Manchester United defeated Charlton with a weakened side last week and only Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martinez and Antony from the starting team in that League Cup fixture were expected to retain their roles for the Manchester derby.
That changed when Erik ten Hag confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Dalot was unavailable through injury, but it was still a surprise to see neither Martinez nor Antony make the starting XI when the line-ups were confirmed on Saturday morning.
Martinez and Raphael Varane are Ten Hag's favoured centre-back pairing, but Luke Shaw was selected to start at centre-back instead of the World Cup winner, which the Dutchman insisted was for a combination of tactical and fitness reasons.
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Antony, an £84million signing, was also named on the bench with Bruno Fernandes starting on the right. Fernandes has often been ineffective when playing in that position and it meant Eriksen was playing as a No.10 for the first time at Old Trafford.
The team selection, which surprised supporters, was clearly a risk, but Ten Hag does not seem afraid of making big decisions. He expertly handled the disruptive Cristiano Ronaldo and he's currently pragmatically dealing with Jadon Sancho.
Ten Hag's CV reads Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern Munich II, Utrecht and Ajax, which meant there were justified doubts about whether he could succeed at a club of the stature of United, but he keeps getting the biggest decisions right.
The decisions to start Shaw and Fernandes, not in their natural positions, over multi-million summer recruits Martinez and Antony in of the biggest fixtures of the season was a colossus call, but it was vindicated.
Shaw looks like he's played at centre-back his entire life and he was outstanding alongside Raphael Varane. Shaw played down his contribution in thwarting Erling Halaand after the game but not many can stop the centre-forward, who has scored more goals himself than seven Premier League clubs this term, from having a single shot on target.
It's a credit to Ten Hag that a defensive line that included Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Shaw at centre-back and Tyrell Malacia looked so hard to break through, as he is coaching the players and coaxing improvement that some thought was not possible.
The decision to move Shaw to centre-back was a masterstroke, but if talk of a challenge for the Premier League title is to continue, then he needs to be relocated back to his natural position to accommodate Martinez's return.
Although there could be no complaints about Malacia's performance in the derby, Shaw is objectively a better left-back at this stage of both players' careers, whilst starting him in the centre of the defence also means Martinez is on the bench.
Martinez is firmly in contention to be named United's Player of the Season, such has been the quality of his performances, and he must return to the starting line-up sooner rather than later, as he undeniably makes the side better.
The centre-back clinched World Cup glory and immortality in Argentina last month but he played just 300 minutes in that competition. He's been given just 110 minutes since returning to Manchester and he's hardly played over the last eight weeks.
Just over 400 minutes on a pitch since the start of December means Martinez could be lacking match sharpness and Ten Hag needs him to be at his very best in the coming weeks, which could have a huge say in a once unlikely title charge.
United play Crystal Palace on Wednesday and it's advisable to start Martinez at centre-back in that fixture with Shaw at left-back. That is the strongest possible pair on the left side of the defence and it will prepare them for Arsenal on Sunday.
Arsenal have set the pace at the top of the Premier League this season and they're short odds with the bookmakers to win their first league title since 2004. The Emirates has been difficult to visit and Ten Hag needs to pick his strongest side.
Ten Hag is always reluctant to change a winning team and it's perhaps harsh to drop players after defeating City, but if he's going to make an exception for anyone, then it's likely to be Martinez, who has made such a difference this season.
Shaw has performed magnificently, but Martinez should start at centre-back against Palace and Arsenal.
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