Key events
3 mins: The ball is pumped into the box by McNeil. The ball reaches Onana but he is taken unaware and it bounces off his thigh, Godfrey tries to pounce but Onana smothers the ball.
United looking really nervous on the ball.
2 mins: United spend the early seconds passing the ball around at the back. Everton do their best to put them under pressure and win the ball back midway inside the United half, earning a corner …
Former United kid Garner whips in the corner but Evans clears.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
“Ten Hag showed us ages ago he is not up to the job,” says Jeff Sax. “Will be unbelievable if he stays on another season”
The teams are out …
It’s a bit nippy in Manchester and the sky is grey. Will rain follow? I bet Dyche would love a downpour.
“The happiest man not to be in the dug-outs today will obviously be top manager David Moyes, currently of serial over-achievers West Ham United,” says Jeremy Boyce. “Hopefully he is managing a wry smile today, having managed both of these car-crash clubs, and finding himself in a better place these days : a trophy in the cabinet, playing European competitions, no threat of relegation, nicely poised just behind Man U if the latter should slip up at any time, perish the thought. Serially over-achieved on thin pickings in his time at Goodison. Accepted the impossible job of succeeding Lord Ferg at Old Trafford, and given the shambles that has gone on there since he was asked to do one, did a more than decent job. I’m sure they’d both give up their Ancelotti/Mourinho dreams for a good dose of radar-eye grit’n’graft now. I’m on for a comedy 2-1 Everton win as Tarkowski arses the winning goal in a six-yard box stoppage time corner melee, I’d get down the bookies (stop when the fun stops) but it’s tipping down with rain here…”
We shall see …
Wayne Rooney has just described Kobbie Mainoo as a “young Bastian Schweinsteiger”. Not a bad compliment.
Ten Hag seems in a positive mood.
I went to see Ten Hag yesterday.
Richard Hirst emails: “Doesn’t Ten Hag realise that making excuses is never a good look for a manager: he’s getting close to David Jones territory. But it’s even worse when you’re managing the self-proclaimed ‘biggest club in the world’, and your squad for today’s game cost north of several hundred million pounds. The door marked ‘do one’ is getting ever closer.”
The pressure is certainly on for Ten Hag. He has 11 games to prove himself to Ratcliffe.
Sean Dyche: “We have always got the believe in the performances. We have got to make sure the details in both boxes are correct.
“At the end of the day we keep creating chances but we need to take them. United’s home form has been as good as previous seasons but that does not give us a divine right to win. We need to concentrate on our performances and have a good start.”
Obviously injuries have made life more difficult for Ten Hag and United but needing to play Lindelof at left-back today might do them a few favours. Everton are really good at set-pieces – they have the second highest number of goals from corners, free-kicks etc this season – so will fancy causing United a few problems in the box.
Erik ten Hag speaks: “You need movement behind, how do we get that, it was to come from our striker, he has to make the movement behind. But we also need movement in behind from others. It has to work out. How do we get that movement in behind? How do we get box occupation. We have to control their counters, and we must keep the ball to not give them set-plays. They are very good at it. We have to win. We have to win every game. It’s like our way of life. It doesn’t change anything in our approach.”
Old Trafford needs a bit of work.
Team news
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Onana; Dalot, Varane, Evans, Lindelöf; Mainoo, Casemiro; McTominay, Bruno Fernandes, Garnacho; Rashford.
Subs: Bayindir, Amrabat, Eriksen, Diallo, Antony, Kambwala, Collyer, Ogunneye, Mee.
Everton (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Godfrey, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Onana, Garner, McNeil; Doucouré; Beto.
Subs: Patterson, Keane, Calvert-Lewin, Virginia, Young, Andre Gomes, Coleman, Chermiti, Dobbin.
Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire).
Preamble
After two straight defeats in the Premier League Manchester United have lurched back into another mini crisis. If there is one team in the league that know about crises, it’s today’s opponents Everton.
Erik ten Hag insists that playing for Manchester United isn’t for everyone and it is days like this that will show the world who is capable of coping with the pressure. Everton, who are in appalling form, will at the very least battle for everything, even if they lack the quality needed.
Rasmus Hojlund is once again absent through injury and United’s period of positivity in January and February was based around their only recognised striker scoring goals. Without him they have looked impressively blunt. Does Ten Hag have a cunning plan up his sleeve today?
Everton have not won in their past 10 games in the league and need to start picking up some points amid their second PSR charge. Dyche relishes trips to Old Trafford and he will sniff a chance of an upset today but it is up to his players to perform.
Here’s to a cracker!
Kick-off: 12.30pm GMT.
