Manchester United vs Newcastle United: Fergie's Game Plan

After a rather interesting first weekend in the Premier League, Monday night will top off week one with Manchester United hosting Newcastle United at the Theater of Dreams.

A quick round of with regards to some of United's rivals, Chelsea, the dominant force with six of the best when they faced newcomers West Brom at the Bridge.

Spurs looked formidable but failed to capitalize on their chance when they met Manchester City. City seemed somewhat short but looked promising with new signings Silva and Toure starting.

Arsenal managed a late equalizer after Pepe Reina fumbled a rebound off the woodwork to give the Gunners a 1-1 scoreline against Liverpool at Anfield. Liverpool's new manager Roy Hodgson will be disappointed but relieved at the same time, having been a man down for most of the second half.

Looking ahead to tonight's encounter, the Magpies return to top-flight football with a visit to Old Trafford—some might say the worst place to start your season while many might feel they'd rather get it out of the way as soon as possible.

United seemed ready and energetic to get their season underway when they faced Chelsea last weekend. New signing Javier Hernandez is my player of the preseason, scoring four goals in four games.

While Newcastle might be returning to the Premier League, the two know each other very well with their last meeting back in 2008 with a 1-1 scoreline. But more impressive was the match before that, a 6-0 thrashing by Manchester when Cristiano Ronaldo made the scoresheet three times.

But the past is the past, and as Newcastle look to open a new chapter so does Manchester United.

Personally, I doubt Ferguson will go with the 4-5-1 formation which was used very often last season. With so many talented strikers in the squad, he could revert to the 4-4-2 something we've already seen during preseason.

Possible Lineup

GK    Edwin van der Sar
RB    Wes Brown
LB     Patrice Evra
CD    Nemanja Vidic
CD    Johhny Evans
RM    Antonio Valencia
LM     Nani
CM     Daren Fletcher
CAM   Paul Scholes
CF      Dimitar Berbatov
ST      Wayne Rooney

Subs:

Kuszczak
Smalling
O'Shea
Carrick
Giggs
Hernandez
Owen

Ferguson, as always, will want to use the wings; Valencia and Nani both have great speed, which is always a threat to defenders.

The experience of Scholes in the center alongside Fletcher will be key especially after his Charity Shield match performance.

The back four is basically the same with Vidic and Evans holding the fort, Evra on the left, with Brown getting the nod ahead of Rafael.

Up front, Berbatov could play just behind Wayne. He seems to be more useful in that position.

Late on, we might see either Owen making an appearance off the bench, depending on his fitness, otherwise there's no doubt Hernandez could be greeted to loud cheers.

Taking into consideration it's the first game, Hernandez could be surprised with a starting spot, but Ferguson will have to think that one carefully. The youngster has played a lot in recent weeks and hasn't rested enough.

Attack will be key if Ferguson wants to get anything out of this season, applying consistent pressure both from the flanks and the central positions.

Something that has been noticeable from the other games this weekend is the ability to get enough men in the box when attacking and to balance that off with enough men in the box when defending. Aston Villa portrayed this, and West Ham's lack of it was the key factor in the end result.

A certain area that needs to be challenged, is Man United being more direct when in the final third. A trend last season was just pushing the ball around trying to be overpatient in the build-up, which at many times reduced the play to a mere shot at goal with no substance.

While three points is the most important result, a positive message needs to be sent out to many of the possible title contenders. Chelsea have already set the bar with six goals in their opening encounter.

Ferguson will want to establish a similar respect going into the season, with Wayne Rooney being the key symbol in United's attack.