Ruben's Reds take on another big six opponent making it a clean sweep (for the first round) as we travel to 3 point lane. United will come up against Thomas Frank's Spurs in one of the blockbuster fixtures this weekend.
Overall, this game is one of our favourites but in recent times, not so much. This will be the first time the sides face each other since that quite frankly, awful Europa League final.
Amorim will want to get some revenge for that defeat as well as no Champions League football as a result of that 1-0 loss.
So, can we continue our undefeated streak?
Predicted Lineup
There's only one change from the side that drew at Forest. We know that Amorim is a big admirer of Mount's and after a pretty pathetic display last week, I can see the manager dropping Sesko for the no 7.
Mount seems to be Amorim's preferred of the two when it comes to starting the big games although he didn't actually start against City and Chelsea because of injury. However, I do believe he would've been preferred to Sesko if he was available.
Amorim also appears to select an XI based on the opponent rather than stick to a set team. Last week in fact, was the first time that he picked the same starting lineup in back-to-back games since he joined a year ago.
This suggests that even 12 months on, he is still struggling to find his best XI.
Approach
I feel like this is a game between two sides who play a very similar style of football.
Haramball.
That term might be overdoing it a little, but let's be honest, the only reason it's been acceptable at United is because it's been working. It's not the most easy on the eye nor is it exactly the brand of football Amorim wants to play yet due to it's effectiveness, we've stuck to it.
The problem is, Spurs do the same thing.
So how do you combat an opponent who is the same as you?
What I believe we need to do is pass and move the ball quickly. No dawdling in possession. Give-and-go's, one-twos, one-touch football is a method of bypassing these more rigid teams.
United have had their struggles against such opponents over the years and it came to the fore once more in the draw at The City Ground.
The only issue is, we don't have the ability to play well, prime Barcelona football. We don't have the ability to play current Barcelona football. In a way, against these low blocks, we don't know how to play football at all.
I'm finding it difficult to see how we approach this game because unlike Forest who are worse than Spurs, if we couldn't break them down then how are we going to break down an even better team?
I almost feel like saying the same as I said last week of getting the ball to Cunha and Mbeumo and let them do their thing but they were kept quiet by Forest and had poor games besides. If Spurs do the same, we will face the same problems.
Frank obviously knows Mbeumo pretty well from their time at Brentford so he will know exactly how to stop his former player.
One of the ways to penetrate and get through a tight defense is to move the ball quickly and put in the early cross. A good example of this was actually this fixture in 20/21.
United won 3-1 but 2 of the goals were exactly what I believe we need to do in this game.
Midfield could be an issue as well as they have quite powerful players like Pape Sarr, Joao Palhinha and Mohammed Kudus.
This against Bruno and Casemiro is a worry. They may have worked at Forest (to an extent as Elliot Anderson singlehandedly ran the show) but against better opposition, we could get found out.
Frank is also well-known for playing the long ball which could mean a return for Maguire if he is fit. At Forest, every time a cross came in, we panicked and looked like we could concede every time. They targeted the back post with the height deficiency of Amad and Dalot's lack of concentration being the major reason in the 2 goals conceded.
Form
We are still undefeated in four games which is a positive although that draw at Forest did dampen spirits a little. This also means that we are still one of the in form sides in the league (three wins, one draw in last four).
This is also the longest unbeaten run we've been on under Amorim and perhaps indicates signs of progress even if old habits returned in that 2-2 stalemate.
That point coupled with others around us getting wins means that United moved down to 8th. At one point, we were sitting in 2nd!
17 points and 8th after 10 games isn't the worst. I doubt many expected us to be in this position at the start of the season even more so when looking at who we've had to play in these 10 matches. Game 11 will see us face all five of the other big six sides.
The problem with United is that we concede far too many goals. While 17 scored is amongst the most, the 16 let in is the highest in the top 10. In fact, only the bottom five have conceded more. We've also only kept one clean sheet so far which suggests there's a good chance that Spurs will score.
Away from home, we are 10th with just one win. We've picked up two draws and two losses with a total of 5 points. Our GD of -4 is once again, one of the worst with only the teams 15th placed and below having let in more.
The recent record against the cocks has also not been kind to us. In the last seven in all comps, we failed to win any of them. There's been two draws and five Spurs victories, four of which came in all four meetings last season including that joke of a Europa League final. The last time we actually beat spurs was just over three years ago!
Fuck me!
Guys, we gotta do something about this 😠.
On the other hand, Thomas Frank's record against United is pretty shite. In eight games, he's drawn one, won two and lost five. Suppose that's something 🤷♂️.
Spurs
Spurs have been very Spurs-y this season.
Even under new management, they seemed to have maintained their identity of being very inconsistent.
While they sit two spots above us in the table (6th) Hottenham Totspur are level on points with United with 17. It's their superior goal difference of 9 that has them above Amorim's men.
Like us, they've also scored 17 and have an identical record: five wins, two draws, three losses. One major difference is that Spurs have kept four clean sheets which is joint-third on the list.
With Frank, we know the type of football they'll play. This is why I say it will be a tough one to call because the two teams play in the same manner.
As they are at home though, they will be expected to be more on the front-foot which could work in our favour. Those two wins for Frank against United have come at home but when you look at Spurs' record at 3 point lane, it really has been living up to that name.
They sit 17th in the home table with just one win in five matches. There's been one draw and three losses with only West Ham and Wolves losing more at home. Their last home league game saw Spurs suffer another defeat as Chelsea got their customary victory. There was also that incident between the manager, van de Ven and Djed Spence after that woeful performance:
Frank did confirm however, that he and those two players have cleared things up and all is okay again.
They then went and won 4-0 in the Champions League with van de Ven scoring a potential Puskas goal. This result may give them some confidence.
See, very Spurs-y especially when you consider the fact that they're top of the away table.
The only absentees for them is Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke. Big misses but still a strong squad available.
Prediction
It's a tough one to call and that's why I'm going to sit on the fence and say 1-1. It has all the makings of a draw: shit home record v shit away record. Spurs beat us a lot recently but we have a strong record against Thomas Frank.
Then there's the clash of the two play styles and because of all this, I reckon this will be a very boring or very entertaining game. I'm unfortunately, going to have to go with the former.
I do believe that after last week's draw at Forest, we cannot afford to lose. A win is more necessary but walking away with something is a must.
Is a draw at Spurs a bad result though? What are your predictions?
Micky van de Ven | Image via Tottenham Hotspur official X (@SpursOfficial)
Bruno Fernandes | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium | Photo by Winston Tjia on Unsplash