Patrick Rees
Manchester United may have started their new campaign in style, but they have faced an utter humiliation in the past couple of games. The side which conceded just one goal in their first three Premier League games has now conceded three goals in the past two games, which includes a recent defeat to the Dutch side Feyenoord.
The manager made eight changes to the squad that faced Manchester City and many hoped that it would be an easy win for the Reds, but they never really troubled Feyenoord’s keeper, not even once. The same old “Dull” performance was seen last night and now, the side will now be preparing for the Premier League showdown once again.
A trip to Vicarage Road has been scheduled this time around of the Reds, and they will be hoping to get a fair result out of it. Watford, on the other hand, has only won once in the Premier League so far, hence, it is safe to say that it is an easy task for the Reds.
The hornets started their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Southampton and went on to lose the fixtures against Chelsea and Arsenal. But they will be carrying a confidence of their recent 4-2 victory against the Hammers.
Here is the predicted lineup for Manchester United that could face Watford this weekend:
Goalkeeper: David De Gea-
The former Atletico Madrid man will be very disappointed as he has conceded very cheap goals in the past couple of games. He was hardly tested in the opening few games as the defence was always tight, but a result of poor marking and anticipation has cost the goalie a lot.
Defence: Valencia; Smalling; Blind; Shaw-
Jose Mourinho decided not to include both the aforementioned full-backs against Feyenoord and that cost him some way or the other. The pair is expected to return to the side against the Hornets.
The centre-back pairing might see a little alteration. Eric Bailly has been wonderful, but the former Villarreal man picked up a knock last night, hence, the manager will be looking to give him a rest and therefore, Smalling and Blind might partner up for the first time in the season.
Holding Pair: Fellaini; Pogba-
The towering Belgian, whose tackle cost Kolarov his tooth, will be given the task of holding the midfield from deep positions. He was highly praised during the initial games of the season, but his old problems came into life against City and eventually he lost the pride amongst the supporters. But with Schneiderlin failing to prove his worth, the manager might use the former Everton man to guard the back four.
His central partner will most probably be the French international, Paul Pogba. The Summer arrival from the city of Turin has failed miserably in United’s shirt in last two games and hence, he has a point to prove. The 23-year-old is yet to score a goal, so he will be looking to end his drought this time around.
Attacking Trio: Mata; Rooney; Martial-
The former Chelsea man, Juan Mata, might retain his place in the lineup as the Armenian international Henrikh Mkhitaryan has failed to deliver the promises. Mata has been a consistent performer for the side so far and could really cause Watford’s defence some serious problems with his lockpicking passing skills.
Wayne Rooney will surely be Mourinho’s number 10 in the game. the English international was also dropped from the squad and Pogba played his role in the Netherlands, but just like Rooney, the Frenchman failed to provide the end result.
On the left flank, Anthony Martial will be guiding the side. His pace was a real threat to Feyenoord last night, but what he still needs to improve his conversion rate. He combined well and had a great chance to open the scoring, but his shot travelled past the post and the chance went begging.
Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic-
The 34-year-old was named on the bench last night and as Rashford failed to net, Mourinho finally incarnated the beast and he almost made an immediate impact on the game but he too failed to get score the equalizer. This time around, he will be looking to get back to his scoring touch.
