So it begins.
Proper football has returned and these three months couldn't pass by quick enough. Although it has come by pretty quick. Time is moving too fast these days, amirite?
But we are back and not only is it the first game for United but the first match of the Premier League.
Opening night, at the Grandest Theatre, Old Trafford.
I've got goose bumps. What a feeling to be the opening act of what is sure to be one hell of a campaign. So strap in boiiisssss, this is going to be something else.
Predicted Line-up
And we begin with something that I don't agree with. Sorry to start off a little negative but I just have a sneaky feeling that this is the side Erik ten Hag will go with:
Majority of that XI is fine but it isn't what I would call, perfect.
I still believe that that team has it's fair share of weaknesses and despite the new arrivals, my gut is telling me that he will hold back on a couple of them.
To all our disappointments.
Andre Onana will begin in (and isn't this a massive year for him?), Diogo Dalot at right-back and Lisandro Martinez at left-back.
Yep, the butcher will have to be content with playing a little wider than his usual left centre-back position. With the absence of Luke Shaw, someone will have to fill that spot.
In the Community Shield, ten Hag used the World Cup winner as his left-back as Shaw wasn't available for that game as well.
Why no Mazraoui you say? Simply because my gut told me.
As I said, I just have this feeling that the manager will hold off on a couple of his new signings for whatever reason. I would start Mazraoui at left-back move Licha into his normal place and be partnered by Matthijs De Ligt.
If ten Hag wants, he could also move Dalot to LB and play Mazraoui at RB. This is what we get when we have versatile players.
I mentioned De Ligt, the Dutch defender will start but alongside Harry Maguire. I believe that the MUFC boss will feel that Noussair Mazraoui may not be fit enough to start and so, will need someone to play left-back. As he used Martinez there last week, this is what I think he'll do again.
This means that we will need another centre-back to come in and it will most likely be Maguire.
Of course, Harry Amass could be used at left-back but I'm not sure whether he'll be given his debut in such an important game.
There are many different combos which can be used in defence. Which the manager will go with is anybody's guess.
One combo that will remain as expected is the midfield three.
Kobbie Mainoo, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes - who recently singed a contract extension - will be the preferred trio in the centre of the park.
Casemiro needs to show some of the form he showed in last week's derby. We'll need it as he has been pretty poor over the past 12 months. That number 6 slot is a position we're looking to improve in probably at the Brazilian's expense. should he want to be the man in that place again, we really need Casemiro of 22/23.
Up front, more surprises.
I would be surprised if Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho didn't start. I feel like those two are nailed on.
As you can see, it is Garnacho on the left, Rashford up top and Amad on the right. Our best player on pre-season and one of our best players from the end of last season deserves to start because there haven't been too many who have been as consistently good as Amad.
It is about time he gets his opportunity.
I would be happy with him and Garnacho as wingers regardless of the striker. They are our two best performers at the moment and our two best wingers. They HAVE to start.
Again though, no place for another new signing Joshua Zirkzee.
We haven't seen him at all for United since he signed a month ago with the manager refraining to use him in last week's defeat. Zirkzee didn't start nor was he brought on against City.
Why? Well Erik ten Hag said in his embargoed press conference that the striker had an injury at Bologna towards the end of his time in Italy. This caused him to have no pre-season resulting in zero game time. "That's his problem in this moment."
This is why I think he'll go with Rashford up top.
He could even use Jadon Sancho, Mason Mount or Bruno Fernandes as false 9's if he wants.
But we can see how much more complicated things can be because of a couple of injuries. With no Rasmus Hojlund for the next month, Erik ten Hag will have to find a solution to his striker conundrum.
Approach Play
Sheer dominance. Heavy metal football. Pep ball. ten Hag ball. E V E R Y T H IIIIINNNNNNGGGGGG!!!!
Ok, maybe not everything but a little bit of everything 🤣.
Realistically though, I do want to see us move the ball around with confidence, show no panic, build up from the back, be able to pass through a tight defence or work the ball until we find an opening.
Too often, we seem quite rushed to make something happen, that if it doesn't happen soon, it never will. Patience is required.
I want to see us put some crosses in the box even if it is Rashford up front. Playing a high line if possible even if Maguire starts in the back is something else that we'd all like to see although there is that risk of being hit on the break. This is where that sweeper 'keeper comes in though. Andre Onana will have to be on his toes in this case.
I don't want to see too many long balls, shots from stupid distances and angles, frustration when things aren't going our way.
