Swansea City vs Manchester United: Five Key Battles

Here is a rundown of the key battles...

Chico vs Wayne Rooney

The England striker has come into fine goal scoring form over the last few weeks in the Premier League, netting five times in his past three outings. Rooney is scoring these goals in addition to the vital work he does in United's build up play, meaning that his importance to their attacks cannot be overstated. Chico will have to be prepared to step out of the back four to ensure Rooney is not left alone in between Swansea's defence and their midfield, and if he can successfully cut Rooney off from his teammates, then United will lose an integral cog in their side.

Itay Shechter/Danny Graham vs Rio Ferdinand

Swansea looked short of options upfront against Spurs last week, and you'd expect Laudrup to introduce a striker to play in front of Michu on Sunday. Schechter and Graham have both played their fair share of games this season, and whilst neither is anything like prolific, their presence can create a bit more room in the centre of the park for their midfielders to control possession. Ferdinand has to make sure that the movement of Swansea striker does not drag the defence out of shape, as if it does, then Michu and company will be breaking from deeper positions to capitalise.

Michu vs Michael Carrick

Last weekend Hugo Lloris demonstrated one way to stop the free scoring Spaniard by almost killing him as he came to clear a ball. It is unlikely United will opt for that option, so they will have to focus on more conventional manners of keeping Michu in check. Carrick and Cleverley are a very good partnership in the midfield with regards to the technical aspects of the game, but they are less strong defensively. Carrick has to help out his defence by keeping an eye on Michu, and tracking him on his forward runs. For his part Michu will also be important in pressurising the United midfielders to try and block off their passing before it gets out of their own half.

Ben Davies vs Antonio Valencia

Davies did a solid enough job against Aaron Lennon last weekend at White Hart Lane, but there were still occasions when Walker joined the attack and overloaded Swansea's left flank to good effect. Davies will face another challenging afternoon on Sunday, with Valencia likely to be backed up by Rafael. If given space, there is perhaps no better attacking right flank partnership in the league, and Swansea will have to ensure that they don't allow their full back to become isolated, and Davies himself will have to watch out for runs in behind him.

Leon Britton vs Tom Cleverley

Spurs made the most interceptions of any side in the Premier League since the 2009-10 season against Swansea last weekend, and Dembele and Sandro's tireless pressing significantly disrupted Swansea's passing game. Part of their success was due to their physicality, but most of it was due to reading the game and then ensuring they didn’t give away possession cheaply themselves. Cleverley and Carrick will be aiming to do the same on Sunday, and how successful Cleverley is in closing down Britton in the midfield will largely determine who dominates the centre of the park. Cleverley is good on the ball himself, and if he can win possession back for his side more than he gives it away, then United will be well set.

image: © marcel sigg