Ten Hag recalls Antony to the starting line-up in Rashford’s place, with Alejandro Garnacho keeping ownership of the left wing spot.

Anthony Martial is also benched and is replaced by Rasmus Hojlund.

In midfield, Kobbie Mainoo also drops to the bench and is replaced by Sofyan Amrabat, who partners Scott McTominay with Bruno Fernandes ahead of them.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka is another to have been pulled from the starting XI. Diogo Dalot returns to right back, Luke Shaw to left back and Victor Lindelof returns to partner Harry Maguire at centre back.

Andre Onana is in goal.

At 18 years of age, Mainoo is likely to be rotated but the other changes could be seen as a response to their lackadaisical displays against Newcastle on Sunday.

All four appear on the bench.

There is a spot of good news for United as Jonny Evans is fit enough to be named among the substitutes. Curiously, he appears to replace Raphael Varane, who unless injured looks to have slipped even further down the centre-back pecking order.

The above are joined by Altay Bayindir, Sergio Reguilon, Facundo Pellistri and Donny van de Beek.

Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Mason Mount and Amad Diallo are all still injured.

Jadon Sancho is still banished following a bust-up with Ten Hag.

Kick-off at Old Trafford is at 8.15pm.

Your #MUNCHE team news is in! #MUFC || #PL

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 6, 2023

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Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of tonight’s Premier League clash with Chelsea, the boss faced a barrage of questions about a perceived bad culture at United.

First, he was asked what he could do about the cycle that has repeated itself with several managers since Sir Alex Ferguson that sees a good first season followed by a poor one punctuated by rumours of dressing room disharmony. Does he fear for his job?

“There will be always tough times in every journey. We are in the right direction. We will get there where we want to be,” he replied.

“Because, see my record. Everywhere I was, every season, I got my targets.

“So if we stick together, if we stick to the plan and the strategy, we will get there where we want to be.”

He was then asked “when fans see highly paid players like Anthony Martial not trying, does there come a point when you just say ‘you’re out of the team’, even if it means bringing someone in from the youth team?”

Ten Hag replied “But Anthony Martial played brilliant against Everton. I don’t think it’s fair to point to one player.

“If you have one moment, you can’t make it as a pattern. If the week before we play brilliant, a lot of energy in the team and two games a lot of energy in the team and spirit, if it was a pattern it’s different, yeah, but this is not a pattern this season, absolutely not.

“Everyone is giving their best, there is unity as a team.”

Asked about whether he should abandon the man marking system employed against Newcastle, Ten Hag replied:

“No, no, I don’t want to play man marking. That’s the wrong idea.

“On a certain point we play man marking when we’re fully depressed but we play zonal and only in this game, because we didn’t cooperate, then it looks like it’s man marking, but I don’t want to play man marking, it’s totally false idea.”

Asked if he thinks there are still elements of a “no-good culture” at United, the manager replied:

“You talk in your article about one source, that’s a joke, so I won’t reflect it, on that. When you play one bad performance, you can’t [say] the culture is no good.”

Kick off at Old Trafford tonight is at 8.15pm.

Source: manutd.com.

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United are set to host Chelsea at Old Trafford later this evening in a crucial Premier League clash.

Erik ten Hag will undoubtedly be keen to get the Red Devils back to winning ways following their defeat at the hands of Newcastle last week after a dismal display at St James’ Park.

Rashford was especially poor in attack and when taken off, the Englishman was visibly frustrated and could be seen sharing words with Sergio Reguilon on the United bench.

Garnacho was equally unimpactful.

However, ahead of the match at the Theatre of Dreams, Pochettino was quick to point out the threat posed by the two Carrington academy graduates.

The Argentine coach said, “They have very good players. They have pace with their offensive players and so we cannot allow them to transition.”

“We need to be careful in the way we finish and lose the ball, I think we need to be clever because they have pace through Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho who can transition really fast. We need to try to dominate and put pressure by playing in their half and I think that will be the challenge for us.”

The last time Pochettino faced Ten Hag in the dugout was when Tottenham Hotspur met Ajax in the semi-final of the 2019 Champions League.

The Chelsea managed explained that he’s looking forward to coming up against Ten Hag once more.

“I think everyone was talking about him and Ajax so for me he’s a fantastic coach and a great manager. I think it will be good to see him after four years because we have not had the pleasure to play him since the semi-final. Now we have the possibility to see him again.”

