Some interesting Manchester United news and notes, nuggets and tidbits ahead of the big rivalry clash today against Liverpool. United Assistant Manager Mike Phelan admitted his side didn’t do a lot of film study on their opponent heading into this match.
You may ask why, and well, Phelan was quoted as saying: “we’ve tried not to show them too much of Liverpool. If we go down that road you’d frighten them to death!” Hmmm, bold strategy there, let’s see if it pays off for them. Elsewhere here is the original United starting XI for today:
Today's #MUFC starting XI! ?#MUNLIV
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 20, 2019
We say original because Axel Tuanzebe suffered a hip injury during warm-ups and thus had to be scratched. He was replaced by Marcos Rojo, giving the Argentine his first Premier League start this season. The switch from Axel to Rojo provides better experience (although not lately certainly), but less athleticism in the back.
It’s also surprising to see David de Gea in goal as he had previously been ruled out of his one by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Elsewhere, Anthony Martial was expected to come back into the team today, having been out injured since August, but was only deemed fit enough to make the bench, not the starting XI.
https://twitter.com/Pa_Ward1/status/1185942781786804224
Finally, the airplane protest banners are back! And Executive Vice President Ed Woodward is the victim here once again. See above for video filmed by a United supporter outside Old Trafford.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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