Manchester United have endured an indifferent start to the season as they are eighth in the league courtesy of three defeats so far. Jose Mourinho has been unable to find the best starting XI and the team’s formation and the lineup has differed according to the opponents that they have faced.
There’s a chaos surrounding the club, but the comeback victory against Newcastle United was certainly a testament to the grit and determination that the team possesses. United need to build on from that performance, and here I look at their strongest starting XI, which could take the team to better heights this season.
Formation: 4-3-3
Defence
David de Gea is the undisputed starter for United. Antonio Valencia has been disappointing in all his outings so far. However, Diogo Dalot might not be ready to start every week in the Premier League yet, and hence Ashley Young gets the nod ahead of the duo.
Young assisted Alexis Sanchez’s crucial winner in the 90th minute against the Magpies. He is a good crosser, but his defensive vulnerabilities leave United’s backline exposed at times.
On the other end, Luke Shaw has cemented his spot after a turbulent last couple of years. Shaw has scored and assisted once, while providing 1.3 key passes in seven matches so far.
Chris Smalling has been the most reliable centre-back for United. He has registered 1.3 tackles and 1.2 interceptions on an average in each match so far. Eric Bailly could partner him. While Bailly himself has been guilty of commiting mistakes, the Ivorian could be a better option than Victor Lindelof.
Midfield
Fellaini and Nemanja Matic start in the midfield. Fellaini could be rotated with Fred whenever required. The Brazilian has been good in limited opportunities so far.
However, the state of United’s backline is such that they require at least two holding midfielders to cover for them whenever the fullbacks are involved in the attacking front. Fellaini has won 1.3 tackles and 4.1 aerial duels per game in four starts and four substitute appearances this season.
Paul Pogba is someone who has been consistent barring the matches against Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United. He has scored twice, assisted twice and is generally the midfielder who controls and runs the proceedings from midfield.
Attack
Anthony Martial deserves to start on the left flank on the back of some inspiring performances. He was sublime against Newcastle United and deservedly notched the equaliser for the team. Romelu Lukaku is an indispensable part of the current setup.
The Belgian has missed some sitters so far but continues to start after having scored four goals so far. The right-wing slot is a toss-up between the likes of Sanchez, Marcus Rashford, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard. All four of them are capable of playing on the right wing, but I would go with Sanchez here.
Rashford and Martial could battle it out for the left wing while Juan Mata could be rotated with Sanchez for the right flank. Lingard is out with injury, but upon his return, he could feature anywhere in the flanks or the midfield.
