Manchester United v West Bromwich Albion: Roy Hodgson may have the tactical tricks to cause an upset In reality, though, the key to getting a good result lies more in how they handle the home attack. As always, Hodgson will have worked in training on negating United's strengths, just like he did last week in preparing for the movement of Juan Mata and Daniel Sturridge. That means Youssuf Mulumbu looking out for Wayne Rooney when the striker seeks space off the front line, and the wide midfielders working hard to protect their full-backs against two potent wingers (Fig 1). If they can manage that successfully, the visitors stand a chance of getting something out of the game to put a spoke in the wheel of United's ambitions. So can Swansea do the same to Roberto Mancini's lot? Can they reach a level of performance at the Liberty Stadium that earned draws against Tottenham and Chelsea and a win over Arsenal? Well, last week's comfortable victory at Wigan wasn't bad preparation, even though Nathan Dyer's red card means he can't play. What was highlighted in that game, however, partly through his taking of two excellent goals, was the positive impact made by Gylfi Sigurdsson. Since arriving on loan in January, the Iceland international has been handed a central role just ahead of Leon Britton and Joe Allen in midfield. With his leggy style and bright mind, Sigurdsson has shown himself capable of wandering into areas where possibilities lie for creating chances. Importantly, he sees the pass very quickly once a gap opens up, so if Scott Sinclair times his run properly, the flier might profit from Sigurdsson's vision (Fig 2). Not only that, the 22 year-old is willing to let fly with shots, as proved at the DW Stadium with his fantastic opener. Yet of all the games Sigurdsson has played in so far, this one could prove the toughest in terms of finding space. He will need to use every ounce of his football intelligence to seek out room in an area that City tend to smother. Highly experienced opponents such as Yaya Toure and Gareth Barry aren't likely to offer much encouragement at all. That said, this could be a good time to play City, what with Kompany's absence and a possible physical hangover from the midweek trip to Portugal. The same goes for United after that curious display against Bilbao. As the title race gains pace, points will inevitably be dropped on the home straight. This could be the weekend for that to begin. Would Roger Johnson have dared turn up for training stinking of booze, as he did on Monday, if Mick McCarthy was still the Wolves manager? But one thing is certain: after getting thrashed at Fulham, Terry Connor desperately needs a response at home to Blackburn from a group of players who still call him TC.