Sunderland caretaker boss Kevin Ball is set to face another tough task in the dugout on Saturday afternoon, as Manchester United travel to Wearside hoping to build on their midweek draw against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League with a win on English soil.
David Moyes saw his side pick up a valuable point over the Ukrainian Giants on Wednesday and will want to use that confidence booster in order to get United up-and-running in the Premier League, whilst Ball could seriously put himself in the frame for the permanent managerial position at the Stadium of Light if he could lead the Black Cats to their first victory of the season over their visitors.
Sunderland, who are currently sitting at the foot of the league table after six games, have insisted they won’t rush into replacing recently-departed head coach Paolo Di Canio, whereas twelfth-placed United are looking to bounce back from their disappointing 1-2 defeat against West Bromwich Albion last week.
Team News
The hosts will be without Phil Bardsley (foot), Wes Brown (calf), Andrea Dossena (thigh) and Steven Fletcher (shoulder) for the game, whilst both Darren Fletcher (illness) and Rio Ferdinand (groin) are ruled out for United but Wayne Rooney, who missed the clash at the Donbass Arena with a shin injury, will return to the first-team fold to the delight of his manager.
Ball vs Moyes: Possible Team Line-ups and Brief Tactical Analysis
The typical formation Moyes tended to deploy during his 11-year spell on the Everton touchline was the 4-4-1-1, which involved the man playing just off the striker being involved in just about everything going forwards whilst equally putting in a quality shift defensively for the team, such as Tim Cahill or Marouane Fellaini.
Wayne Rooney, who has scored three Premier League goals and created nine chances (including assists) so far this campaign, is the obvious choice to operate that role and the bigger importance for Manchester United to consider will be selecting those to support both him and Robin Van Persie out wide.
Sunderland’s inverted wingers of Adam Johnson and Emanuele Giaccherini will mean the players chosen will have to track back and support the full-backs brilliantly throughout the game, whilst also posing a threat in the final third as Moyes will make clear the importance of gaining the three points against a struggling outfit.
Danny Welbeck, who scored in United’s 1-1 draw at Shakhtar, is likely to keep his place on the left-hand side for his goals and work-rate, although Shinji Kagawa may be asked to play there for extra creativity, whilst Nani could be preferred to Antonio Valencia on the right in order to get at Jack Colback and add more spice to their attack as they hunt down a much-needed win.
Michael Carrick, who has made the second most passes (467) in the league at the moment, will again anchor the midfield and keep things ticking over nicely, whilst Fellaini will partner him but will push forward at every given opportunity in order to give his team-mates a bigger target to aim for in-and-around the box.
Ball, who claimed this week that he has the full backing of the playing squad, tweaked Di Canio’s 4-2-4 system into a 4-3-3, which easily morphs into a 4-5-1 when in defensive mode, against Liverpool last weekend and it looked a healthier setup.
Sebastian Larsson and Ki Sung-Yueng, who completed 100% (20/20) of his attacking third passes against Liverpool, are both extremely comfortable when in possession and with Lee Cattermole adding increased steel in combination with their patience on the ball, Sunderland look far more balanced in midfield and all three will try to prevent Rooney from picking up the ball in dangerous areas whilst providing good service for both Johnson and Giaccherini to flourish.
Johnson, who has conjured up 11 chances (14 in total) from open-play so far this season, will be repeatedly instructed to test United down the right after they struggled in that area against West Brom – although Patrice Evra is likely to replace Alexander Büttner for this match – whilst Giaccherini will want to fluidly come inside from the left, drive into United’s half and cause both Carrick and Fellaini problems with his pace, sharpness and quick change of feet in the final third.
[tps_title]Next Page: Key men and match prediction[/tps_title]
