Manchester United v Newcastle United – Premier League match preview

toonsy

Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Coming up next we have one of those fixtures I tend to dread during the course of the season. Manchester United away,or at all to be fair, is not a fixture that has been full of rich pickings for us over the years.

And after picking up just one point in our opening two games of the season it could be argued that the need to pick up points in a traditionally awful fixture for us is actually quite acute. Surely it’s not panic stations just yet though?

Well no it isn’t and shouldn’t be as we’re still in August, but with a recent tendency to drift into excruciatingly long streaks without wins or points it is something I, and I’m sure others, are quite keen to avoid. To make matters worse we have an audience with BT Sport to contend with so many eyes will be watching just how we perform at Old Trafford. Incidentally, it’s the word ‘perform’ I like to focus on in games like this.

It was the performance in the game at Swansea that was sadly lacking closely followed by a lack of discipline by Daryl Janmaat which, when combined, meant we were destined to leave South Wales with nothing. It’s hard enough to play at the Liberty Stadium without going a goal down within ten minutes and playing more than half the match with ten men. But in the end at least we shut up shop tactically and stopped ourselves from being on the end of one of those all to frequent hammerings.

Manchester United:

In a boost for United’s (our United, the proper one) ropey defence, the Red Devils will be without the services of Phil Jones and Marouane Fellaini who miss out through injury and suspension respectively. Also absent will be David de Gea who has been told that he will not be selected by Louis van Gaal until the transfer window is shut and his future is resolved, at least until January.

Newcastle:

As alluded to earlier, Daryl Janmaat will miss out through suspension following his silly antics at the Liberty Stadium. Moussa Sissoko is unlikely to feature after picking up a muscle strain in that same game and being substituted at half-time while Paul Dummett edges closer to a return but is yet to regain match fitness.

New signing Florian Thauvin could be in line to make his debut for the club after the completion of his move from Marseille while Cheik Tiote may make his first start of the campaign meaning that Vurnon Anota will drop back into the right-back slot to cover the absent Janmaat.

Previously…

Look away. Look away now.

We’ve only managed one league win at Old Trafford in the Premier League era which came back in December 2013 courtesy of a goal from Yohan Cabaye. Remember that one? You should because you then have to be of a certain age to remember our previous league victory at Old Trafford which came in February 2012.

In fact in all of our games in all competitions at Manchester United (77 games) we’ve only won on 10 occasions and walked away with a draw on 20 occasions. The other 47 games have ended in defeat with our biggest one being a 6-0 defeat in the 2007/2008 season. Although on a positive note we did once win 7-1 at Old Trafford although I doubt anyone on here witnessed that as it was 1927. Well maybe Icedog did….

Stats and facts…

Newcastle have lost 25 Premier League games against Manchester United. So basically they’ve beaten us more than any other team has managed to beat us.

Manchester United have won 15 of their last 19 league games at Old Trafford.

Wayne Rooney has scored 12 Premier League goals against Newcastle. Only Aston Villa have fared worse having seen the striker score 14 goals against them.

Final thought…

Not quite final though but I’ve been having a chat with the lads over at theunitedpages.com which you can read here and sums up my thoughts on the game and some of my thoughts on NUFC in general.

In short I’m feeling too confident about this weekend and just hope for an improved performance.

Howay the lads!

Date: Saturday, 22nd August, 2015

Time: 12:45pm – Live on BT Sport

Venue: Old Trafford

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

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673 thoughts on “Manchester United v Newcastle United – Premier League match preview”

  2. Personally I would keep the same back 4 for Arsenal. Players must know if they fck up and we don’t miss them they aren’t automatically getting back into the team.

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  3. Stuart, I’d keep them for Northampton as well. The more they play together the better. I’d change the midfield and forwards though.

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  5. The back four should play together as much as possible unless someone repeatedly underperforms.

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  6. Said a few days back that Janmaat should be sat out for 3 or 4 games as punishment. .good to see some others catching on! 😉

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  8. Aussie

    I was brought up in whipsnade zoo after my mother abandoned me and left me with a friendly group of chimpanzees. The keepers didn’t realise I was human until I kept falling out the trees on my head. It was a good grounding! 😯

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  9. I think the defence is the most challenging one for tomorrow night. Does Janmaat get back in? Does Collo play, or is he rested/protected? Does Darlow and Lascelles get a chance?
    Personally I would like to see some changes and good players on the bench. I would play Darlow, Lascelles, Mbemba, Janmaat, Hiadara, Toney and Mitro up front (one will create space for the other as they will not want to let the old boy score against them). Thauvin wide right, Aarons wide left, possibly Tiote and DeJong in midfield if fit enough. I think that team should have enough to beat a League 2 side and give some of the fringe lads a game.