The game is set to kick off at 20:15 BST

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It was yet another limp display, in a season littered with similar performances. Instead of throwing his players under the bus, like a few have done with him, the manager pointed to the gruelling schedule.

“We are not robots, if you play three games in six days, tough games and by the end the fatigue can be an issue, never an excuse but it is there.

“Against Galatasaray, and against Everton we played very good, against Newcastle we were not happy with our performance, We are the first to say, the players are the first, they are so self critical.”

ETH attacks media

In a season where the team has lost 10 games, many have questioned whether the players are still playing for the manager or not.

Ten Hag shot down such questions during the pre-match press conference before the Chelsea game and added that comeback win against Brentford and hard-fought victory against Fulham showed that the team had the character to come out of the current predicament.

“Oh yes, I am sure, you can see for instance the comeback against Brentford, the Burnley game, the Fulham game, every time the team is there, showed great character, great determination, resilience so we are together. You can see you can’t play such great football as we did recently without unity.”

The whole British media ecosystem has come down hard on the United manager, constantly attacking the Dutchman over his training methods while claiming players are revolting against the boss.

Three journalists, including serial offender Samuel Luckhurst of The Manchester Evening News, were banned from attending the press conference.

“They should have come to us first and not go behind our back printing articles that is not the right thing. We have a good relationship, they come to us beforehand, we have a debate about it,” Ten Hag retaliated.

On whether the stories were true, the former Ajax coach said, “No, of course there are always in every team players who are not playing who are not as happy, not different as normal, you have to wait for the chance and that can come, but there are no issues.”

Up next are Chelsea, who are themselves still struggling to adjust to new manager Mauricio Pochettino’s style of play.

United still on the right track

It will be yet another difficult test for United who currently look devoid of confidence with no discernible style of play.

But the manager was adamant that progress was visible, as can be seen from the team’s attacking displays against Everton and Galatasaray.

“Not in the dressing room. Of course there are a lot of rumours but it is not that we get distracted by it. We are on a journey, a route, we know we are in transition but we are in the right direction.

“We construct a team, develop it, the team is progressing, young players coming in and you see the potential how they can contribute to a successful Manchester United team for the future.”

United will play the Blues on Wednesday, hoping to turn their season around with huge fixtures against Bayern Munich and Liverpool on the horizon.

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Last time out, United looked devoid of passion, application and focus as they slumped to a miserable 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United.

It would be surprising if manager Erik ten Hag doesn’t ring the changes after that match and in particular rest certain players whose body language and tracking back left the most to be desired.

In defence, the centre backs Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire did little wrong but the full backs were extremely poor. Sergio Reguilon immediately improved matters when he came on for Aaron Wan-Bissaka and if Shaw stays at centre back, Reguilon could get a start against the Blues.

Alternatively, in the ongoing absence of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane’s condemnation to the bench, Victor Lindelof could be brought back in with Shaw returning to the left back role.

It was hard to choose who was the worst between Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot in Sunday’s parade of incompetent full-backs, but as the former was the first to be hauled off, Dalot could have done just enough to regain the right back spot.

In midfield, Kobbie Mainoo was not as effective against the Magpies as he had been against Everton a week before but probably did enough to keep his place. However, his midfield partner, Scott McTominay, was the invisible man.

Sofyan Amrabat brought the level up a notch when he came on in the second half and might be finally finding his feet in the Premier League. We are therefore tipping him for a start alongside Mainoo, with McTominay dropping to the bench.

Another option could be Mason Mount, who is back in training, but this match will probably come to soon for other injured midfielders, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.

Whatever is going on with Marcus Rashford, it will surely have finally led to withdrawal from the starting XI after an abject performance at St James’ Park. Alejandro Garnacho is almost certain to keep his place on the left wing and, like Amrabat, Antony was showing signs of improvement when coming on as sub, so we think he will start on the right.

Facu Pellistri is another option. Mount, too, could play on the right if fit, or he (or Hannibal) could fill the number 10 role with Bruno Fernandes moving wide right.

Jadon Sancho is still exiled from the first team squad and Amad Diallo is still injured.

Up front, despite a goal against Everton from Anthony Martial and a lack of any Premier League goals at all from Rasmus Hojlund, the difference between the two in terms of effort this season is like night and day. Hojlund will surely start as Ten Hag looks to field 11 players who want to fight for him and have a positive attitude.

