by walmai » Sun Aug 28, 2016 8:17 am
A year ago, WHU turned up at T'Etihad, to face a team that hadn't so much as conceded a goal in its first 5 games. You lot know what happened next.
Take it from me: lightning will not strike twice for us this time around.
Our main problem is that there is nobody with any confidence in the striking department of the team. Andy Glass is, of course, unavailable. Diafra Sakho is in deep freeze, for reasons less than fully clear. So, you're left to deal with one or more of
1. Enner Valencia, whose touch and control seem to have been transferred to another club, leaving a player who goes down in a strong gust of wind
2. Calleri, signed from South American league obscurity to miss the odd open goal or two, and
3 Fletcher, who, to be damned with faint praise, looks a little better than the other fit alternatives, but, let's not kid ourselves, comes from Man United, via a League 1 loan last season.
So, even your 'work in progress' defence can rest easy pre-match.
Further back the pitch, Payet is still resting hard, in his post-Euros warm down routine. I actually don't know whether he's staying or going. Lanzini got sent home injured from the Olympics and Tore, from Bilic's old club in Turkey clearly needs time to even get fully match sharp, let alone acclimatised to new surroundings. Antonio, through sheer will and fight, is realistically our most potent attacking threat.
Defence is a patch up. We're already down to a replacement LB and a somewhat risky pick in Byram at RB. They're both fair players, but I worry that they're not going to be able to withstand a whole 90's worth of examination from your attacking options, if the latter are on their games.
And why wouldn't they be? Given the very public discarding of one of your living 'legends' (who, in fairness, had a terrible Euro's), nobody's likely to be resting on their laurels in your set up.
Aguero always plays well against us. De Bruyne will outplay Mashuaka. Hell, even skip to my lou Sterling will probably have a field-day.
You might have noticed that I am still pissed after Thursday's capitulation. If we were offered the 1-0 defeat that the OP proposes, I reckon even Bilic would take that, get back on the coach and try to nurse us back to health over the international break.
Whatever you have to do, please make sure that Mourinho and 'United' don't win the league.
Me? I won't even be watching...The Chemical Brothers in a park 2 miles from Casa Walmai put paid to that. Even if I was, it would be through fingers, from behind the sofa.