We need to outwork the opponent because last season, we were outrun by almost everyone. That showed in the performances as more often than not, we played like shite, always looking for the long ball on the break.
That needs to be removed.
Our midfield was too open. Casemiro was all over the place which left us exposed. He needs to be much more disciplined both in his role and just in general because he has a habit of diving into tackles and picking up yellow cards.
If we aren't capable of playing a high line and the rest of the team push up the field, we could see that gap between midfield and defence once again. That was a major issue regarding our poor play style and easy chance creation for opposition's last year.
Creating opportunities is an aspect of pre-season that Erik ten Hag was pleased with so we need to see a continuation of that. Why I want Amad to play is because unlike our other wingers, he isn't selfish. He tries to play the pass whenever he can and as quick as he can.
Rashford, Garnacho and Antony all hold onto it for too long or don't play the pass at all. This is something that was utterly frustrating last year as we would find ourselves in promising positions but wouldn't play the pass.
Should we do so, I believe we will score more goals.
Which is something else we want to see: goals. Opening night under the lights at Old Trafford is a perfect setting to put a couple in the back of the net.
Above all though, we need to keep our concentration. We were seriously lacking this throughout last season with it being one of our major downfalls.
Too many times, we'd score then concede, or concede then concede another within minutes. We don't track our runners as opposition's found it much too simple to make their way into the box and have a free shot at goal. We saw ample times that opposing teams would cut the ball back and have a player unmarked on the edge of the box for a simple finish.
We also don't mark nor defend set-pieces too well. We let in multiple goals from corners, free-kicks, and even just standard crosses. Hopefully new set-piece coach Andreas Georgson will have improved us in that aspect.
I don't expect all of those things to happen in one match but I would expect to see some sort of betterment in many of those areas of our game.
Fulham
It's very hard to gauge where teams are at at the start of a season. Nobody is really at their optimum level in terms of fitness and rhythm but as we do know with the Premier League, it's never easy.
Fulham are a good, solid team capable of causing any team trouble. Marco Silva is a very good coach who will know exactly how to set his team up to put pressure on United and identify our areas of weakness.
I mean no disrespect when I say this but Fulham are the quintessential mid-table side in the PL. That doesn't mean that they are mugs as most of the time, these are the exact type of teams that the bigger sides can get undone by.
I expect them to keep things tight at the back and frustrate United which will probably be one of their main aims for tonight: frustrate. At Old Trafford, the last thing the fans will want to see is their team struggling to create chances and score goals.
They also have a good group of players who are more than capable of causing United trouble. Raul Jimenez, striker Rodrigo Muniz who had a great season last year, new recruit Emile Smith Rowe (who scored in his two pre-season games), ex-Red Andreas Pereira, Willian, Antonee Robinson, Alex Iwobi - who scored the winner against us last season. All of these players have Premier League experience as well.
Fulham will look to hit us on the break with the likes of Iwobi, Traore, Smith Rowe or whoever they select as their pace could be the key to our downfall. That is exactly how they got their winner through Iwobi in this fixture last year.
However, it's not all about defending and countering as Fulham are a good team on the ball. They won't be too afraid to get possession and strut their stuff. With the quality they have, they are definitely good enough to play ball.
One thing about the Cottagers as well is that they do like to put a cross in. They were in the top 3 for most crosses in the league last season. Defending these have been a weakness of United's for a while and is an area where Silva will look to exploit.
I've no doubt that the Fulham boss will look to keep the Old Trafford faithful quiet which will really put a cat amongst the pigeons.
The first goal in this game will be massive.
Recent Meetings
That defeat suffered by United at home against Fulham last season was our only loss to them (home and away) since 2009.
In terms of United's opening day record, it should come as no surprise that we have the best record with 21 wins out of 32 matches.
We've only lost five on opening day however, three of those have come in the last decade: Swansea (2014), Palace (2020) and Brighton (2022) which was Erik ten Hag's first official game for the club.
Prediction
I do think that we will have just about enough to get over the line. 2-0 to start the season is a nice, professional score line that I can get behind.
While that result does seem straightforward, it will be anything but. Fulham are a decent side and Marco Silva is a good coach. They will cause us some trouble especially if we do play certain players out of position and we don't keep our concentration.
In the end, I feel as though Fulham will be a little toothless up front resulting in the win for United. We have more than enough quality in our attack to get the 3 points and start this season on the right foot.
Background Image: Matthijs De Ligt in Man Utd training | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)