For me Amrabat needs to start in midfield alongside Mainoo and Bruno. That will give us the best chance of stifling City. If we can patch up Varane and Martinez then they can shackle City's forwards. And then we just have to pray that AWB and Dalot have good games and Dalot avoids his characteristic fatal mistakes. Goals have been less of a problem in recent weeks and we will get some chances on the counter attack. And we need to pick Garnacho and Amad both of whom are capable of individual brilliance and are unpredictable to play against and you know with Hojlund he only needs a chance or two to score.
But a lot will depend on the mood in the camp. Will they feel sorry for the manager and guilty for letting him down this season and put in a performance? Will they be feeling insecure worried they are next in the firing line and play for their future? Or will they just figure that they have a readymade excuse for losing and blame the media/INEOS for letting the news leak before the final?
Casemiro needs to start for me. He’s been utter shit but he can go back to DM and he’s the kind you need in a final with his experience. Keep Scott Mctominay away from the starting 11
Erik might be tempted to play Casemiro (in midfield) and Rashford because he thinks in a final they'd both raise their games.
But if he was selecting based on recent form (which I believe he should be) then Amrabat should start over Casemiro in midfield and Amad should start ahead of Rashford.
Agree with you though that Scotty should be nowhere near the starting line up. We kept the wrong half of McFred. Fred for all his faults was capable of big game performances and if he was still around I'd have gone with a midfield of Fred Casemiro and Mainoo and shifted Bruno out wide as he never makes any kind of impact against City. But without a runner like Fred I think Casemiro's lack of legs and sloppiness will let us down and I'd feel safer with Amrabat in midfield as he's got a massive point to prove and he's added some balance and stability to our midfield in recent weeks.
I would love to see ETH win this, just to rub everyone's noses in it and leave on a high. I've never been a fan but this is an appalling way to treat someone.
I would love to see ETH win this, just to rub everyone's noses in it and leave on a high. I've never been a fan but this is an appalling way to treat someone.
There's alot of rats at this club. Constant leaks undermine everything. Just everybody out for themselves and zero respect for the people you work with.
Whether it's his last game of the season or the last game as manager I'm behind him for this one. Today is about what happens on the pitch, not off it.
Fuck these bitter, banana waving, 115 charge cunts. For once this season, turn up and put everything into it. Ffs just win the trophy.
Hopefully Case and Varane can rely on muscle memory of huge performances in big games and bow out on a high. I think that team above can at least give City a bloody nose and if we get a few breaks and take whatever opportunities come our way, we have a chance.
Stew's team but Amrabat in for Casemiro. Casemiro has looked like a pussycat this season and I don't think he'd be able to stop City's midfield over-running us. But Amrabat has been decent for us in recent weeks and I thought he was especially good in the Arsenal game a few weeks ago and a similar performance from him would help to keep City's midfield at bay. He's got the heart of a lion and it would mean everything to him to start in a final whereas Casemiro has played in so many finals in his life and there has been little sign this season of the determination he had when he arrived at the club to fix our midfield problems instead he's become a part of them.
But the way INEOS treated Erik has given the game new significance. A week ago I though of the FA Cup final with an air of resignation knowing we'd probably lose easily. But now Erik has a massive point to prove and I think knowing he's out of a job has cleared his mind so he might be able to pull a rabbit out of the hat. And the players will be shocked at INEOS's ruthlessness and underhandedness and will worry they might be next which might motivate them to put in a big performance. So we might be shocked into actually putting in a performance and last season Erik managed some big game scalps and has absolutely nothing to lose so will probably go for it and City will not be expecting that whereas last time we played them Erik just parked the bus and unsurprisingly they broke through our resistance and beat us.