Moyes must finally put trust in misfit for Man Utd to qualify
Published:Travelling to Germany after a 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter final first leg, Manchester United have a modicum of hope about qualifying for the semi finals.
If the Old Trafford club are to extend their European tour though, everything must go right on the night starting with team selection. Here’s how we think it should look, but do you agree?
Patrice Evra should walk back into an otherwise unchanged back five from the first leg. His reappearance in place of Alex Buttner is a welcome boost to the chances of keeping Dutch flyer Arjen Robben under wraps.
A week ago, Moyes’ game plan was to sit behind the ball and use the pace of Danny Welbeck to spring counter attacks in behind the Bayern defence.
It was a ploy that worked well as the visitors were restricted to long shots and looked increasingly scared of the England international’s speed.
With that in mind, a flat midfield three of Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney should be employed to repeat the trick.
All three are capable of screening the back four and also, crucially, possess the passing quality to launch direct passes into the space behind Bayern’s backline.
To capitalise on their passes, Moyes must fill his forward line with the most fleet-footed players at his disposal.
Welbeck’s industry means he can continue the left-wing role he flourished in during the first leg, while Antonio Valencia can perform the same duties from the right.
Up top Moyes must plump for the rarely seen misfit Javier Hernandez (14/1 to score the last goal of the game), whose entire game is built around hanging on the last defender’s shoulder and can combine with Welbeck to really worry Pep Guardiola’s side.
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