So we beat Liverpool 3-1 with a combination of awesome offence and tight defence.
Well, if it’s broke don’t fix it – in fact, turn it up a notch this week at Old Trafford. The Red Devils are perhaps as vulnerable as they have ever been in the back with injuries and inexperience delivering a 5-3 shellacking at the King Power Stadium last Sunday.
When Rafael is your most experienced defender you have problems. Luke Shaw is yet to play, Chris Smalling is ailing, Phil Jones is hurting if not out, Tyler Blackett is suspended , Jonny Evans is injured, Marcos Rojo has played all of two games, Lindegaard is out.
And if Leicester City can put five past David De Gea than why not us? OK, ok, that’s a little much to hope for, especially on the road, but the best defence is a good offence and with Valencia, Sakho, Downing, et al in top form, we should really go for it this Saturday. We should push at least five if not six forward as much as possible and try to put United on the back foot right from the start.
Make their midfield defend us, rather than the other way round as would almost certainly be the case in any other year. No nine men behind the ball stuff for us. We have to go at them hard and pressure, pressure, pressure.
If they are able to get one on the counter, that shouldn’t stop us from keeping up the drive to score goals. If it winds up 4-3, so what. As long as we have the four goals at the final whistle. And we can score on the road as we proved at Crystal Palace with that 3-1 victory.
I don’t see Big Sam changing anything from last week unless someone’s picked up a knock.
Collins may get a look-in at the back, but Cresswell has been outstanding and Reid and Tomkins are enjoying such a superb partnership at the moment. Adrian has been making big saves and our midfield group of Noble, Kouyate, Downing and Song (Zarate can move in if needed) can supply Sakho and Valencia and beautifully.
We need to take it to United going for all three points to push up the table. The time is right to be aggressive.
