Gus Poyet has to be licking his chops at the prospect of hosting Manchester United on Sunday. Sunderland’s win over Manchester United last Spring was a springboard off of which the Black Cats jumped out of the relegation zone and saved their season. Poyet had a lot to do with the survival, but so did the morale-boosting win over the Red Devils.
Sunderland were enduring an extremely rough season up until that day, and are surely fired up at the prospect of facing a wounded United side at the weekend. Lee Cattermole’s tone-setting strike spearheaded a draw against hosts West Brom in week 1, earning a valuable point against a competitive side.
On the coattails of an impressive draw, Sunderland will be looking to start a streak of their own against Manchester United, who lost 2-1 to Swansea at home on Saturday. The squad is still thin even considering Marcos Rojo’s arrival earlier today. However, Louis Van Gaal will likely change his lineup after the home loss to Swansea.
As of now there is no indication as to what formation Van Gaal will go with in week two. His three-back formation struggled in the first half, while the four-back formation he averted to at halftime proved equally as ineffective. Most of the problems with Van Gaal’s current squad lie in the middle and defensive thirds, but given our relative unfamiliarity with the Dutchman, there’s no telling how he will alter his squad after one game.
It can be assumed that Rojo will feature regardless of the formation, but what type of tactical approach will Van Gaal employ? Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney are assured to start, as is Ander Herrera, but other than that it’s hard to predict how and with who Manchester United will line up with. On the other side of the ball, Sunderland have a group of hungry individuals who are determined to prove their worth.
Several players have joined Sunderland from much larger clubs such as Jack Rodwell (Manchester City), Wes Brown (Manchester United), John O’Shea (Manchester United), Vito Mannone (Arsenal), and Emanuele Giaccherini (Juventus).
With that being said, Sunderland are a quietly competitive squad who are guaranteed to put forth a high-octane shift against any opposition. Given the recent history between the two clubs and the eagerness with which the Stadium of Light patrons will be indulging, United could be in for another long day.
Louis Van Gaal made it clear that he plans on instilling the ‘one game at a time’ mentality within his squad, which is the right call without a doubt. Earning a point at the Stadium of Light at this point in the season, especially given the state of the club, wouldn’t be so bad. Earning three points would be outstanding for the Red Devils, but leaving Sunderland with nothing at all is something they must avoid.
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