3 Key Battles To Watch Out For When Manchester United Visit Stoke City

Manchester United, almost unfortunately, face a rather stiff trip to Staffordshire to get back to winning ways when they face Stoke City at the Britannia. The Red Devils, who, much like manager Louis van Gaal have come under stern criticism this season and their performances have been forced to deal with deserved scrutiny, thanks to a string of disastrous showings of late. They couldn’t do it at a South Coast, neither could they do it Wolfsburg but can they do it on a windy night at Stoke?

Stoke City, after a not so impressive start to the campaign, have got back to their usual routine of winning games. They’ve won 2 of their last 3 games at the Britannia and would be wary of the fact that United’s away form has been rather unenviable.

With United under pressure and fire, but clinging on to supporting their team after a press conference that suggested that LVG won’t give up easily, the game would be worth a watch. It’d be interesting to see whether the Dutchman plays with a different formation in an attempt to counter the media. But, here are some battles that may end up deciding the outcome of the game.

1. Marko Arnautovic v Ashley Young

Thanks to a subsiding injury crisis, Manchester United have been coerced into playing Ashley Young as a makeshift right back. If it happens at Stoke, the 30-year-old would come up against the combustible and giant-killing Austrian Marko Arnautovic. The 26-year-old has scored against both Chelsea and Manchester City at home to claim all three points for the Potters and will be someone United will have an eye on, after the form that he’s in.

It’d be a test of Young’s defensive reliability, which he has proved well enough this season but the contest against the former Werder Bremen star would be one which would test his pace and positioning more than his on-the ball attributes- such is the kind of player Arnautovic is. He is always looking to make in-roads in behind the opposition full backs, as the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Bojan look to pick out his runs.

2. Xherdan Shaqiri v Morgan Schneiderlin

Both of these new signings have had rather okay starts to life at their respect clubs, with both showings glimpses and flashes of their actual capabilities but lacking consistencies. The game would provide us the perfect battle between both Schneiderlin and Shaqiri, who would love to prove their might over the other.

Shaqiri blew City apart with his pace, trickery and vision but Schneiderlin is someone who, with the help of his accurate reading of the game, composure and tackling, likes to deny the opposition in doing just that. The French midfield dynamo was dropped against Norwich due to unexplainable reasons, while Shaqiri has shown clear signs of inconsistency.

With the United defence not looking as rock solid as it looked earlier, the midfield battle would go a long way in deciding the outcome of the game.

3. Anthony Martial v Ryan Shawcross

Anthony Martial has been United’s sole glimmer of hope, a diminutive ray of optimism amidst sun shaped levels of pessimism. He has carried the whole attacking burden of United team devoid of pace and acceleration and has done very well in doing so too. He scored a lovely goal last week and brought some cheer back to Old Trafford but only in vain. Tomorrow, he’ll come face to face with former United defender Ryan Shawcross, who has come back into the first team setup after getting rid of an injury in November.

The last time United Visited Stoke, Shawcross scored a header early on in the game and although, it’s unlikely that he’ll replicate the task but he’ll have to deal with a substantial customer, come Saturday evening. Martial’s burst of pace, ball control, finishing is a joy to watch and mind boggling, when his immense composure and swagger combines with it.

Shawcross’ physical presence and no nonsense attitude towards defending is something that will always be an issue for Martial’s toolkit, but the intriguing battle will surely end up deciding which team comes out on top at the Britannia on Saturday.