With all that in mind, here is our predicted XI for tomorrow’s game:

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After a chaotic draw in Istanbul and an insipid performance versus Newcastle, Manchester United will need to drastically improve before taking on Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea at Old Trafford this Wednesday 6th December.

The match will be the first game at Old Trafford during the festive month, so United fans will be hoping for a performance to get them in the mood to spread some Christmas cheer.

Last season’s fixture in late May was a cracker for the Red Devils as they vanquished The Blues 4-1 to seal their qualification for the Champions League.

However, despite sitting tenth in the Premier League table, the west London club have shown signs of improvement in big games. A credible 1-1 draw versus Liverpool on opening day has been followed up by a pulsating 3-3 draw with Manchester City and a chaotic 4-1 win away to Tottenham Hotspur.

So, in what promises to be a great tie, here are three things to look out for.

Maintaining a rich vein of form against Chelsea

As of late, the Red Devils have had a great deal of success against the West London outfit at Old Trafford in the Premier League. In fact, you have to go back a decade to the last time Chelsea won a game at the Theatre of Dreams.

After winning the title, Manchester United lost 1-0 to Chelsea in a dead-rubber game. Since that point, it has been a series of draws and victories for the Red Devils. Surprisingly, Chelsea have only won two out of the last 15 matches home and away in all competitions versus United, dating back to 2018. In that time there have been seven draws and six Manchester United victories, including the 4-1 win back in May and a 4-0 win at the start of the 2019/2020 season.

The 20 time English champions will be hoping their recent fortune against the Stamford Bridge does not end tomorrow night.

A chance for Kobbie Mainoo to shine once more

One of the most exciting aspects of the season so far has been the promising debut of Mainoo versus Everton a couple of weekends ago.

The 18 year old put in an awe-inspiring performance that left pundits, such as Ian Wright, gushing over his display. The BBC pundit claimed you just had to think “wow” when watching the player.

Rio Ferdinand also stated that the United academy product was a “star” and put in the exact type of performance that the Red Devils needed.

It will be fascinating to see if Mainoo can influence the game against such an accomplished, expensive Chelsea engine room, containing the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. However, one player he won’t be facing is Conor Gallagher, as The Peoples Person has reported that he is suspended for the match due to a red card in his previous game.

Poch vs Ten Hag

These two managers have history for a couple of reasons and this is the first time that they have faced each other in the Premier League.

The first time the two managers competed against one another was back in 2019 when Ten Hag’s Ajax faced off against Pochettino’s Tottenham side. Despite winning the first leg in London 1-0, the Dutch side threw away a 3 goal aggregate lead to lose 3-2 on the night and go out on away goals in the Dutch capital. Spurs would go on to lose the final 2-0 to Liverpool.

However, Ten Hag got his own back when he beat the Argentinian to the vacant United manager role in April 2022. The Peoples Person reported back in 2022 that Ten Hag was seen to suit the club’s structure over the former Spurs coach.

It will be enthralling to see which manager will take home the bragging rights this time.

In conclusion, the match promises to be must-watch affair as neither team are trustworthy defensively and both have to start claiming three points more regularly to match the ambitions of their fans and try to scale the dizzying heights of the English Premier League.

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Manchester United players looked shaken and out of belief in front of a rabid crowd, shoulders slumped, frustrations palpable, and another manager staring into the abyss.

It felt like that against Newcastle as the Toons swept aside United as the Red Devils put forward a display that was barely an inconvenience for Newcastle.

Paul Scholes questioned the players’ laziness, even going as far as to say that Marcus Rashford was causing more harm to the team than good.

Now, Alan Shearer has struck a similar tone.

Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, he questioned the strength of characters in the United dressing room, especially in the face of adversity.

He said United have “too many bad eggs, too many players with bad attitude”.

Just like Scholes, he made an example out of Rashford, in whom the change from when things are going his way and when they aren’t is jarring to see.

Shearer said that Rashford “didn’t look at it at all, didn’t look interested” and “it happened so many times”.

Even the lackadaisical Anthony Martial was ineffective and had a bust-up with Erik ten Hag when asked to pick up his intensity.

The Newcastle legend said that it’s easy to play at your best when things are going your way and you get on the ball to make things happen.

However, when the need of the hour is to suffer and “roll your sleeve up”, this United team doesn’t have the characters to do it.

It is not the first time that this allegation has been levelled at United but what will worry Ten Hag the most is that despite his signing almost 13 players since his arrival, those issues remain.

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Anthony Martial starts in the centre forward position, flanked by Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford, who comes in for Antony after being suspended in Europe in midweek.

