EPL: 3 Key Battles to Watch as Manchester United Faces Swansea City

As the dust settles on an era-defining Manchester derby, the task at hand for Manchester United is clear.

Going into the final two games of the season, United must win them both and win them well. There is a very real chance that the title may be decided on goal difference this season, and United trail their local rivals by eight goals.

Knowing that good, high-scoring wins are required in the final two games will only increase the pressure on Manchester United, and so we should be in for a very good game against Premier League surprises Swansea City. The Welsh club are still in consideration for a top 10 finish and they will be eager to put a recent bad run of form to an end.

In this article we will take a look at the three key battles on the field that could determine the victor.

New-Look United Attack vs. Michel Vorm and the Swansea Back Four

Until Newcastle United's Papiss Cisse came along in January and decided to decimate every team put in front of him, there was a very good case for naming Dutch international Michel Vorm as signing of the season.

Signed for only £1.5million from FC Utrecht, the Dutchman has put in a number of solid displays this season, prompting rumours of clubs around Europe upping their interest in the Swansea stopper.

We must also remember that Swansea have a pretty solid defence. While their away record does not match their fantastic home record (which is, at the moment, better than United's), they have certainly exceeded expectations this season.

Their star defender is Ashley Williams, who is Swansea's highest-ranked player according to EA Sports Player Performance Index. He's completed 77 percent of his attempted tackles this season.

With Danny Welbeck officially ruled out of the game, United will now field either Javier Hernandez or Dimitar Berbatov to partner Wayne Rooney in attack.

The Rooney-Welbeck partnership has rightly been gaining some praise lately as the pair show signs of developing a great relationship on the field. One has to wonder whether a new-look attack composed of Rooney and the out-of-form Chicharito or outgoing Berbatov will be as effective against a strong Swansea defense with a point to prove.

The Swansea "Carousel" vs. Scholes and Carrick

In the aftermath of United’s defeat to Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League final, Sir Alex Ferguson described Barcelona’s midfield as a “passing carousel." Down at the Liberty Stadium, Brendan Rodgers is building a similar passing machine.

Swansea fans will take pride in telling you how Leon Britton is a statistically better passer than Xavi. His midfield partner, Joe Allen, is a similarly gifted player who Rodgers affectionately calls “my Iniesta."

Combine these two with the immense talent of Gylfi Sigurðsson—a man whose efforts this season have garnered interest from teams including Manchester United—and you have on paper a midfield that could compete with the very best in the league.

The pressure is on, and that means Sir Alex should once again field the experienced heads of Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick. All the statistics in the world will not help against a man widely considered to be the best of his generation and the Geordie being groomed as his replacement.

They will need to use their experience to keep the younger legs of Allen, Britton and Sigurðsson at bay and—if nothing else—this battle should be very pleasing on the eye.

Sinclair and Dyer vs. United's Fullbacks

When I think back to Monday night, I remember a particular position on the field where Manchester City pressed the attack and made United look vulnerable: left-back.

David Silva and Samir Nasri were often given time and space to glide forward and cause panic because Patrice Evra was either caught upfield or had been drawn into the center of the park.

Additionally, we once again witnessed Phil Jones struggle at right-back. He too was often caught upfield, and received little support from the wide midfielders. I expect the manager to once again field the team of Rafael and Valencia out on the right as other options have just not been as effective.

Scott Sinclair and Nathan Dyer have had very good seasons for their club and I fully expect Swansea to try and exploit United's defence on the flanks.

The pair have contributed with 13 goals and 8 assists between them this season, and while these stats aren’t particularly outstanding, Sinclair and Dyer will still be dangerous against an inconsistent United defensive unit.

If they aren’t being considered for Olympic selection it would be a massive shame, although this game may provide one last big occasion for the pair to shine and put themselves into international consideration.