Authors: Doron, Nik and Rob

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Despite being a website with content about Man United written by Man United fans – we all happen to not only enjoy football in general, but watch a lot of it. Therefore, we’re trying something new – a weekly column looking at a few learnings and observations from the weekend’s football and not necessarily just in England. A new scribe shall be joining us on this column, Trinidad & Tobago’s finest, Rob. We’ll make no attempt to be neutral and we’ll attempt to link back to United where possible but otherwise enjoy our thoughts and ramblings.

Michael Oliver’s star is rising fast

Newly promoted to the Fifa list of referees this year, Michael Oliver is making exuberant progress in only his second full season on the Premier League. Given plenty of time on the sidelines (at the highest level) as fourth official last season and at the start of this, Oliver has been learning his trade vicariously, much in the same way as Ole Solskjaer did as a United legend from the bench. Referee bosses have been cautious in handling what looks like the hottest British talent in many years, gradually easing him in to pressure cooker of top-flight football. In a turbulent period for referees in this country, Oliver has stood out as the jewel in the proverbial crown. His fitness is exemplary, his positioning improving by the game and his calm demeanour and management of hot-headed ‘superstars’ unimaginably superlative given his age. In recent weeks his appointments have been more high profile too; Swansea v Arsenal last week, a West Midlands derby this (drafted in as Atkinson’s replacement on his ‘week off’). Nothing typified Oliver’s confident and no-nonsense approach than his dismissal of Karl Henry on Saturday for a stamp on Albrighton. In the right position as always, the 26 year old calmly surveyed the scene whilst approaching Henry, turned in behind the midfielder allowing a greater control of the situation and showed him the red card. You know you’re doing a good job when Mick McCarthy doesn’t even complain about your decision. Oliver is no longer one ‘for the future’, his star is rising fast, but he has already arrived.

Patrice Evra is still the best left-back in the Premier League

United captain Patrice Evra now seems well and truly out of the rut that saw him lose his swashbuckling form in and around the disastrous French World Cup campaign. In the months following the summer of 2010, Evra’s usual defensive domineering displays turned into placid, error-prone offerings; Last season there was a distinct change in emphasis, Evra instructed not to be so cavalier, and when he did venture into the final third his delivery was often very poor. Yet he remained in a successful side, and importantly, Fergie’s most trusted asset. This season has seen him gradually re-find his mojo and attacking acumen, with Smalling’s and Jones’ presence at right fullback crucial – their natural tendency as a centre half to form a three-man centre when the fullback is high gives Evra the confidence to attack with verve. Whilst it is true that Evra’s forays forward have often left United short down the left side, Ferdinand’s switch to left centre-half has aided the defensive shape. As has Young’s defensive work on that side, often in tandem with Carrick’s ubiquitous presence in the midfield sweeper role that he has made his own.

In fact, it has been the inverted wing play of both Young and Nani down United’s left side that has accidentally on purpose re-enlivened Evra’s spirit. Their movement inside as part of a fluid front four approach, has allowed the Frenchman the opportunity exploit the space, and he is a constant threat when in the mood he displayed at the Emirates – whether it was assisting Park’s opener versus Wigan or doing the same for Hernandez in the crucial game at Everton, or simply starting the moves with an interception that led to both the openers versus Arsenal and City away, Patrice is once again proving why the modern-day fullback is of vital importance to the team’s potency. He has also improved his general defensive outlay, particularly evident in the bigger games; notably more considered in his positioning in these games, he has worked hard to track his opponent as we saw with Walcott’s anonymity yesterday, and he has also helped out in central areas. Man of the match performances against Chelsea and Arsenal were the reward for his diligence, and his output versus City in the Cup, Totenham at home and Liverpool away should not go unnoticed.

With Cole struggling, many will point towards Jose Enrique’s progression at Liverpool or Baines’ work ethic and crossing ability as proof that there are better left sided fullbacks in the league. But both are far from the finished article and lack the ‘completeness’ of the Evra package. Not 31 until May this year, the left back is at his peak for a defender, and worryingly for United’s closest rivals, he seems to be finding consistency just at the right time.

Boo sucks to Arsenal “fans”

I’ll put this simply: Arsenal fans do not deserve a manager as good as Arsene Wenger. Before a season starts, “In Arsene We Trust” is the motto, but when the footy gets going, they mumble songs, murmur and whinge despite the excellent home form of their players and the surroundings of their brilliant new stadium. Booing when Wenger, one of the great youth developers of the Premier League, subbed a tiring 18-year old off? It was a truly cringe-worthy moment.

Their reaction could’ve been to give a standing ovation for a coruscating performance by a great young talent. But they decided to negate all that, by booing both a substitute and the manager, shattering the confidence of an already demoralised player, and killing the very significant tide of momentum their team had at that point in the game. They couldn’t do anything about the substitution being made or not, but they certainly did something to the morale of the team. Credit them, not Arshavin, with the assist for United’s winner.

