United starting line-up for First PL match in 2012-2013 season?

So it's one match down in the 2011-2012 season for Manchester United. If you had sat down exactly 12 months ago and tried to pick the starting XI for this West Brom match, how close would you have been?

This was our starting XI yesterday:

David De Gea

Chris Smalling
Rio Ferdinand
Nemanja Vidic
Fabio Da Silva

Nani
Tom Cleverley
Anderson
Ashley Young

Wayne Rooney
Danny Welbeck

Obviously our line-up included two new signings, and two players who had come back from a loan spell.

Contrast that with 12 months ago when we faced Newcastle on 16th August to begin our league campaign. We beat them 3-0 with this starting XI:

Edwin Van Der Sar

John O'Shea
Nemanja Vidic
Jonny Evans
Patrice Evra

Antonio Valencia
Darren Fletcher
Paul Scholes
Nani

Wayne Rooney
Dimitar Berbatov


Now go back to the season before (2009-2010) and we fielded the following players for our first League match (beating Birmingham 1-0):

Ben Foster

Fabio Da Silva
John O'Shea
Jonny Evans
Patrice Evra

Antonio Valencia
Darren Fletcher
Paul Scholes
Nani

Wayne Rooney
Dimitar Berbatov


So my question for you, with crystal ball in hand, is what will be the XI that takes to the field on the first Premier League weekend of next season (2012-2013)?

Will De Gea be in goal? Will the twins be playing? Will Jones and Smalling have ousted Vidic and Ferdinand? Will Cleverley and Welbeck be in the side? Will Paul Pogba be starting? Will Rooney, Berbatov, Nani, and Evra still be in United red? Hernandez? Lionel Messi?! (just kidding!)

David De Gea

Rafael Da Silva
Nemanja Vidic
Chris Smalling
Fabio Da Silva

Ashley Young
Tom Cleverley
Darren Fletcher
Nani

Wayne Rooney
Chicharito

No new signings in the XI? I actually think Fletcher's the most at risk in the team you named.

--------------Casillas-----------------

Rafael---Smalling---Vidic----Fabio

-----Hargreaves---Gibson-------

Nani--------Sneijder----------Bale

--------------Rooney----------------

This was supposed to be a serious thread. Did you do a small wee wee when you posted that?

But seriously how are we supposed to guess this? What if Giggs retires? What if a player has a dreadful season and we move him on? What if a player has an incredible season and Madrid come in? My guess is as good as yours, except a bit less realistic.

Educated guess surely? It's pure speculation. I think Giggs will be gone. I think others will be sold. Fergie's got a conveyor belt in motion, we've overhauled the squad this summer, so actually there might be a good deal of continuity next year. But there may be other youngsters coming through.

For two straight years, our opening day line-up had exactly the same front 6. We've had a different starting goalie each year. The defence has been more fluid, and suddenly we're introducing new midfielders and forwards.

I think we might have 10 of next season's opening day side at the club, but I'm going to guess that we will have a new starting right or left back who we buy next summer.

There's so many factors in football that would affect a starting line-up. It's near impossible to guess the team in a months time, never mind a year.

Spoil sport! Don't play my game then!

How about a different question: what would you LIKE the team to look like?

I'd like it to be:

Lindegaard

Rafael Smalling Jones Fabio

Cleverley Pogba

Valencia Rooney Welbeck

Hernandez


Subs: De Gea, Vermijl, Evans, Fletcher, Young, King, Macheda

---------De Gea----------

Rafael-----Ferdinand-----Vidic-----Evra

Nani-----Fletcher-----Anderson-----Young

Rooney-----Hernandez

Very confident of this being very close to the actual line up depending on injuries of course so one or two could easily be different, Smalling in the back four for an injury or Carrick/Cleverley in midfield, could be the odd signing in there too but i cant see that much talent for us to go for, most likely the talent we do go for will be too young and inexperienced to start, i see Pogba on the bench and coming on second half.

Very confident Giggs will be on the subs bench too

Anderson? Vidic? Nani?

Anderson and Vidic injured to start the season. Nani at a new club.

Bit of wishful thinking on my part, as I want Josh King and Paul Pogba to break through in to United's first team. Also like Vermijl's ability to play both full back positions.

--------------------------De Gea-----------------------------

Fabio ----------- Smalling -------- Vidic --------------Evra

Valencia -------- Anderson ----- Cleverley ---------- Young

--------------------Rooney ----- Hernandez --------------------

Subs:

Lindegaard
Rafael
Tunniclife
Pogba
Fletcher
Welbeck
Carrick.

A team filled with players that will win the 2012/13 season for us.

BUMP

Just looking through some of my old threads and thought I'd dig this out.

Anyone want to predict our first starting line-up of the 2012 Premier League season?! How about in August 2013?!

For this coming season, I'll try ..........

1 David De Gea

4 Phil Jones
15 Nemanja Vidic
6 Jonny Evans
3 Patrice Evra

25 Antonio Valencia
16 Michael Carrick
23 Tom Cleverley
18 Ashley Young

10 Wayne Rooney
14 Javier Hernandez

Subs - 34 Anders Lindegaard, 12 Chris Smalling, 5 Rio Ferdinand, 11 Ryan Giggs, 42 Paul Pogba, 17 Nani, 19 Danny Welbeck

you don't think we'll make any starting signings?

DDG

Smalling
Vidic
Rio
Baines

Valencia
Carrick
Cleverley/new signing
Nani

Hazard
Rooney

I'm picturing some transfer action in the summer, maybe some young guns, and possibly a solid player who has already done well in the Premier League (I like Clint Dempsey, for example, but do we need him?). If you think that last summer we got a young European (De Gea), a young Brit (Jones), and an established Premier League player (Young), then I think that pattern might continue. I wonder if Fergie's scouts will pull in a European player who we then all watch do well in Euro 2012 before his price and reputation goes up, and would a young Brit be somebody like Ross Barkley at Everton? Would we chase a talent like Yohan Cabaye from Newcastle, perhaps?

I think Hazard will go to Man City, and I think he'd then divert his attention to Arsenal or Chelsea before United.

Leighton Baines? Really? I'm not a fan. I was impressed by Swansea's Neil Taylor when I saw him play. He's fairly young, Welsh, and could be a decent left back signing if he's not tied down long-term to Swansea. The twins have got to start more this year, whether it's for United or for other clubs on loan. Evra played the most minutes for us this past season, but how many times was he culpable for bad positioning when we conceded goals?

My God - Really? or are you joking too?

On the assumption that youre not I think that is a side that is begging for a spanking. And the bench has nothing on it. At the moment Macheda is nowhere near the first team - and rightly so. If youre going to include King as the young bright prospect that we're trying to expose to the highest level then you shouldnt have Macheda there too.

With the departures of Owen and (more than likely) Berbatov it leaves us a bit short in terms of goals from the bench - but then neither were involved this season so arguably we were short this season too - which might explain why we could never overturn a deficit.

I'm just throwing it out there... If there's one thing I've learned, trying to second-guess SAF is usually pissing into the wind