Simply, to get fourth we have to, if United go 6-7 points clear, it's over, I don't care who they have to play, we aren't making up 7 points over 8 games. So how do we beat them? Can we? They are in superb form, Giroud can't stop scoring, most of their injured players are back and had a few games to get up to pace, and we are on the ropes.
Firstly, just stop with this Sterling at wing back bullshit, it stinks of naivety and that "let them worry about us mentality", he's not a wing back, we look worse when he plays there, and his effectiveness is wasted. I wish Ibe was back, I'm not sure why he's so much better there than Sterling, he just is. Failing that, Markovic or Manquillo.
Secondly, and related, drop Lallana, not because of that miss, or because he's been playing badly, he's been decent, but because Coutinho, Lallana, Sterling and Sturridge in the same formation again is just naivety, it doesn't work, not against the better teams anyway. Shore up the defence, push Sterling forward, we couldn't control the ball yesterday, if felt at times like the team was set up to start playing when it got into Coutinho's feet, the problem was we could never get there, it seems counter intuitive to say as both Markovic and Ibe are attacking players, but they seem to stick back more, remember to defend, and as a result give us more options when building from the back.
We can win this game if we play at full potential with the right team, I'm sure of that, I just don't think we will, which is very worrying. It's going to be a long fortnight.
Firstly, just stop with this Sterling at wing back bullshit, it stinks of naivety and that "let them worry about us mentality", he's not a wing back, we look worse when he plays there, and his effectiveness is wasted. I wish Ibe was back, I'm not sure why he's so much better there than Sterling, he just is. Failing that, Markovic or Manquillo.
Secondly, and related, drop Lallana, not because of that miss, or because he's been playing badly, he's been decent, but because Coutinho, Lallana, Sterling and Sturridge in the same formation again is just naivety, it doesn't work, not against the better teams anyway. Shore up the defence, push Sterling forward, we couldn't control the ball yesterday, if felt at times like the team was set up to start playing when it got into Coutinho's feet, the problem was we could never get there, it seems counter intuitive to say as both Markovic and Ibe are attacking players, but they seem to stick back more, remember to defend, and as a result give us more options when building from the back.
We can win this game if we play at full potential with the right team, I'm sure of that, I just don't think we will, which is very worrying. It's going to be a long fortnight.