Man Utd face West Ham United on Saturday, with Jose Mourinho now desperate for his side to secure a positive result.
After the disappointment of being held to a draw by Wolves in the Premier League last weekend, the Red Devils crashed out of the League Cup on penalties to Derby County in midweek and changes will be expected to that line-up.
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On top of that, the situation between Mourinho and Paul Pogba has rumbled on this week, albeit the Portuguese tactician has confirmed that his midfield ace will feature against the Hammers having impressed in training, as per BBC Sport.
Nevertheless, he still has key decisions to make in terms of whether or not he goes for a more defensively sound line-up to offer protection and avoid another disappointment, or if he goes a little more attacking and tries to take the game to Manuel Pellegrini’s men.
As seen below, it could be a mix between the two. Diogo Dalot has impressed when given a chance and so perhaps it could be time for him to get the nod ahead of stalwart Antonio Valencia to offer fresh impetus going down the right flank. Having said that, Mourinho may value his experience and reliability in this situation and so it would be no surprise if he plays it safe.
Anthony Martial has had some positive run-outs and so could be in line to start given he also has a good record against West Ham, although it remains to be seen if Mourinho does indeed take the decision to drop Alexis Sanchez to the bench for this one as he continues to struggle to rediscover his top form.
There is a decision to make in midfield too as to whether Man Utd go with Marouane Fellaini to offer more physicality and presence or Fred to give them a different dynamic going forward. It’s arguably more than likely that Mourinho goes with the tried and tested rather than switch too many things now.
The Man Utd boss can’t afford to get these calls wrong given the pressure continues to build amid poor results. Nevertheless, looking at the quality in the XI below, should it be the one that he goes with, United will surely feel confident in their ability of returning to Manchester with all three points and putting a bad week behind them.
Possible Man Utd XI: De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw; Pogba, Matic, Fellaini; Lingard, Lukaku, Martial.