Kobbie Mainoo once again starts in midfield and comes in in place of Sofyan Amrabat, who returns to the bench. Scott McTominay partners him.

Elsewhere, Victor Lindelof is dropped, with Luke Shaw starting at left centre back and Diogo Dalot coming in at left back.

Andre Onana, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire keep their places at goalkeeper, right back and right centre-back, respectively.

Bruno Fernandes is in the number 10 position.

The substitutes bench includes Lindelof, Amrabat, Antony and Hojlund, Altay Bayindir, Sergio Reguilon, Raphael Varane, Donny van de Beek and Facu Pellistri.

The fact that Lindelof is on the bench could mean that the decision is tactical rather than due to injury, suggesting that the manager has lost faith in the Swede despite keeping three consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League.

It is also a further snub to five-time Champions League winner and World Cup winner Raphael Varane, who continues on the bench despite the Maguire-Lindelof partnership being broken up.

Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Jonny Evans, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Mason Mount and Amad Diallo are all injured while Jadon Sancho remains banished.

There is no place in the squad for Hannibal this time.

¡Once confirmado!

Así formaremos ante Newcastle.#MUFC #NEWMUN

— Manchester United (@ManUtd_Es) December 2, 2023

Kick-off at St James’ Park is at 8pm.

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Their next test against Newcastle United will be a great marker to understand where Erik ten Hag’s team currently lie. The last time the two sides met this season was in the Carabao Cup where Eddie Howe’s team emerged 3-0 victors.

United had lost at St James’ Park last season and their preparations for the game was far from ideal as the team’s flight to Newcastle upon Tyne was cancelled at the last moment.

Shaw as LCB

As per Manchester World, the Dutch manager is contemplating making a tactical change ahead of tonight’s encounter with Luke Shaw set to start as centre-back.

Since his return from injury, the Englishman has played in the Everton and Galatasaray matches in his familiar left-back position.

Ten Hag has utilised this ploy in the past, especially in the absence of Lisandro Martinez, who suffered a season-ending injury last term.

The Argentine is currently sidelined and United have played Victor Lindelof in that position and while the Swede does possess fantastic vision, a left-footed defender naturally has more angles to pass to.

Ten Hag’s preference for a left-footed defender is also partly responsible for Raphael Varane‘s reduction in game time with Ten Hag reluctant to pair the both of them.

Ploy worked wonders last season

Shaw’s passing ability is certainly underrated and he can effectively help the side play out from the back against a rampant Magpies at home. This will mean either Diogo Dalot or Sergio Reguilon plays as the left-back.

“Erik ten Hag is considering deploying Luke Shaw at centre-back for Saturday’s trip to Newcastle United, ManchesterWorld understands.

“With Martinez injured, Shaw is United’s only real left-footed option in that role and could line up alongside Maguire at the heart of defence against Newcastle, with Sergio Reguilon starting at left full-back.”

Last season, Shaw was excellent at the heart of defence and United fans will hope that the tactical shift ends up working as United prepare for the busy festive period.

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Usually for long-distance matches, United usually take a flight either on the day of the game or the previous day depending on the kick-off timing.

For away games closer to Manchester, they often take the train or coach. For the game at Newcastle upon Tyne, the initial plan was to travel by flight which would take them around twenty minutes.

Flight cancelled

But now as per The Manchester Evening News, United’s flight which was scheduled to leave at 11am got cancelled at the last moment.

The flight to North-East was cancelled due to the inclement weather and technical difficulties. It is snowing in almost all parts of the country currently.

United’s match against Eddie Howe’s side is scheduled to kick-off at 8pm and the whole squad is now expected to travel by coach.

The journey is set to take at least three hours and it might mean the team hardly gets any chance to stretch their legs before the game.

This is not ideal preparation for a side who enter the contest on the back of a demoralising 3-3 draw against Galatasaray in the Champions League in midweek.

Never-ending problems

United threw away a two-goal advantage in the tie with Andre Onana culpable for all three goals conceded on Wednesday.

For the Red Devils, it has been one step forward and two steps back this term. Injuries have also not helped their cause with the manager announcing Mason Mount is yet to regain full match-fitness.

Their form in the Premier League is decent at the moment, and they have not conceded for over 300+ minutes but those results came against teams from the bottom-half of the table.

The game against the Magpies will be the real test for Ten Hag’s side who have huge games coming up in the next fortnight.

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