Ashley Young, there are plenty of options for the gaffer to choose from.
Irrespective of the result against Arsenal in the F.A Cup, in the first half of the game it was the first time since Sir Alex was Ferguson in charge that we had seen United attempt to pass the ball purposefully with pace and with wide players stretching the pitch. It was only when Louis van Gaal decided to take Ander Herrera off at half time for Michael Carrick that we did not create one chance, and we consequently lost the game without any real fight back.
Understandably, Carrick was introduced at halftime as Arsenal were exploiting the space afforded to them in midfield, but it was Daley Blind and Marouane Fellaini who should count themselves lucky to have stayed on the pitch. A brave van Gaal would replace Daley Blind for Michael Carrick and pair him with Ander Herrera but as a notorious pragmatist, I would expect van Gaal to pair Blind and Carrick together with Herrera missing out, and Ashley Young, Marouane Fellaini (hopefully, Juan Mata instead) and Adnan Januzaj playing behind Rooney.
