Another week, another frustrating draw. In what is quickly becoming the standard result for José Mourinho’s side, Manchester United braved a 3,750 mile round trip to Rostov to return with yet another stalemate. It was, at least, a result that should be enough to see the Reds through to the Europa League quarter-final. An FA Cup tie at Chelsea on Monday represents another challenge again.
Thursday’s European tie was played out on a pitch described as “non-league” by the United manager. It was a surface that made it near impossible to play anything resembling decent football. United escaped with a vital away goal, making the Reds’ path to forward a little more straightforward, while Mourinho can hang is hat on few fresh injuries as another positive.
One of the few moments of genuinely quality on the night led to United’s opening goal in Rostov, with Marouane Fellaini’s chest control enabling the Belgian to pick out Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who slipped in a pass for Henrihk Mkhitaryan to score. Fellaini’s height was a clear focal point in Mourinho’s plan to keep the ball off the pitch for as long as possible.
In the end it was hardly a game for the neutral. United’s mission was to get in and out as painlessly as possible. Mission almost accomplished.
There is little time for Mourinho’s team to catch its collective breath though, as has been the case so frequently this season. Little over a fortnight ago a punishing marathon of two Europa League ties, an FA Cup fixture, and a trip to Wembley culminated in League Cup victory. Once again Mourinho’s side is in the midst of another four game stretch played over 10 brutal days.
The Reds face a shorter trip than last Thursday in meeting Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The prize is just as important though: a place in the FA Cup semi-final alongside Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Given that United fans have already enjoyed one successful journey to the home of English football, there is hope for another visit or two to to Wembley before the season ends. After all, the FA Cup represents a real chance to deliver tangible success.
Opposition
In wait is a side truly at the peak of its powers. Chelsea lies top of the Premier League table having put last season’s ‘worst Premier League title defence ever’ behind the club. The Blues are now a full 10 points ahead of the competition, effectively giving Antonio Conte’s side an extended period of preparation for this tie. Indeed, Mourinho noted when the tie was drawn almost a month ago that “Chelsea can only think about that [the FA Cup] because they are champions and they have nothing else to fight for.” He may well be right.
Much of the credit for Chelsea’s successes this season can be handed to the role N’Golo Kante has played in the heart of midfield. The Frenchman has transferred to London the tenacity and tirelessness he employed during Leicester City’s title campaign a season ago. Chelsea has reaped the benefits. If United can extinguish the influence the holding midfielder plays there may be a path to victory on Monday night.
Of course, there are unhappy memories from United’s last visit to Chelsea. The Reds were embarrassed by Mourinho’s former employers in October, losing 4-0 in emphatic fashion. It is to Mourinho’s credit that his side has suffered just one defeat since that tie, but that reverse will no doubt stick in the Portuguese tactician’s mind.
Team News
The fixture pile up may have led some to believe Mourinho might play a weakened side on Monday in a bid to save his players for more pressing matters. It isn’t an approach that ever really slips into the manager’s thinking, with the Portuguese confirming that United cannot go into the FA Cup game “with a Nicky Butt team,” although the United squad travelled south without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial. Rooney and Martial miss the game through injury, with Rashford left at home because of an illness.
“We have three days and we have to travel,” Mourinho told MUTV. “We have to go to London. It’s really hard. We don’t have Zlatan, of course not, but we go with everything we have.
“We know this Europa League is very important for us, and the FA Cup is beautiful. We’ll try to manage it within our squad and get a good team to compete with them. Manchester United is Manchester United; it’s the winner of this competition. It’s not Chelsea’s fault we were given this Monday match. We’ll make changes, as we played on Thursday, but we cannot go to Chelsea with a [Reserve] team.”
United subs from: Romero, Shaw, Darmian, Jones, Blind, Lingard, Young, Schweinsteiger
Mourinho opted to play a back three against Rostov on Thursday night, matching up with Russian outfit and enabling a more direct game. It is an approach unlikely to be repeated at Stamford Bridge. While Chelsea has employed a similar set up for much of the season, Mourinho’s side is far more comfortable playing four at the back. It means Antonio Valencia and Eric Bailly, who missed the Europa League tie through suspension, will make a return to the team.
In goal David de Gea, who has seen shared minutes in cup competitions with Sergio Romero this season, is also likely to return. The Argentine has performed admirably when called upon, but de Gea is clearly the first choice between the sticks.
Yet, the major question that Mourinho must solve at the Bridge is who will replace Ibrahimovic up front, with the Swede suspended for the next three matches following an altercation with Bournemouth’s Tyrone Mings. Ibrahimovic’s influence will be missed up front, not least because he is United’s leading scorer by a considerable distance. With Rashford, Martial, and Rooney also remaining in Manchester, Fellaini could be offered a chance up front at the Bridge.
Conte’s team has been given a week’s break before this tie given the club’s lack of participation in either European competition. The Italian will have little reason to make changes from the side that brought success against West Ham United last week.
Meanwhile, Mourinho’s outfit has an opportunity to prove how far it has come since that humbling defeat just under five months ago. Victory over the league leaders, however unlikely given the circumstances, would be a huge statement as the Reds head into the business end of the season. United has improved significantly since October and should make it a far more competitive affair on Monday, even without a handful of strikers.
Seemed to remember that Mourinho’s Chelsea played without a recognised striker in a bore draw at O.T against Louis’ Lot. Will Mourinho’s United adopt the same approach at Stamford bridge?
It’s bullshit. The idea that since last Thursday, the squad have suddenly picked up 3 new non-availabilities in the same position? It’s bullshit. Rooney “collided with Phil Jones”, Rashford suddenly has an unspecified illness, Martial – we can’t be bothered to think of something for Martial, people won’t notice if we smuggle it out amongst the Rooney/Rashford stuff.
Rather more likely: Mourinho has freed himself for once from the self-defeating habit of only ever thinking 1 match at a time – the next fixture – and has selected his starting XI for the Rostov return leg. Realising that his selection for Chelsea was (a) looking very “Nicky Butt team” despite earlier boasts to the contrary; and (b) would give huge line-up and gameplan nods to Rostov in terms through who was rested at Stamford Bridge – he’s come up with this to try confuse things.
None of which would have been necessary if Pereira, Janujaz, Schneidelin, Schweinsteiger, Darmian, Depay etc etc had formed part of a squad management approach at the beginning of the season that saw 60-odd fixtures not as a burden to whinge about, but as a great opportunity to give fair opportunity to all so that come the business-end of the season everyone is ready to play a part in a rotating team that didn’t need to make excuses about higher and lower priorities, and which went into the Summer ’17 window not needing yet more massive churn before being able to beat the Bournemouths of this world at Old Trafford.
Yes United aren’t the anti-football team of Van Gaal and yes we’re grateful to Mourinho for that, but come on, is that the only base of comparison?
I sort of agree. I mean we are not loosing games but we still 6th LVG missed out on 4th place on goal difference.so there is improvement but like 1% in performance as far as league status there is regression. And we have to get at least top 4 this season. From next we have to loom at wining the title no more 4th spot ambitions.