Manchester United's Trap Threat
Manchester United's path to the FA Cup final looks easy. Coventry City promises fierce resistance.
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Manchester United player, Amad Diallo (right), competes for the ball with Liverpool player, Conor Bradley (left), during the quarter-final match of the FA Cup at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, on Sunday (17/3/2024). MU won 4-3 in that match. Coventry City will face Manchester United in the semi-final round of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium, London, on Sunday (21/4/2024).
LONDON, SATURDAY — Manchester United has everything superior to Coventry City, their opponent in the semifinals FA Cup, Sunday (21/4/2024) 21.30 WIB, at Wembley Stadium, London. However, if they repeat the sloppy performance they often do, the Red Devils squad's chances of winning the only trophy this season will be dashed.
Referring to the latest standings, MU, who is in seventh place in the English Premier League, is 21 rungs ahead of Coventry. The opponent is ranked eighth in the Championship Division. Coventry are eight points from the play-off zone for promotion to the Premier League and are in sixth place.
Also read: FA Cup Without Replay, “The Collapse of Our Football”
Given this condition, MU should not encounter any difficulties in defeating Coventry to secure a ticket for the FA Cup final. Moreover, the morale of the MU squad is very positive as they were able to defeat their eternal rival, Liverpool, in the quarterfinals.
MU manager Erik ten Hag reminded his team not to underestimate Coventry. According to him, Coventry has the opportunity to cause pain if the children under their care do not show their best performance.
"We have watched Coventry's performance against Wolves in the quarterfinals. Their team mentality is very impressive, so we have to play at our best level," said Ten Hag, as quoted by MUTV on Saturday (20/4/2024).
Manchester United player, Antony (left), together with Amad Diallo (right), celebrates his goal against Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, Sunday (17/3/2024). MU won 4-3 in that match. Coventry City will face Manchester United in the semifinals of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium, London, Sunday (21/4/2024).
Potential weaknesses
However, "The Red Devils" still need to be cautious and must not be complacent against Coventry. At the very least, Bruno Fernandes and his teammates must address the weakness of being too easy in allowing opponents to take shots in their defensive zone.
During 2024, MU has faced 238 shots from opponents in the English Premier League. The number of shots faced by MU is the highest among the top five European leagues since the turn of the year.
Also read: Manchester United's Path to Glory Restoration
In six consecutive league matches, they always received more than 20 shots from their opponents. The highest number of shots was created by Brentford, which resulted in 31 shots on March 31st. Not only in the English league, the poor defense of the Red Devils also dampened the attacks of opponents in the FA Cup.
Since facing Newport in the fourth round, MU has always faced more than 15 opponent shots. Newport County, a League Two team which is the fourth tier in the English competition pyramid, managed to produce 17 shots in MU’s defense zone.
We know how big the problem we will face is. As usual, when you encounter many obstacles, you must find the solution.
Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder, Tommy Doyle (right), took a free kick in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Coventry City at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, on Tuesday (16/4/2024). Coventry City will face Manchester United in the semifinals of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium, London, on Sunday (21/4/2024).
Similar shooting notes were made by Nottingham Forest in the fifth round. Then, when they defeated Liverpool 4-3 in the quarter-finals last month, MU supporters had to witness their favorite team face 25 shots from "The Reds".
According to Ten Hag, Coventry will present the same challenges as teams that have faced MU up to this point. As a result, the Dutch tactician stated that his team must prepare a number of solutions to overcome the challenges that will arise at Wembley.
Also read: Manchester United heals ahead of derby
"We know how big the problem we will face. As usual, if you encounter many obstacles, you must find the solution. We will find a solution to reach the final," said Ten Hag, who led MU to the final match of the FA Cup last season.
Ten Hag received a valuable energy boost ahead of the FA Cup semifinals. Midfielder Scott McTominay and winger Antony have been confirmed to be able to play against Coventry. Both were absent from the match against Bournemouth last weekend. Not only that, Harry Maguire, MU's center-back, is also fully fit.
A photo archive shows Coventry City Manager Mark Robins during the FA Cup quarterfinal match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Coventry City at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton on Tuesday (16/4/2024). Coventry City will face Manchester United in the FA Cup semifinals at Wembley Stadium, London, on Sunday (21/4/2024).
"Harry (Maguire) has a minor injury and did not train this week. However, now he has returned to the field. He will be available for the match on Sunday," said Ten Hag.
Second moment
Meanwhile, Coventry is ambitious to be the second team in the English second-tier competition to make it to the final of the FA Cup since Cardiff City in 2007-2008. Their achievement of reaching the FA Cup semifinals this season is their farthest journey since winning the title in the 1986-1987 edition.
Coventry has the experience of the manager to face MU. Coventry manager Mark Robins is no stranger to the Red Devils. He started his career as a footballer with the MU Academy team and spent the first four seasons of his professional career with MU. He was at MU from 1984 to 1992.
Also read: Manchester United's Faint Victory
Robins reminded his protégés not to be deceived by negative statistics regarding MU, one of which being the team that faces the most shots. According to him, MU is still a team that is much more favored than "The Sky Blues", Coventry's nickname.
"We must understand how the game will be played. There should be no fear and the match will be one of the biggest games for most of our players," said Robins as quoted by the club's website.
The celebration of Coventry City defender Liam Kitching and goalkeeper Bradley Collins after the FA Cup quarter-final match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Coventry City at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton on Tuesday (16/4/2024). Coventry won 3-2. Coventry will face Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday (21/4/2024).
"People say that Man United has suffered a lot of shots, but they are a team filled with top international talent players. We will have an interesting match, but we must enjoy it and give everything we can," he said.
In the second meeting of the teams, Coventry managed to defeat MU, 2-0, in the third round of the English League Cup edition 2007-2008. The match took place at Old Trafford Stadium.
Also read: Erik ten Hag's Limits of Failure
Ellis Simms, Coventry striker, is determined to continue his sharp streak in the FA Cup. He scored the brace or two goals that decided Coventry's 3-2 victory over Wolves in the quarter-finals.
“I'm sure if we can score a goal, it will bring a great feeling to our fans. "For me, scoring a goal at Wembley will certainly be an unforgettable experience," said Simms as quoted by the club's website.
