Manchester United are set to make a number of changes to their first team in the match against Norwich City in order to rest a few players ahead of their crucial midweek Premier League game against West Ham.
The Red Devils find themselves facing an uphill battle to qualify for the Champions League next season and will have to win their remaining Premier League fixtures to stand a chance of finishing in the top four.
However, with three Premier League fixtures coming up in the space of nine days, manager Louis van Gaal has hinted at some changes to his starting XI for the Norwich game.
“We have to assess the tiredness of the players because there’s an overload of matches, so maybe I have to rotate,” Van Gaal was quoted as saying on Manchester United’s official website.
One big absentee for Manchester United will be Marouane Fellaini, who has been slapped with a three-match ban by the FA for his elbow on Robert Huth in last week’s game against Leicester City.
“Fellaini is suspended so I will have to change my lineup. Every week you have something that you don’t like, but I think we can manage,” said Van Gaal.
The Dutchman also stressed on the importance of making it to the top four of the Premier League, which ensures progression to the Champions League qualification stage next season.
“We have to win our matches because otherwise we cannot be in the first four – that’s the pressure that we have. We have to fight until the end, and then we have still a title [trophy] to win,” he said.
Fellaini ban to be a huge blow?
With Fellaini being banned for the last three Premier League matches, Louis van Gaal might have to change his tactics in order to find the winning combination once again.
Fellaini’s inclusion in the Manchester United starting lineup gives a completely different dimension to the team’s attacks. While the rest of the team works on a short passing game, Fellaini adds an aerial presence up front, giving the Red Devils a more varied attacking threat.
With the Belgian midfielder suspended, Ander Herrera or Juan Mata will take Fellaini’s place in the starting XI. However, neither of them provide the same physical presence in midfield that the former Everton man does.