Things that Arsenal fans should’ve been more concerned about:
1. Djourou.
2. The most overrated player in the Premier League playing at left back for them.
3. Ramsey getting tired after playing a hell of a lot of games this season… hmm, young player fitness issues? NAH.
4. Ignasi Miquel. He didn’t play, but I just find he has a weird face.

I’d love to see Arshavin come to United on a free, and smash a hat trick past them next season. Also, Arsene, could you resign from AFC and come manage the Trinidad and Tobago national team? We’ve got some good young players! Anyway, Arsenal “fans” are rubbish.

On the road… to a great away record

Few things in life can beat an away win over Arsenal. But one thing that’s been quietly overlooked is the amazing turnaround in our team’s away form. This campaign, United have the best away record in the league – albeit with some extremely taxing trips to come. What exactly has changed?

For one, aggression in midfield has been key. The mauling at Newcastle aside, United haven’t been overrun as often or as severely as they were last season, where Villa, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Wolves can each claim to have dominated United in central areas.

The side has been pressing and controlling the middle third with more authority, showing renewed vigour away from home *insert Giggsy pun*. Last season, United were 17th in the league at tackles per game (with 18.3), and 16th in terms of interceptions (14.6) away from home. This season’s away record sees the side jump to 6th in tackling (20.8) and 7th in interceptions (16.9). When the energy of Cleverley and Anderson was used earlier in the season, the attacking tailspin it created was too much for opposition defences to handle. The Jones-Carrick combo against Villa and QPR showed a pleasing mix of steel and silk, and could feature again when The Greatest Man in the Universe returns from injury in a few weeks.

When Giggs and Carrick have played together, they’ve relied on the finer arts of passing and dribbling to tire the opposition, and that’s helped to put teams like Fulham to bed by halftime. The Arsenal game demonstrated this very well, and if the first-half finishing from Danny and Nani had been better, it could’ve been a very comfy win. Even with Carrick carrying Giggs on a feathered palanquin (until Scholesy came on), and nursing a hamstring injury for 45 minutes, United dominated possession and dictated the tempo in the first half, while retaining the shape and fortitude in the second to repel a stirring Arsenal comeback, snatch a fine winner, and see out the game.

P.S. I could’ve named this bit “Best away record in the league? Blame Michael Carrick.” Since coming back from injury, he’s been sensational. According to WhoScored’s average player ratings, the Geordie Guardiola has been the 6th best player in the Premier League this season. Caveat: WhoScored also has Nasri in 10th place, so take this ranking with a pinch or an industrial silo full of salt, as appropriate.

Darron Gibson’s role at Everton

Since moving to Everton, Gibson has started in both league games away to Villa and home to Blackburn but what’s his role been and how’s he done?

Given plenty of responsibility, Gibson’s been used centrally as a link-man between Cahill and Fellaini. Whilst often found as the deepest of the three, he’s by no means played far back for Everton, he has license to push on. He’s certainly benefited from playing as part of a three and having players who move a lot around him – it’s given him freedom to play some nice attacking passes.

Maybe the biggest asset Gibson’s brought so far is his reading of the game, something he maybe wasn’t appreciated for at United or never got the chance to show. He’s made numerous interceptions in his first two games and has been key to ball retention. Whether Gibson is a bit too one-dimensional remains to be seen but he certainly provides a nice foil for those around him. If though Moyes does at some point decide to play two in the middle it’ll be interesting to see if he keeps his place – for now the early signs are solid and encouraging.

Fulham’s (mini) revival

Impressive wins over Arsenal and Newcastle in recent league games have seen something of the Fulham that Martin Jol envisaged when he took over. Make no mistake about it, two men in particular have been central to it.

Zamora’s recall to the side has served to prove just how important a player he is both for club and potentially for country with Euro 2012 looming. His link-up with Dempsey has been intriguing to say the least. The Newcastle game in particular, where Dempsey scored a hat-trick was fascinating. Despite playing as a striker, Zamora regularly dropped deep and was on the ball over twice as much as Dempsey, who, as soon as Zamora was in possession, set off on a forward run. One might have expected it to be the other way round but with Dempsey being direct and all-rounded, and Johnson fast, Zamora’s physical presence deeper is unnerving for opposition players and he ends up winning the ball on numerous occasions.

Murphy’s contribution also can’t be overlooked. As a deep playmaker he’s still one of the best passers in the league and is regularly spotting opportunities to float delightfully weighted forward passes.

Whilst Fulham are starting to tick at home they are just one of four sides who’ve only won once away from home – their seven goals scored in eleven away games is the worst record in the league and maybe Jol needs to have faith in the attacking football that’s recently been so successful at Craven Cottage.

The weekend’s unsung hero: David Luiz

Having been the subject of a lot of criticism this season, David Luiz turned in a really excellent performance away to Norwich. Up against physical and bullying strikers Morison and Holt this game had trouble written all over it.

However, it was Luiz’s partner, Terry, who appeared to be the one who struggled. Luiz was assured, confident and strong, Refusing to allow Holt or Morison get the better of him, Luiz for once used his physical presence to win battles and the signs that he appears to be learning are starting to show. Whilst in the past he’s committed to tackles too early and has been turned, this time he perfectly judged when to get tight and when to allow space between himself and the strikers.

