After being well beaten in midweek against Tottenham, the comeback trail begins on Saturday for Manchester United when they host Huddersfield (19:00) – the promoted side which shocked them in October.
Manager Jose Mourinho has his work cut out since the trip to Wembley included a defensive meltdown and an inability to mesh all his wonderful attacking talent into a coherent XI.
Here, we examine three major talking points ahead of the big kick-off.
WHAT TO DO AFTER A DEFENSIVE DISASTER?
It would have been an uncomfortable watch for centre-back Phil Jones when the postmortem into the Spurs debacle was carried out at United’s Aon Training Complex.
In a first-half to forget, he was first outmuscled in the build-up to Christian Eriksen’s crucial opener after 11 seconds before soon comically slotting into his own goal from Kieran Tripper’s cross.
It’s important to remember that the axis between Jones and Chris Smalling axis had earned clean sheets in the club’s last five matches. Is a reactionary change the correct approach?
The alternatives will not fill Mourinho with hope. Summer buy Victor Lindelof looked physically feeble in the FA Cup at League Two’s Yeovil Town and had a shocker at Huddersfield, while Argentina international Marcos Rojo is still finding his way back to match sharpness.
Jones and Smalling could then remain the safe option – despite their Spurs stumbles – until superb Ivory Coast star Eric Bailly is back in contention “around the end of the month”, as Mourinho confirmed on Friday.
Phil Jones after his own goal at Spurs.
THE POGBA PROBLEM
All the talk pre-Spurs was about fitting in new buy Alexis Sanchez, but it’s now more than 16 months since Paul Pogba was brought back to Manchester and Mourinho seems no closer to knowing how to best utilise him.
Wednesday’s game saw Pogba abandon defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic, argue on the touchline with Mourinho about his positioning and then be unceremoniously hooked after 63 minutes.
In a staccato season, the France superstar is running at a top-flight assist every 143 minutes. But it is only Everton away, when his stationing at Juventus on the left side of a three-man centre midfield was replicated, where he’s looked at his best.
A start for Spain’s Ander Herrera is advised.
Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho in conversation.
REST FOR THE WICKED
United supporters have quickly grown used to the sight of summer buys Romelu Lukaku and Matic.
The pair are the club’s only outfield players to register more than 2,000 Premier League minutes this term, Matic’s 130 minutes ahead of his Belgian colleague on 2,214 minutes from a possible 2,250 minutes.
Even though Huddersfield handed out a 2-1 defeat in the previous meeting, a rare chance at rotation should be grasped. Sanchez, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford should all being capable of biting the Terriers – who have not won in the league since December 16.
In defensive midfield, men at opposite sides of the age spectrum in Scott McTominay or Michael Carrick could deputise.
Veteran United midfielder Michael Carrick.
