Match to be played on Saturday 2nd November 2013 at 15:00. Venue: Craven Cottage, London.
David Moyes will be looking for a much more convincing performance from Manchester United as the Premier League champions travel to Fulham this weekend.
United laboured to a 3-2 win against Stoke City last weekend in a league match they could easily have lost. Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez got the side out of trouble enabling United to move within two points of Manchester City.
Several players were rested for the mid-week League Cup win over Norwich City which has given Moyes a couple of selection problems ahead of this game.
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Here is the side he may go with.
GK – David De Gea
De Gea has looked like one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League so far this season. He is world class when it comes to making stops from any position in his penalty area, his distribution has been great this season and he seems to have a decent command over his own penalty area.
RB – Rafael
Rafael looked very comfortable during the week against Norwich and he should start this game. He’s a very busy player going forward and is very aggressive tracking back towards his own goal.
CB – Phil Jones
Expect to see Jones slot back into the heart of the back four after playing in midfield during mid-week. Jones is a very comfortable player wherever he plays for United and he seems to be confident playing alongside any other centre back in David Moyes’ squad.
CB – Nemanja Vidic
This is a game against a very big and strong attacking unit in Fulham, which means Vidic needs to play. He’s United’s leader and offers a commanding presence in the heart of the defence. He’ll be a vital component if Fulham look to play the ball long to their big front players.
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LB – Patrice Evra
Evra should take his normal position at left-back. Everyone is well aware of his ability to get forward and create extra width on the left and his experience is always key in the back four.
RM – Antonio Valencia
Valencia’s pace means he is always a threat down the right hand side. He can control the ball well at speed and is a simple player, always choosing the simple option as opposed to going for the spectacular option. He could have a lot of success in behind Fulham’s left-back.
CM – Michael Carrick
Carrick is one of United’s most reliable players and he’ll sit in the heart of the team, pulling the strings. He has a great knack of being able to get about the pitch quickly, cutting off the angles and making it difficult for the opposition to move the ball.
CM – Tom Cleverley
Cleverley has played the last two games for United and he’s probably shown Moyes enough to keep his place in the side. He’ll have to be the player who nudges forward to support the attack as well as covering for the player who plays down the left hand wing.
LM – Shinji Kagawa
Kagawa offers United control of the ball on the left. He protects possession well and seems to link up effectively with Evra when the left-back gets forward. The only worry with Kagawa, as always, is his desire to come inside and get involved with the play centrally.
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ST – Wayne Rooney
Rooney will slot in just behind the main striker. He’s looked very happy and effective in this role this season and will drop off to midfield if United are taking a lot of pressure from Fulham. He can also go left if Kagawa is in need of some support.
ST – Robin van Persie
Van Persie hasn’t been anything close to his best so far this season but he’s finding ways of getting into the positions that give him chances. There aren’t many other attacking players United would want on the end of a single chance, if this turns out to be a tight and difficult game.
What do you think? Who should start in defence and in midfield?
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