In the 23rd round of the 2022-23 Premier League season, the second leg of the Rose Derby is about to begin, and this time Manchester United will play away from home. Three days ago at Old Trafford, Manchester United drew 2-2 with Leeds United and lost two points. United conceded swiftly in the first and second halves of that game, after which Ten Hag began to blow the clarion call to fight back and eventually equalised thanks to Rashford and Jadon Sancho's goals. Since then, Manchester United have continued to step up their attack, making a total of 24 shots on goal and reaping a draw.
Returning to Leeds United's home turf, United have vowed to secure their top four finish with all three points. Before the game, the media predicted Manchester United's starting line-up, and from the predicted results, Ten Hag will have a total of 3 changes, let's take a look together.
Goalkeeper: De Gea
Backline: Luke Shaw, Lima, Varane, Wan-Bissaka
Midfielders: Sabitzer, Fred, B Fei
Forwards: Marcus Rashford, Weghorst, Sancho
The only change at the back compared to the last meeting was the replacement of Dalot by Wan-Bissaka. In the last home game, Dalot returned to the starting line-up and performed well throughout the game. In the 82 minutes he played, he made a total of 4 steals, 2 saves, 2 interceptions, 3 passes, a pass success rate of 86%, assisted Marcus Rashford on 1 cross, and scored a game-high 7.5 points after the game.
If Ten Hag decides to start Wan-Bissaka, it is presumably hoping to strengthen the defensive ability on the wing, as Leeds will certainly play more aggressively when they return home. In addition, the right winger is likely to meet Sancho in this game, and Sancho's defensive ability is definitely not as good as Anthony's, and Tens of Thousand Bissaka's words can stabilize the defense on the right side.
Fred's performance in the last game was criticized, with many passing errors, a pass success rate of just over 60%, and a total of 27 conceding possessions. Positive on the defensive end, but mediocre. Crystal Palace's first goal was because Fred's defense was ineffective, allowing the opponent to advance into the box to score.
But Casemiro was suspended with a red card, Ten Hag was unavailable, and Fred had little suspense in starting and could only hope that his form picked up. Fred, who is "unpredictable", hopes that this one he can be magical.
Sabitzer's arrival was too timely, and although his first start at Manchester United in the last game, he played Eriksen's role as a tandem in midfield and played a good role as a metronome in the attacking and defensive transitions. 41 of the 49 passes in the game, 3 key passes were the highest in the game, 3 clearances and 2 interceptions, and only 10 lost possessions.
Fee has no suspense in his start, and although there are doubts from time to time, the Portuguese midfielder is indispensable.
Marcus Rashford was put on the right and handed over to Garnercho on the left and proved far-fetched. Garnerio was as confident and positive as ever, with 5 successful attempts out of 10 attempts, both the highest of the game. But they were clearly immature in handling the ball and squandered scoring opportunities many times, otherwise Manchester United would not have played so hard. United's attack began to pick up after he was substituted, with one goal back three minutes later.
So Ten Hag will certainly correct this mistake this game by putting Marcus Rashford back on the left and the in-form Jadon Sancho will return to starting the right wing. Since returning from special training, Sancho has been reintegrating into the team step by step. From the bench onwards, Sancho's form visibly warmed up. After coming off the bench to score the equaliser in the last game, Sancho received flowers and applause after the game. In this away match, Sancho will return to the starting line-up and return to the right flank he knows best. With Wighorst's high point, Sancho can get more room to play.
The game was crucial for United's Battle for 4 plans, as direct rivals such as Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle had already lost points first. Tottenham lost to Leicester City, Newcastle drew with Chelsea. Once Manchester United are able to secure three points, it will further widen the point gap and consolidate the top four standings. At the Eyland Road stadium at the weekend, we will be able to see if the Teng Reds can correct mistakes and get 3 points!