3 key battles as Manchester United take on Burnley

Chelsea well and truly poked the bear last Sunday when they stuck four past Manchester United. Burnley, who have yet to pick up a single point away from home, should be wary of a wounded animal.

Jose Mourinho’s men responded with a gritty EFL cup win over close rivals Manchester City, and Burnley manager Sean Dyche is under no illusions about the size of the challenge his team faces.

“For all the noise that’s been made about the ups and downs of Manchester United over the past couple of weeks they’re still a fine side,” he said.

“I look at the manager, the club, the players they’ve got and they’re still a super strong group of people operating at the highest level.”

Manchester United are unbeaten in their last 12 home league games against Burnley, with the Clarets last win coming in September 1962.

However, they are there to be shot at; Mourinho has lost 13 of his last 27 Premier League matches, having been beaten in only 13 of 119 prior to this run.

Shoot!‘s Jordan Neary looks at three key battles that Burnley must win if they are to escape from the Theatre of Dreams with some points in the bag…

Daley Blind vs Andre Gray

The loss of Eric Bailly to a knee injury is a huge blow for Manchester United. The lad looks like he is carved out of stone, and has been rock solid in the main part for the Reds.

Not to second guess Mourinho, but you would surmise Daley Blind will move into centre-half and Luke Shaw into left-back.

Andre Gray, who has been described as “fit, ready and raring to go” by Sean Dyche, could slot back into the Burnley side and be used to stretch the United backline and offer an option in behind.

Dutch international Blind is not the quickest of defenders, and if Sam Vokes starts alongside Gray, in a 4-4-2 system, occupying Chris Smalling, who will look to negate the Welshman’s aerial presence, the returning Gray could be a key weapon in the Burnley armoury.

Even if Gray starts on the bench, a battle between Gray and Blind could come into play in the last 30 minutes of the game. The Clarets will have very little of the ball, so the tactic of hitting it long to Vokes with Gray feeding off the scraps could reap huge dividends for Burnley.

It ain’t pretty, yet could be effective.

Zlatan Ibrahimović vs Michael Keane

The tall, imposing figure of Zlatan Ibrahimović will be a test that Michael Keane will have not faced before. If the United number nine starts, Keane will be in for physical battle.

The supply lines of Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia will look to hang balls into the box for the Swede to feed off, and with no goals in five EPL games, Ibrahimović is due his name on the scoresheet.

Former Manchester United man, Keane, will relish his return to Old Trafford, as he comes back as one of the most improved centre-halves in the country. The home fans will get to see first-hand a product of their academy flourishing in a new environment.

One facet of Keane’s game that has vastly improved is his ability to read crosses and be in the right place to clear the ball. In Burnley’s last Premier League campaign he used to get caught out, and under the ball, giving away cheap goals.

Manager Dyche, who has now had Keane under his tutelage for over two years, has helped the centre-half grow into the position. At the other end Keane is a vital weapon in the Burnley attack, frequently getting into scoring positions at set pieces.

Paul Pogba vs Dean Marney

Against Arsenal and Liverpool, Dean Marney was never more than six feet away from his centre-halves, Ben Mee and Micheal Keane, you could have thrown a blanket over all three of them throughout the entire game. This was to stop their talented front lines pulling the Burnley defence out of position, and allowed Marney to put out fires just in front of his back four.

Manchester United will play 4-2-3-1 and Paul Pogba will most likely be the man Marney has to deal with, as the Frenchman will occupy spaces just outside the penalty area.

Jose Mourinho wants Pogba to be the man who makes Manchester United tick, yet such is the array of attacking options for the hosts this role could be occupied by Juan Mata or Wayne Rooney.

If the Clarets line up 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, the role of Marney will not be too dissimilar, he will be crucial to breaking up attacks and recycling possession for the Clarets.

The Clarets number eight is one of the club’s longest serving players, and Burnley will need to count on all of his experience at Old Trafford.