Manchester United take on Tottenham Hotspur as the race for a top four finish in the English Premier League heats up. Coming back to Old Trafford after suffering a humiliating defeat against Arsenal in the FA Cup, Van Gaal will be desperate to win three points against a strong Tottenham side in order to not alienate the fans. Tottenham on the other hand are on the 6th spot in the Premier League table and run the risk of falling out of the race for a Champions League spot if they fail to make a statement against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
So here are the three players who are likely to be absolutely decisive in the much anticipated clash.
Harry Kane
Harry Kane is fast turning out to be the golden boy for Tottenham Hotspur who might just revive their challenge for a Champions League spot next season. The uncapped Englishman has emerged as a potential player of the season and is just one goal shy of Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa who are currently leading the charts in England. Fast, accurate and lethal, Kane has the ability to sniff out potential opportunities and turn them into goals for his side this season.
If Tottenham Hotspur is to make a statement of intent against Manchester United, they will be relying heavily on Harry Kane to deliver. Kanea s partnership with Eriksen is blossoming well for Mauricio Pochettino and the Englishman might just be able to guide the Spurs ahead of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United with just ten games left for the season.
Manchetser Uniteda s back four has been extremely unreliable this season and the manner in which Arsenal scored their second goal last week goes to highlight the current condition of the defence under Van Gaal. With Jones and Smalling likely to start the game at Old Trafford, Harry Kane is likely to get a few opportunities to put Tottenham in an advantageous position against Manchester United.
David De Gea
However Harry Kane will come up against a young Spaniard who goes by the name of David De Gea who is making waves with his performance for Manchester United this season. De Gea has fast established himself as one of the top goalkeepers in Europe and has single handedly saved Van Gaala s debut season with the Red Devils. The young goalkeeper has been a rock and despite playing in front of a shaky defence all season, has managed to save Manchester United the blushes on several occasions.
Harry Kanea s battle with David De Gea is going to be one of the features of this mouth-watering clash. De Gea is likely to feature heavily in the game given Manchester Uniteda s abysmal standard of defence this season and will come head-to-head with Harry Kane who has been leading Tottenhama s attack this season. Who will come out on top? We will soon find out.
Wayne Rooney
If there is one player who rises to the occasion on every single big match, it is Wayne Rooney. In the absence of an injured Robin Van Persie and an out of form Radamel Falcao, the English captain has stepped up for Van Gaal and is leading the teama s attack. He rose to the occasion against Arsenal and Manchester United will be banking heavily on their captain to make the difference as they host Tottenham Hotspur.
Manchester United are playing far from good football and have been accused of destroying the a ethicsa of the club with their obsession with possession. With both Robin Van Persie and Falcao struggling with their form this season, it is no surprise that Manchester United havena t been able to imitate Van Gaala s philosophy on the football pitch. Wayne Rooney however, has the ability to change the game in a matter of seconds and will be expected to produce something brilliant as Manchester United look to earn a spot in the Champions League next season.