At 4:00 a.m. Beijing time tomorrow, the first leg of the 2021-22 Champions League quarterfinals, Manchester United will go to the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium to challenge Atletico. Atletico are C Ronaldo's old rivals, and almost all of the bitter memories that C Ronaldo has left for Simeone. According to statistics, Ronaldo has encountered Atletico 35 times in his career, more than any other opponent. With a total of 25 goals, it is the team with the most goals scored by Cristiano Ronaldo, behind Sevilla.
Ahead of the game, Manchester Evening News reporter Samuel Luckhurst predicted United's starting 11. SL predicted that this set of starts was something Lonnick had never tried before, but it was not the first, and had elements to borrow from his predecessor, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Let's take a look at the starting lineup predicted by this reporter.
Goalkeeper De Gea, this one without any suspense.
Backline: Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Luke Shaw
Last round of the league, Wan-Bissaka made it to the start and did well on the defensive end. He sent 3 clearances, 4 interceptions and 3 passes, and the post-match rating was second only to B Fee, Sancho and Maguire, and the fourth in the game. The opponents of this game, Atletico, belong to a team that takes defense as its foundation, but its defensive ability is no better than it was then. With this game at home, Atletico are bound to want to take advantage of the attack. As a result, Wan-Bissaka is more likely to continue to start.
In the last round against Leeds United, Varane came on as a substitute for a few minutes. In the pre-match poster against Atletico released by Manchester United, Varane was prominently listed, and the probability of his starting game in this game is extremely high. And Maguire's last game against Leeds United has clearly recovered, and after scoring the goal, he has also gained confidence, and if these two can get back to form, this is certainly the most trusted center-back combination for Manchester United at present.
After Lonnick took office, Therese's opportunities increased significantly, and Luke Shaw had a tendency to be marginalized. But it is undeniable that Fat Xiao's ability is still more comprehensive, and his cooperation with his teammates is more tacit. Therefore, in such an important game, Luke Shaw is more likely to continue to start.
Double backs: McTominay, Fred
Although McTominay is basically running at a constant pace in the race, there is no better choice in this position at the moment.
And if Fred took over the game after coming off the bench in the last round, scoring one goal and indirectly making a fourth goal, it helped United score the crucial three points. Fred gave a glimpse of the energy on the offensive end, and after completing the task of defensive coverage, he will continue to play an important role on the offensive end. The "McFred" combination lacks ability, but Manchester United's most trusted back combination at the moment.
Front waist: B fee
B Fee's pass success rate is low, but the importance is high. Against Leeds United, he had a pass success rate of only 50%, but 1 pass, 1 shot, 2 key balls, dominated Manchester United's 1 goal to seal the win. "Big Brother B" is still the most important core of Lonnick on the offensive end.
Trident: Sancho, Ronaldo, Pogba
With Sancho's current form, there is no reason to start; with Ronaldo's strong performance against Atletico, it will definitely start. Pogba played the left winger position, which was frequent during the Solskjaer era, and the effect was not bad. In this position, Pogba does not have to consider the problem of deep retreat defense, and can play his ability to break through with the ball and pass the threat ball. In addition, Rashford is in a sluggish state, and Erlanga is still too young. In this Champions League-level knockout, Pogba is the more trustworthy candidate.
It is no exaggeration to say that this squad is basically the strongest squad that United can currently discharge. Aside from a slightly different view at right-back, Samuel Luckhurst's predictions at the rest are basically fine.