There were obviously some negatives from the defeat at Everton, but it wasn’t without pluses. David De Gea started the season quite superbly, and his progression is going to be key to the club establishing the kind of defensive stability upon which they can mount a title-challenge. Shinji Kagawa’s debut was one of the more promising we’ve seen in the league across recent years; his invention and composure in possession are qualities that United have been crying out for since the beginning of Paul Scholes’ migration to a deeper role.
Fulham took apart Norwich very efficiently last weekend, and Mladen Petric in particular looks to be an astute bit of business from Martin Jol. The obvious caveat though, is that Norwich were incredibly poor – and so we won’t know quite how good a side Fulham are a for a few weeks yet. Above all else, the club has to find a resolution to the Clint Dempsey issue, either he goes or he has to settle down and commit himself to Fulham.
If you believe the papers, then Nani will have to settle for a place on the bench tomorrow afternoon – and rightly so if that’s the case, the Portuguese was abysmal. With Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia still needed as make-shift defenders, Ashley Young could be included in a front-three with Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney. Everything needs to be more direct tomorrow, United were ponderous at Goodison Park and allowed Everton far too easy a ride in their own penalty box.
Steve Sidwell came off the bench against Norwich and will hopefully be fit to start tomorrow; the former Chelsea and Reading midfielder gives Fulham a bit more security in midfield – lining him up with Mohamadou Diarra makes the visiting midfield look very compact and difficult to break down.
This is the wrong time to be going to Old Trafford; Sir Alex Ferguson will not have enjoyed what he saw on Monday, and will doubtless have demanded a reaction. Fulham will be very competitive this year, and nobody should be surprised if they finish in the top-8 – but tomorrow might not be a great day for them. Aside from the obvious difficulties presented by Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney starting alongside each other, it’s doubly difficult because it’s almost impossible for Martin Jol to prepare his side for the test. There’s no tape to study, no statistics to react to – how can you implement a defensive system to counter a brand new combination?
Manchester United to win is available at 1/3, the draw is yours for 7/2, and the away win is priced at 10/1.
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