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  10. No need to explain, I’ve seen your facebook profile. Its clear that you have been dropped on your head a few times! 😆

    Stu, doesn’t matter if the defence played well. No changes should be made regardless of the result! Darryl should be made to suffer for his foolishness!

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  11. Things are starting to look much better with good new players and a new style but aside from the starting 11 we only have another 4-5 fit for purpose PL players and around 11 that need getting rid of. Mac was right when he said it would take 3 transfer windows to sort it out. When I look at them critically I can’t believe we’ve assembled so much dross!

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  12. Id give Darlow his debut, De Jong, Aarons & Tiote the full 90 to get their fitness up:

    ————————————Darlow————————————
    —Janmaat——–Taylor——————Mbemba——Haidara—
    ——————–Tiote———————-Colback———————-
    ——–Aarons————–De Jong————Perez——————
    ———————————Mitrovic—————————————-

    Let Colo have the night off

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  13. Aussie – as a descendant of someone send half way round the world for nicking a loaf of bread, I thought you may be more ‘punishment befitting the crime’ 😆
    Janmaat ****** up, I’m not sure it warrants being dropped for 3-4 games … Especially as it’s entirely likely one of the other defenders are likely to **** up just as badly against Arsenal – hell even Northampton the way our defence can be!!

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  14. CC – that’s what I was thinking, only I would go Kemen for Colback and Thauvin for Perez.

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  15. Janmaat wouldnt play at the weekend for me either, For Arsenal id play the same team as we did on Saurday but with Sissoko back in for Obertan

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  16. Sharpy, have I told you to **** off recently? 😆

    Wasn’t a **** up mate, he was stupid and should have known better! I see you want to take a soft stance and let him back. This is football mate, its a bit trickier than having to decide what day to have your weekly bath on! 😛 😆

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  17. Aussie, it is a bit moronic to leave your best right back out after suspension if the team needs him. Fortunatley for us we kept a clean sheet and defended well so he should be left out on the basis that the team performed while he was suspended, not because he was suspended!

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  18. Sharpy he has a number of reds now and he needs to know he will not simply walk straight back in to the team.. so as far as I am concerned, he can continue to serve his penance!

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  20. Aussie – sorry mate, could resist. I agree it was stupid, and I’ve no doubt Janmaat knows that too. I find it funny that at the end of the season Janmaat was our new captain and Colo could do one for most – now 3 games in Janmaat can go funk himself & Colo is top dog again 😆
    Oh and if we get turned over 3-0 by Arsenal McClaren will be all the clowns under the sun for leaving Janmaat out.

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  21. Problem is that Janmaat is not a very good defender. Mbemba is a better defender but then we miss Janmaat’s attacking. Maybe steve can mould the two of them.

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  22. Other than Tiote I don’t think we have a midfielder who performs that holding role all that well. Im not saying play it every week, but in certain games I think we could drop a midfielder and go 3 at the back with Janmaat & Haidara as wing backs –

    ——————– Krul ——————-
    —- Mbemba – Saylor – Colo —–
    Janmaat —— Anita —— Haidara
    — Sissoko —- Gini —- Perez —
    —————– Mitrovic ————-

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  23. Sharpy I have never called for Janmaat to be captain because of his temperament. . So he can park his **** as far as I am concerned. . It sends a poor message to the group if that kind of **** seemingly goes without punishment!

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  24. Steve says “we will be putting out our strongest possible side, taking into account Saturdays game, next weeks game and the strength of our squad.”

    Basically that means he will be giving the squad players a chance. why not just say that?

    I would give Darlow, Janmaat (wouldn’t pick him for Saturday), Lascelles, Tiote, Aarons, Thauvin and Cisse a chance.

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  26. Well that team I’ve posted is the 11 I’d pick to face Arsenal. I think that would allow our front 4 to focus solely on attack. Against Northampton id go –

    ———————– Krul ——————–
    Janmaat – Lascelles – Saylor – Haidara
    ——— Tiote ———- Kemen ——–
    Aarons ——- De Jong —— Thauvin
    —————– Mitrovic ——————

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  27. Ice – I thought that mate, but then I thought that the flip side is that they know Toney too. Might make it easier to defend against a player the trained with week in week out.

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  28. Stuart79; seems a diplomatic way of saying he won’t give up on the cup while staying pragmatic about the need to be wary of a somewhat thinnish squad (quality in depth wise) to try and perform in the league

    Guess he’s also got to keep an eye on not making Ashley look too much of a chump after that interview in May and being seen to put a 2nd team out midweek could be seen as not taking cups seriously.

    A tricky path to walk this early in the season

    Have to say quotes from smc to date are a blessed relief after the sycophantic / cringeworthy tripe from his two predecessors

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  29. Aussie – I was always a fan of how they did it under SBR I believe – where they had a dunce of the week T-shirt and whoever earned it had to train in it for the week. I just think you potentially **** your better players off if you drop them like that. I think it’s fair he’s made to wait based on the lads performance against Man Utd – but I don’t think we have a squad strong enough to enforce such punishment at the moment.

