Team vs Burnley (FA Cup)

[talkshowhost86]

It’s 9 days before the United game, and we have a 2 week gap after the United game. Would be ridiculous to throw away another trophy chance in the circumstances

Again I understand that instinct but the league is more important and at this stage any more injuries to key players would be catastrophic to our season as a whole.

I get that people won't agree because of the desperation for a trophy but I think we need to look slightly longer term.

Apart from giving some key players a rest after a horribly busy December, it would also give us the chance to blood some younger players and give them some competitive match minutes.

I suspect Burnley will rest a few players as well so I think we should still have too much for them.

Plus we'd have the first teamers on the bench anyway if we needed them.

 

[$hoguN]

I disagree, the Burnley game is a must win, best squad possible please.

Can you imagine the uproar if we lose a Udogie or an in-form Richarlison in this tie? It could absolutely scupper our season.

Let some of the talented youngsters who we may have to rely on play this game to get experience.

 

[DiamondLites]

Strongest available XI please, I want to win a trophy

Vicario

Porro Emerson Davies Udogie

Gio Bentancur Deki

Johnson Richy Gil

Subs : Forster, Phillips, Dorrington, Skipp, Højberg, Donley, Santiago, Scarlett

 

[TommyW]

Can you imagine the uproar if we lose a Udogie or an in-form Richarlison in this tie? It could absolutely scupper our season.

I'm pretty sure it would pale in comparison to the uproar if we go out of a cup at the first time of asking for the second time this season.

 

[talkshowhost86]

Forster
Emerson
Dier
Phillips
Davies
Skipp
Santiago
Lo Celso
Johnson
Veliz (Donley/Scarlett)
Gil

Vicario
Dorrington
Udogie
Porro
Hojberg
Bentancur
Deki
Richarlison
Donley/Scarlett

More than enough senior players there to give the couple of youngsters some protection and loads off the bench if we need it.

 

[Wheeler Dealer]

Forster
Emerson Dier Philips Davies
Højbjerg
Skipp Donely
Gill Scarlett Santiago

Little risky!

 

[Thenewcat]

Again I understand that instinct but the league is more important and at this stage any more injuries to key players would be catastrophic to our season as a whole.

I get that people won't agree because of the desperation for a trophy but I think we need to look slightly longer term.

Apart from giving some key players a rest after a horribly busy December, it would also give us the chance to blood some younger players and give them some competitive match minutes.

I suspect Burnley will rest a few players as well so I think we should still have too much for them.

Plus we'd have the first teamers on the bench anyway if we needed them.

I understand your points but can’t agree. Players can get injured training, you can’t pick a team purely from fear. And December really hasn’t been ‘horribly busy’ - we haven’t had a single cup game for months and they aren’t overworked and in need of rest.

Re your ‘longer term’ point - I’d back us to get something at United regardless, and to say one league game is more important than a chance to win a trophy and change the institutional mindset of a club is wrong for me.

Thirdly, making wholesale changes is not a good way to develop youngsters. Dropping 5 of them into a team with no established units is just setting them up to fail - it’s what Conte did over and over and it never works. Giving one or two a chance to play with an established side is fine, resting all your key players and expecting them to come in and perform isn’t.

Lastly, I think history shows it’s much better to pick a strong team and sub players off if you are able to than pick a weak team and bring guys cold off the bench.

If we were playing twice a week in Jan then it would be different. But we are playing twice in 27 days (if we beat Burnley). That is more than enough rest

 

[Maxtremist]

Can you imagine the uproar if we lose a Udogie or an in-form Richarlison in this tie? It could absolutely scupper our season.

Let some of the talented youngsters who we may have to rely on play this game to get experience.

And they could also get injured in the Man U game or any other game? I think we can at times worry too much about injuries. I fully get we have a lot at the moment plus AFCON and the Asia Cup so it is a genuine concern, but I think we have to balance it somewhat. For example... Bentancur being rotated makes sense. He's only just come back and ahead of schedule so caution is to be expected. But Richy, Udogie etc... They're worth 'risking' or just generally playing in my books. Especially, as others have mentioned, we don't have many games in January. We have a maximum of 4. I'd argue we can afford to play strong teams in all of them if players are fit and available.

