Thursday 11th September 2014 12:17
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With several options at Louis van Gaal's disposal, Jamie Carragher offers the Manchester United boss advice as to who to select against QPR.
I imagine they'll keep the 3-5-2 system that they've been playing over the first few weeks of the season. A lot depends on how the players have returned from international duty and whether anyone picked up a knock. We know Robin van Persie played a full 90 minutes and Wayne Rooney only came off in the last couple of minutes, so then it all depends on how fit Radamel Falcao is. He may not go straight in to the team as he might need to build his fitness - only Louis van Gaal knows that, but I'd expect Rooney and Van Persie to play up front and have Falcao as a sub until he gets up to speed.
Van Gaal is paid to work out what the system is. Without European games this season it could be more difficult. Once United get back in to Europe, whether that's the Europa League or Champions League next season, I don't think it will be a problem because there are so many games. It just might be a problem for a few months this season because there's not many games to go round in the league. They've got three top-class strikers there and the two that perfom the best will play - I think that's the way Van Gaal will have it.
The veteran defenders had to leave in the summer. Someone like Rio Ferdinand has such class and experience you'd always want him in your squad, but he's come to the end of his time with United. Rio and Nemanja Vidic have been great servants to the club but they had to move on. I don't think it's so much of a problem that Rio is not at United any more, I think it's more that they haven't replaced him. Rio was coming in to that stage of his career that we all get to when you get to 35/36-years-old and you're not the same as you were when you were 26 - we all go through it.
They've got their new player Marcos Rojo coming in and Tyler Blackett has been playing as well, but both don't have much Premier League experience. While Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have got that experience in terms of playing for United, the question is whether they can fill the void of Vidic and Ferdinand? That remains to be seen and over the season we'll find out. It's slightly surprising, with the way that they've spent, that they haven't brought in a traditional central defender before the deadline and I think United fans would say that themselves.
It is certainly a new era at United. The transfer window is all done now and they've built their squad and have the players in. There was so much speculation about the players they were going to bring in during their first few games but now they, and everyone else, knows that's the squad of players they will have until January. They've got to improve and they will do. United will start picking up results and points because they've got some world and top-class players there. I expect them to beat QPR at Old Trafford this Sunday.
It remains to be seen whether United will miss Welbeck. I don't think he was ever going to be Manchester United's number one striker but he was always a very good squad player to bring in - he had that pace. It will be interesting to see what role he plays for Arsenal, with Olivier Giroud out the moment you'd expect him to play though the middle, but when Giroud is back, will Welbeck ever be a number one striker for a top four team? He's got to keep producing what he did for England this week at club level on a regular basis, as Daniel Sturridge has done at Liverpool since he joined. He needs to prove he can be a number one striker for a top team and I think that's why United and Van Gaal let him go, they didn't feel that and they knew they were bringing Falcao in.
QPR maybe lacking in this area. We know they went in for Jermain Defoe and Fabio Borini this transfer window - so obviously Harry Redknapp felt that and they haven't scored enough goals. Charlie Austin scored a lot was very good for them in the Championship last season, but that's obviously something Harry felt still needed improving and that's why he made the bids for Borini and Defoe. Unfortunately for him they didn't come off.
Now, everyone knows what squad they've got and they've just got to go with that now until January. There's a lot of talk when a season starts about signings and different players coming and going. If I'm being honest, I'd probably like to see the transfer window close before the first game so we can go into the season with the squads sorted and teams knowing who they've got, but it is what it is from now until January and there's been some top players bought and you'd expect that they'll do well.
The three promoted teams haven't started that great, but you have to look at Harry Redknapp's experience because it might prove important for QPR over the season. They haven't started brilliantly but he's brought a few players in now. They have to improve but Harry has got such fantastic experience in the Premier League of keeping teams up. I'm sure it's going to be a difficult season for them but with the experience you'd like to think they can pull something off.
via TEAMtalk | Manchester Utd http://ift.tt/1xNPHlS
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