With top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic suspended, plus other forward options Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Wayne Rooney all injured, suddenly Jose Mourinho has no fit strikers available for Manchester United’s FA Cup quarterfinal at Chelsea on Monday.
These are the kind of situations Mourinho thrives in.
Backs against the wall, without key players and feeling like the world is against them as he returns to Stamford Bridge for the second time this season with United following his firing by Chelsea last season, the siege mentality will be strong with Mourinho and his players.
Given Zlatan, Martial, Rashford and Rooney are all out for the trip to Premier League leaders Chelsea, how will Mourinho line his team up?
Here are a few options...
Option 1 - Chuck Marouane Fellaini up there and move to a back three to shore things up defensively. A 3-4-3 worked fairly well in Rostov last week.
---- De Gea ----
---- Bailly ---- Smalling ---- Rojo ----
----- Valencia ---- Herrera ---- Pogba ---- Shaw ----
---- Mkhitaryan ---- Fellaini ---- Mata -----
Option 2 - Start with no central forward and just have three interchangeable wingers up top to bamboozle Chelsea. Mourinho did it when he was Chelsea manager in 2013-14 and went to Old Trafford...
---- De Gea ----
---- Valencia ---- Bailly ---- Smalling ---- Rojo ----
---- Herrera ----- Carrick ---- Pogba ----
---- Mkhitaryan ---- Mata ---- Lingard ----
Option 3 - Go for a solid 4-5-1 with Fellaini as the target man. Try to hold Chelsea for extra time and PKs. This is Mourinho, after all, the master of parking the bus and getting unexpected results away from home.
---- De Gea ----
---- Valencia ---- Bailly ---- Smalling ---- Rojo ----
----- Mkhitaryan ---- Herrera ----- Carrick ---- Pogba ---- Lingard -----
---- Fellaini ----