As for the 'talented youngsters', we run the risk that if we go out if the FA Cup now... then they're never going to play. If we get through Burnley and then get lower league competition in the fourth round, then maybe we play some then? etc...

 

[Impspur1]

I’d go as strong as possible to start and hope to be in front and then try and give one or two of the youngsters half an hour if possible. We need to show them they will get opportunities to play at some point!

 

[phil]

Most of our defenders/midfielders have missed games through injury/selection/suspension, so don't really need a rest. The exception being Porro who has played every game since United. Emerson is a perfectly acceptable replacement for him.

I'd also give a start to either Phillips or Dorrington. As Phillips has more experience and prefers the right, I'd go for:

Vicario
Emerson Phillips Davies Udogie
Skipp
Bentacur Lo Celso
Kulusevski Richarlison Johnson
​

 

[SirHarryHotspur]

Not sure any of us are in a position to know who the players are that do or do not need a break.
We do not have the inside information on which players are playing on with minor niggles as many do , just have to trust Ange to pick the strongest possible team with that in mind.

 

[Impspur1]

Not sure any of us are in a position to know who the players are that do or do not need a break.
We do not have the inside information on which players are playing on with minor niggles as many do , just have to trust Ange to pick the strongest possible team with that in mind.

He haent got to much wrong so far has he.

 

[bubble07]

Full strength. Will be very annoyed if he doesn't last chance for a cup. Plus one of scum v pool going out

 

[Dazzazzad]

I'd play Vicario as very low risk he gets injured and amount of minutes isn't an issue for a keeper. Also I feel using our b keeper is often a big reason why we crash out of cups. And we don't need to develop Forster. A gamble but a minor one.

I'd also gamble with Gio because we need to see if he can put together a run of games and need some quality in the middle because...

I'd start Bents on the bench. Give him 30 min and then start vs united.

I'd rest Richy because we're going to have big problems if he's out. BJ, Kulu, Gil and Gio is hopefully enough firepower.

I'd also rest Porro as he's put in a ton of work this season already.

Would also love to see some minutes for Donley and Phillips/Dorrington.

 

[Coolpudge]

I really understand those saying we should go full strength but personally I don't agree.

We should rest those we can't replace for the United game.

Vicario, Udogie, Bentancur, Richy etc should only be on the bench IMO.

I would include Pedro Porro in that list as well. Other then the Brentford game on the opening day of the season I don't think he has missed a minute.

 

[talkshowhost86]

Whether we go strong or not, the one player I wouldn't risk at all is Bentancur.

He is going to be the linchpin of our side for January but we shouldn't need him for a weakened Burnley.

 

[Cambridge Spur]

Whether we go strong or not, the one player I wouldn't risk at all is Bentancur.

He is going to be the linchpin of our side for January but we shouldn't need him for a weakened Burnley.

I think he needs minutes though. I would start him and give him an hour.

 

[EQP]

Whether we go strong or not, the one player I wouldn't risk at all is Bentancur.

He is going to be the linchpin of our side for January but we shouldn't need him for a weakened Burnley.

He needs the minutes so that he can get up to speed for the rest of the month. If we're truly concerned about risk, then he shouldn't train at all because Solomon and Perisic both got Injured in training and not in a fixture.

 

[Japhet]

Whether we go strong or not, the one player I wouldn't risk at all is Bentancur.

He is going to be the linchpin of our side for January but we shouldn't need him for a weakened Burnley.

He'll be desperate to play and get minutes under his belt. There's no more likelihood of him getting injured in a Cup game than and EPL game (like Villa). Give him an hour v Burnley and see where we stand.

 

[SpursAddict]

Vicario
Porro Dier Davies Royal
Skipp Hojbjerg
Kulu Lo Celso Gil
Richy