Man United have made a very wobbly start to their 2023/24 campaign and things are about to get even tougher as they take on Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend.
This is the worst time for Manchester United to play a derby with their local rivals because not only are MCFC in top form right now but at the same time, Erik ten Hag is really struggling to get the balance of his team right.
Man United have already lost four league matches this season and even the ones they have won, the Red Devils have barely scrapped through. After nine matches, United are eighth on the Premier League table with 15 points and all of their league wins this season have been with a one-goal margin.
They go into the Manchester derby at the back of a hard-fought 1-0 win over Copenhagen in the UCL but for this weekend, Erik ten Hag will have to get three major decisions right for his team to stand a chance of picking up even a draw against Pep Guardiola’s men.
Drop Harry Maguire and use Lindelof:
Harry Maguire has been a consistent performer for Man United in their previous couple of games and he even scored the only goal against Copenhagen in midweek so at least on paper, he deserves to get a start.
With Martinez out injured, Maguire will be the obvious choice alongside Varane but we think Lindelof will be better suited in central defence.
Yes, Harry has been superb in the recent matches but in most of these games, the England defender has had the luxury to play how he likes to play. Teams have rarely pressed him and for long periods, the opponents have chosen to sit back and play on the counter.
MCFC won’t do anything similar and when players like Grealish, Foden and Haaland run with the ball at their feet, we are sure Maguire will be found wanting again. Lindelof is not a great choice either but given the options he has we don’t think Ten Hag should opt for the pairing of Varane and Maguire because neither of them has great pace.
Get the midfield right:
The experiment to use McTominay and Amrabat in midfield failed really badly in midweek and Ten Hag will have to bring Mason Mount or Eriksen back into the starting lineup this weekend.
Casemiro picked up a knock on international duty but he’s returned to training this week and will be in contention to start against City. Ten Hag still has to test out the pairing of Casemiro and Amrabat properly but for the City game, we think the Man United manager should bring Mason Mount back into the side.
Both Casemiro and Amrabat are defensive-minded midfielders so if they start, all the playmaking pressure will fall on Bruno Fernandes. However, with Mount in the side, the England international not only has an eye for a pass but he’s also a very industrious midfielder.
Drop Rashford and bring Garnacho in:
Marcus Rashford is having another poor season with Man United and it’s high time that Ten Hag drops him to the bench. This is not the first time Rashford has looked clueless but earlier, there wasn’t proper backup to his position.
This season, Garnacho has developed wonderfully and based on his recent performances off the bench, the Argentine deserves to start ahead of Rashford. Rashford has started all nine matches in the Premier League this season and that’s clearly not acceptable from someone who scored 17 league goals last season.
We doubt if the manager will have the courage to drop him to the bench for the Man City game but if Rashford cannot pull up his socks, there’s every chance Ten Hag will take him off early in the second half.
