Manchester United welcome Chelsea to the Theatre of Dreams. This fixture brings back memories of Frank Lampard’s first match as Chelsea manager when Ole’s reds smashed the blues 4-0. A lot has happened since for both teams but the circumstances leading up to the game are somewhat similar. Manchester United are inconsistent as they had been. Similarly, Chelsea are a team which is trying to find their feet and sort themselves out.
Manchester United, in their midweek Champions League clash against Paris Saint Germain, won via a late Marcus Rashford goal(yes, again!). Manchester United have been wildly inconsistent in the Premier League so far, and have not won two games in a row. They destroyed Newcastle 4-1 at St. James’s Park in their last match but in their previous fixture, Tottenham decimated them 6-1 at home. Their defence, which has been suspect even after expensive reinforcements, somehow conceded only one goal at the hands of Mbappe, Neymar and Di Maria, which was an own goal. David de Gea seems to be coming back to form. Bruno Fernandes puts in a lot of effort week in week out. Marcus Rashford seems to be in fine form. If their defence doesn’t perform well then it could be a long night for the Red Devils. They should score as Chelsea have an equally leaky backline. Donny Van de Beek should be used as he would provide some much needed creativity in midfield.
Chelsea have been on a spending spree. This is the first game where Frank Lampard has all his signings and best players to choose from. Chelsea were held to a goalless draw by Sevilla in a cagey Champions League affair. With Edouard Mendy in between the sticks, they have a young keeper who is much less error prone than Kepa, who effectively ended his Chelsea career against Southampton. Frank Lampard’s trust in him is so low that Petr Chech has had to come out of retirement. The way Thiago Silva dominated the aerial balls must have increased his confidence. Kai Havertz and Timo Werner have adapted very well to the Premier League. With Pulisic and Ziyech back and Lampard’s love for Mason Mount, he will have a selection dilemma. Ideally, Mount should be dropped for Ziyech with Havertz and Pulisic being the midfield three of the 4-2-3-1 and Werner playing upfront. If Mount isn’t dropped then Havertz might find himself on the bench. It will be upto how the players gel as this would be the first time Lampard would start with all his summer signings together.
Manchester United versus Chelsea has always been a fixture to watch, producing great battles in the past. Chelsea are winless for seven matches at Old Trafford against Manchester United, and they would be eager to break this run. Chelsea have the better squad of the two teams, but you can’t underestimate Manchester United. Whenever Ole has looked as if he would get the boot, he has somehow managed to inspire his players. Chelsea will arrive with a formidable team but it would be more like 11 different players on the pitch. It would be difficult for them to play as a team as they haven’t played much football together yet.
Comments
Post a Comment