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  30. I’m with Aussie on this one. Got to keep a winning defensive formula. That’s how you create healthy competition.

    We didn’t ban Aussie when he stormed off in a 3 month huff but he had to earn the right again to come on the blog and not do the same thing. We ridiculed him and made him feel ridiculous but the result was a more stable and hard skinned Aussie. 😛

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  31. Troy – That isnt Aussie’s point. He would have left Janmaat out for against Arsenal even if we had got battered 7 nil against Man Utd. Just for being sent off! The fact we defended well and got a clean sheet means Janmaat shouldn’t play against Arsenal, but only becasue the defensive performance.

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  33. I agree with AMF that Janmaat should be on the naughty step unless MBemba can play left back. We should play Taylor with Coloccini because Colo will be picked anyway and seems most comfortable with Taylor.

    When Taylor ruptures his right abductor muscle, eyeball, toenail we will have to have a rethink.

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  36. Stuart

    I’m with you therefore. Never heard of anything so ridiculous! Getting beat 7 nil and still not bringing him back cos he was red carded and served his ban.

    Get Aussie banned! He’s still not over his 3 month huff! 😛

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  37. Thank Christmas I didn’t agree with Psychs there!! 😀

    Call a doctor, I’m having hot flushes! 😆

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  39. So Southampton got tonked 3-0 at home by Everton, then a point at Watford. Maybe they will be more mid table than I thought. ❗

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  40. DJG@564 they have a bit bother in the camp at the moment,two of their better players asking to leave

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  41. Troysta: you never agree with me even when you do! Like when you said Pards should be sacked if we lost to Leicester and now want to rewrite that.

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  42. <<<<<<<<<<< dos not think we are a top 10 side yet that defence will put the mockers on that

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  43. Sorry if that didn’t make any sense @566: it was about Troysta and his failed attempts to defend what he had previously said. He always said Pards was average and that it was the team that was bad. I could understand that but I thought the team was average and it was Pardew that was bad. Then, after defending Pards for years he suddenly said he should be sacked if we lost to Leicester.

    So, if Troysta wants to talk about being consistent then he should look at his own words first.

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  44. Your man Carver was in charge when we lost to Leicester Eric.

    I agree with you though about Taylor @558 and that’s why I’d leave the defence alone. Taylor won’t last long.

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  45. Psychs

    You know I destroyed you regarding the pards debate Inc the reasons I said he should be sacked if we got beat at Leicester. Everything was explained in detail and I take no pleasure in rubbing your nose in it. 😛

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  46. Georgio: Troy said Pardew should be sacked if we lost to Leicester at home before Pardew quit on us.

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  54. KIMTOON
    agree its a risk to replace cisse with him. but ive not seen the dude play meself

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  56. One injury to to Taylor and it’s Willo all over again ( oh, the excitement, I can hardly wait for it.) Mbemba will be dropped and Colocini return’s to his usual self. No leadership at the back and conceding goals left, right and center. This is not good but we will have to put up with it because there’s no-one else. However I was pleased with them against Manu but would have liked a bit more attacking.

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  58. Arsenal down to 3rd and 4th choice CBs and it has really unsettled them against Liverpool. One of them is ill so may recover for Sat. Just our luck!

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  66. before the Man U game…
    Troy Stavers
    August 21, 2015 at 08:56

    I predict a howking.

    And now he predicts that Arsenal will destroy us… 😯

    So seeing that he is wrong about most things concerned with football, I think we might be in with a shot against Arsenal.. 😛 😆

    As far as Janmaat sitting on the bench goes… typical mentality of sports fans on here… if a player is good, let him carry on like a plonker and all will be forgiven as long as you play well… players need to understand that if you let the team down, you will simply not just walk back in like nothing happened. His sending off was not a brain fart, it was just fuken poor self discipline! This is not a one off situation with DJ and he needs bench time to think about his game…

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  68. 5 things I never knew about Northampton:

    1. is it in the midlands somewhere?

    2. Near Oxford and Brum?

    3. er ???

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  69. Eric, yep, if it was a one off, it would be different.. I will stop short of saying that he deliberately got himself sent off, but he certainly did nothing to ensure that he wouldn’t.. 😕

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  70. What’s with all this business about fielding weaker sides in the league cup? I thought that was an indication of not being interested and trying to lose the game?

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  71. AMF: I thought he got himself sent off to avoid further embarrassment. I can say this on a blog but would never say it to the rest of the media like Carvs did about Willo (fool).

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  75. Now, getting back to NUFC. Who are Northampton, and are they Giant Killers, and are we even Giants?

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