Man Utd's Form Is Great, But They Look Knackered - Rotation Must Be Considered Against Chelsea

"We're fine. We're fit. The players are raring to go and want to play again. We've got enough players - we've had the chance over this period to take players off; we've been three goals up in many games after 60 minutes, so we've been fortunate in that respect."

These the words of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who saw his Manchester United side extend their current unbeaten run in all competitions to 19 games on Thursday night, after they successfully navigated through a difficult fixture at Crystal Palace.

But the questions keep coming. And while those questions are no longer about his team's shortcomings or poor form on the pitch, they're coming because there's something noticeable about this post-lockdown version of his side. Manchester United look knackered.

United's 2-0 win at Selhurst Park was a matter of picking the right moments to make their difference in quality show, and just getting out with the points however they could. They managed it thanks to brilliantly taken goals by Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, but you have to wonder if they're able to continue applying the same approach over the next nine days.

They face three season-defining fixtures in that time - their final two games in the Premier League against West Ham and Leicester City, and before that a quick turnaround for an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley.

Solskjaer has seemed to suggest ahead of the fixture that he'll continue to stick with a nailed down first choice XI (or as close to it as he's able to get, injury depending), but going ahead with such a call will come with huge risk. Patterns of slow starts are developing, sluggishness is creeping in, and quality in performance is dipping. It's all down to fatigue.

Nine of that preferred team started on Thursday, and one change was enforced due to injury. But while Solskjaer knows his team better than anyone, from the outside it looks like that team needs freshening up. The question is about when to do it, and given all that's on the line over the coming days it has to be Sunday where the risk is taken.

It goes against a United tradition which tells that they attempt to win every trophy available to them, but pushing it one too far at Wembley whatever the result (and remember extra time is a possibility here), risks them ending up with nothing but a fifth placed league finish. That would leave them reliant on winning the Europa League next month in order to make it into the Champions League - something they'd want to avoid.

Champions League qualification is absolutely essential to this team, and especially now. The transfer market is depressed and United are one of the few clubs who are in position to capitalise. The huge cash injection which comes with qualification will boost financials and help them kick on in their long-term plan of challenging for titles again. A ten week transfer window begins on July 27, and they have to attack it.

Winning the FA Cup, no matter how romantic, will not help them do that. Sunday should sit as the lowest priority of the three remaining games United have in the domestic calendar, and Solskjaer should act accordingly with the team he selects.

It's a time to hold back the young right-sided pair of Mason Greenwood and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Paul Pogba has played a lot given he's spent a chunk of the season out injured, and even Bruno Fernandes - a signing who has made an undeniable impact - has started to rush his ideas, with it showing in his execution.

Every United fan will want to win the FA Cup, and while they remain aware of the drop in quality that may come with rotation, it would be a necessary move on Sunday given everything at stake at the most important time of the season.

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