Dominic King
Team (3-5-2): De Gea; Smalling, Evans, Rojo; Rafael, Blind, Herrera, Di Maria, Januzaj; Rooney, Falcao.
Justification: “Try and play around with the names United have available and you will see that for all razzmatazz up front, the defence wouldn’t fill you with great confidence. They might score goals but they are going to concede a few along the way until Van Gaal’s methods begin to work. They couldn’t slip up against QPR with those options, could they?”
Joe Bernstein
Team (4-4-2 diamond): De Gea; Rafael, Jones, Evans Rojo; Carrick, Di Maria, Blind, Mata; Van Persie, Falcao.
Justification: “Take a leaf out of England’s book and play with a diamond to get the best out of attacking players. The problem is Rooney, arguably United’s best all-round player but master of none. Is he specifically a better creative number 10 than Mata? But he would be first reserve if anyone is tired, injured or suspended.”