Man Utd Must Shake Up Formation Against Leeds Following Wolves Meltdown
Manchester United seek to bounce back from their disappointing stalemate against bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers as they face Leeds United on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Devils make the journey to their traditional adversaries after allowing Wolves to claim just their third Premier League point of the campaign in midweek, with Ruben Amorim's return to his criticized three-center-back formation proving ineffective. The Portuguese manager may be inclined to deploy a four-man defense at Elland Road, similar to his successful approach in the Boxing Day triumph over Newcastle United.
Amorim faces the absence of numerous key players for the encounter against resurgent Leeds and will be eager for crucial squad members to return from international commitments and fitness issues at the earliest opportunity. For the present moment, though, he must work with his limited available roster.
Here is how Man Utd might set up in Yorkshire.
Man Utd Predicted Lineup vs. Leeds (4-2-3-1)
GK: Senne Lammens—Produced several crucial stops against Wolves to keep a frustrating 1–1 result from becoming a catastrophic loss and should anticipate being tested by Leeds, who have netted three or more goals in their last three home fixtures.
RB: Diogo Dalot—Dalot appears far more comfortable operating in a traditional back four as a right-back rather than being deployed in a wing-back capacity. The Portuguese defender lacks significant attacking threat going forward.
CB: Ayden Heaven—The academy graduate has received an unexpected sequence of starting opportunities due to injuries affecting Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire, showing improvement in each successive appearance. He played a crucial role in Man Utd's goal against Wolves and has tightened up his defensive play.
CB: Lisandro Martínez—Martínez continues to be carefully managed following his extended injury absence, but his recent comeback proves valuable given the unavailability of two experienced defensive leaders.
LB: Luke Shaw—Another player who appeared comfortable returning to his natural defensive position against Newcastle, Shaw may secure another starting berth at left-back should Amorim switch back to a four-man defense.
DM: Casemiro—Casemiro would prefer partnering with a more inventive midfielder, but the Brazilian veteran will maintain his professional approach as Man Utd's defensive shield in midfield.
DM: Manuel Ugarte—Bruno Fernandes is desperately needed and Kobbie Mainoo's unavailability ensures another starting role for Manuel Ugarte, who remains a pale imitation of the £50 million ($67.3 million) midfielder Man Utd believed they were acquiring.
RW: Patrick Dorgu—An unexpected deployment on the right flank proved successful against Newcastle as Dorgu struck the decisive volley, and with Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo still away at the Africa Cup of Nations, the natural left-back represents Amorim's finest available choice.
AM: Joshua Zirkzee—Zirkzee's fortunate deflected effort against Wolves marked his second Premier League strike this campaign, though it failed to prevent his half-time substitution. Regrettably, Amorim possesses limited alternatives in his attacking setup.
LW: Matheus Cunha—Amorim urgently requires Cunha to elevate his performance level in the absence of Fernandes and others, yet the Brazilian has delivered subdued displays against Newcastle and his previous team Wolves.
ST: Benjamin Šeško—The summer signing has found the net merely twice in 16 Man Utd outings and was wasteful against Wolves as he squandered numerous scoring opportunities. He needs to show greater composure in front of goal if the Red Devils hope to defeat Leeds.
