After two months of excruciatingly painful withdrawal symptoms, Football Fancast are delighted to announce that we’re now less than 24 hours away from the official opening of the 2015/16 Premier League season!
And the English top flight’s fixture makers have thrown up a fantastic tie to kick things off, with Tottenham Hotspur paying a visit to Old Trafford.
It’s a fixture that always throws up a few surprises and although the Lilywhites claimed their first Premier League away win over Manchester United only three years ago, clashes between the two have been a lot closer since – three draws and one win apiece to be precise.
So with new signings on show, old faces returning to the fray and two managers in Louis van Gaal and Mauricio Pochettino determined to improve upon the impressive platforms they built last season, how will Saturday’s 12.45 kick-off pan out?
Perhaps a look at FIVE key individual battles between the two sides can spread some light on the issue.
WAYNE ROONEY VS TOBY ALDERWEIRELD AND JAN VERTONGHEN
Wayne Rooney’s form has always been a crucial factor in Manchester United’s results but his influence at Old Trafford will be more important than ever next season.
Indeed, with no replacement in sight for now-Fenerbahce star Robin van Persie, the Red Devils skipper will serve as Louis van Gaal’s first-choice centre-forward for next term – in contrast to the last three years, having spent the majority of his time in attacking midfield.
Javier Hernandez and James Wilson don’t exactly form the most convincing of back-up options, so the burden of firing United to their first title since Sir Alex Ferguson’s 2013 retirement falls firmly on the 29 year-old’s shoulders.
LVG has already charged him with the task of claiming the Golden Boot – which would likely require Wazza Roo breaching the 20-goal mark for the first time since the 2011/12 season – so he’ll be desperate to dust off those in-front-of-goal cobwebs against Tottenham on Saturday.
He’ll be directly up against Spurs centre-back duo Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen. The former may be a new signing at White Hart Lane, arriving from Atletico at the cost of £11million, but these two have played together countless times before; for both the Belgium international team and former club Ajax, where they lifted three consecutive Eredivisie titles together.
That suggests Alderweireld and Vertonghen will already a strong bond at the heart of defence, so they could turn out to be one of the trickiest partnerships Rooney faces all season.
HARRY KANE VS EXPECTATION
United and Spurs may have spent nearly £100million between them on new recruits this summer but many eyes will be firmly set on a player who didn’t cost the latter club a penny – striking extraordinaire Harry Kane.
The 21 year-old’s whimsical rise was one of the stories of the 2014/15 Premier League season, emerging from the peripheries of the Lilywhites squad to become the division’s top scoring Englishman – which saw him claim the PFA Young Player of the Year award and a place in the PFA Team of the Year.
Last season, Kane’s form was fuelled by momentum and the sheer passion shown towards him from the Tottenham fanbase. But follow-up campaigns are always difficult and next season will be the true litmus test of how talented the 6 foot 2 centre-forward, compared to Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham and Thomas Muller to name a few, truly is.
Chris Smalling showed drastic improvements towards the end of last term whilst centre-back partners Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones certainly had their moments.
But a tougher test than who Kane will be pressing up against on Saturday is the sheer level of expectation now surrounding him; not only will many assume of him another 21-goal season, but he’s now a focal point of the Spurs starting Xi and the solitary striker on their books who can be depended on for goals, with flops Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor in reserve.
Rumours linking Manchester United with a ‘huge bid’ for the Lilywhites star adds another interesting subplot that will play on Kane’s mind.
MEMPHIS DEPAY VS KIERAN TRIPPIER/KYLE WALKER
The battle for dominance on one of the flanks could be decided by two new signings on Saturday – Manchester United’s Memphis Depay and Tottenham’s Kieran Tripper.
The Red Devils may have acquired some more coveted names this summer, such as Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin, but they devoted £25million to snapping up the former flagship star of the Eredivise and many are resultantly tipping him to be a huge success at Manchester United.
Some have even compared the 21 year-old to a young Cristiano Ronaldo, sharing the three-time Ballon d’Or winner’s mix of pace, power, netting prowess and trickery, as well as his definitive free kick technique. So with such vast expectation, Depay will be keen to impress on his competitive debut for United.
There’s logic to suggest he’ll be up against Kyle Walker on Saturday. He possesses the speed to nullify Depay’s penetrative threat and was rested for Spurs’ final pre-season friendly against AC Milan yesterday evening.
But Kieran Trippier is probably of a closer mould to the kind of full-back Mauricio Pochettino utilised at Southampton, as an earnest, hardworking right-back with strong technique, and the Spurs faithful will want to see their new £3.5million signing in action.
Squaring up against Depay is certainly a tricky task for a competitive debut but the Netherlands international could have his hands full too; Trippier averaged the most accurate crosses of any Premier League player last season (2.4) and the most created chances of any player in the Burnley squad (1.7), so Depay will have to do his fair share of tracking back.
MORGAN Schneiderlin vs CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN
Alongside Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris, Christian Eriksen is one of the three standout talents in the Tottenham squad.
His form was certainly patchy last season but the 23 year-old still managed to record ten goals and two assists in 38 Premier League appearances, whilst his potential to develop into one of the stars of the division is obvious.
The Danish playmaker claimed most of those strikes – including a spate of last minute winners – playing as the Lilywhites’ No.10, having previously served as a left midfielder under Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood, and he seems more than likely to continue in that role next term.
Resultantly, he’s set to be up against Manchester United new boy Morgan Schneiderlin on Saturday, a £24million arrival from Southampton who has emerged as one of the Premier League’s most formidable enforcers over the last three campaigns, averaging the second-most tackles per match (3.7) of any player in the top flight during his ultimate season at St. Mary’s.
Famed for his ability to bring control and composure to the base of midfield, the France international has been purchased as a long-term successor to Michael Carrick – and he’ll be desperate to affirm that reputation when facing the England man’s former club on Saturday.
MICHEL VORM VS SERGIO ROMERO
An intriguing battle of the second choice goalkeepers. Whilst Mauricio Pochettino has suggested Hugo Lloris is unlikely to feature for the Lilywhites at Old Trafford after missing the vast majority of pre-season through injury, Louis van Gaal has made the shock declaration that David De Gea will also sit out the 12.45pm kick-off, due to the relentless speculation surrounding his future with the Red Devils.
That means both Spurs and United will be calling upon their reserve goalies for Saturday’s affair, Michel Vorm and Sergio Romero respectively.
Michel Vorm is no Hugo Lloris but he’s a well-proven, experienced Premier League goalkeeper, with 93 top flight outings under his belt from spells with Swansea City and the north Londoners. And having spent the entirety of last season in the Frenchman’s almighty shadow, the 31 year-old will be determined to prove against United that he can don the gloves full time for Tottenham – especially amid recurring rumours that Lloris could be snapped up by Saturday’s opponents should De Gea’s long-awaited Real Madrid move go ahead.
Likewise, Sergio Romero will be keen to silence his doubters. The 28 year-old boasts 62 caps for Argentina and was in great form for the finalists at last summer’s World Cup. But at club level he’s really struggled over the last two campaigns; losing his No.1 status at Sampdoria to former Arsenal loanee Emiliano Viviano and subsequently released by the Serie A outfit at the end of last season.
With the two best shot-stoppers in the Premier League both absent tomorrow, this key battle is essentially a question of who will step up to fill the void. A masterclass from one of the two second-choice ‘keepers could well be the biggest influence on the final result.
