how is it hype? They are the current champions, and even if these two kids are flops, hargreaves and tevez wont be. They maybe a little weaker at the back following the loss of Heinze, but they havent gone downhill in midfield and up front.
its about playing the percentages. How likely to score is the striker you leave upfield compared to how likely the extra defender will prevent the opposition scoring? the number of times an isolated striker scores from a corner clearance is tiny. then there is the argument that having a player on the halfway line forces the opponents to keep two players back which is a bit of a false argument as most teams keep two players back anyway. have a look next time we conceed a corner. You'll invariably see one defender on the halfway line, and one stood 5-10 yards inside our half.