Chelsea’s defending has been questionable at times this season but Luiz was crucial to a really impressive clean sheet.

Author: Doron

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United were able to open up a two point lead at the top of the table as Chelsea were seen off with a fifth straight league win of the season – the best start the club’s had under Ferguson. It wasn’t had all their own way though, wayward Chelsea finishing gives the scoreline a rather flattering edge. Once again though another game ends with injury concerns as both Smalling and Hernandez had to be replaced. Despite that, United maintained their performing-with-flair routine and entertained when attacking, lead by the often unplayable Nani.

Off the back of a tough trip to Benfica this was a very satisfying win but looking ahead there are two big games coming up with Stoke away next weekend but first a trip to Leeds in the Carling Cup. Fergie will have to make full use of his squad once again. Here we discuss some of the key talking points from the game and welcome discussion from both United and Chelsea fans.

The return of Fletcher, a blessing and a curse?

It was a bit of a surprise to see Darren Fletcher’s name amongst the starters today. One league start in six months, against Blackpool in the final game of last season was what a virus had reduced him down to. It seemed likely that Cleverley would be replaced by Carrick in a near(ish) like-for-like swap. Instead, Fletcher who’s probably to the closest United have to a box-to-box player was chosen to partner Anderson.

Whilst much of the post-match attention was focussed on Nani and various defenders, Fletcher was something of an unsung hero in the middle. There was bite to his game and whilst he wasn’t snappy and did at times look a little off the pace, he provided a regular outlet across the pitch and was in turn the busiest of the United midfielders.

Chalkboard 1. Fletcher’s passing (92.2% success rate)

Whilst his passing was often unambitious and regularly sideways and backwards – something often incorrectly accredited to Carrick – it was accurate and reliable. There was something metronomic about it, something that the game had been crying out for from United. This wasn’t a game to play through the middle given Chelsea had superior numbers there, but rather we had the advantage out wide. It’s clearly visible how often Fletcher attempted to spray it wide to Nani – which ultimately proved effective.

There is though one potential downside to Fletcher’s return. So far this season, Anderson has been excellent alongside Cleverley and then Carrick at Bolton. Anderson’s game has been often reliant on who is partner is and how that player plays. So far this season he’s worked well with Cleverley because they’ve moved as a pair up and down the pitch. Both don’t like to be static and having a regular outlet around them has worked perfectly. Today though he was poor and one has to wonder to what extent that was down to being paired with Fletcher.

Chalkboard 2. Fletcher vs. Cleverley heatmap

Comparing Fletcher today with Cleverley against Spurs is rather telling. Whilst Cleverley is seen to be all over the place consistently, Fletcher is clearly much more static. The heatmap shows where a player is when making a pass – Cleverley’s shows he’s nicely divided in different areas of the pitch. That would have suited Anderson who is best when roaming – he would have been alongside Cleverley as the two worked off each other. Fletcher by contrast was much less of a wonderer, great in some ways as Anderson knows he can always have freedom to roam if Fletcher is going to be disciplined and hold deep; but against a three man Chelsea midfield, it was important that the two central midfielders moved together in a pair. With Fletcher holding a deep position it meant that Anderson when going forward was isolated and so he too had to hold a deep rather static position, not something that suits him.

Chalkboard 3. Anderson against Chelsea vs. Anderson against Spurs

Looking at Anderson’s positioning today and comparing it with his positioning against Spurs the difference is obvious. Today, he had to hold a deep position and was unable to get into dangerous forward positions like he did against Spurs. Today only 6% of his passes were made in the final third of the pitch but against Spurs that figure was 18%. It’s also clear that 65% of Anderson’s passes were made within his own half today, yet against Spurs that was only 44%. One reason is without a doubt because of the opposition that United were up against today and the fact Chelsea played a three man central midfield but it’s almost too coincidental that when playing next to a player who on this occasion was static, Anderson too was static and unable to replicate his recent good form.

As Fletcher gets his rhythm back it seems likely that we’ll see more of the box-to-box player he was. Regardless of who his partner was, Anderson’s form was always going to suffer a dip at some point and today he couldn’t play as well as he has lately – that too will no doubt be corrected soon.

Jones passes another test

Phil Jones has been thrust in at the deep end so far in his brief United career. He’s played all bar 75 minutes of the league season and is now in the team because of form rather than lack of numbers. He faced a tough challenge today up against Fernando Torres, who for all his lack of goals, still has fantastic movement.

It takes time for a new defence to gel and play as a unit, so the lack of clarity between Jones and Evans in terms of who should have been picking up Torres for his goal is understandable. Evans saw the run and could have tracked his man but was committed to defending the space behind him. Torres was Jones’ man too mark but didn’t look round and see the run – both he and Evans can take the joint blame. However that rare sign of inexperience aside, Jones (and Evans) was (were) excellent otherwise.

Once again a lung-busting direct run from Jones ended up with a Rooney tap-in but today it was his defensive work that caught the eye. Refusing to be intimidated by the big-reputation players he was up against, Jones was hard in the tackle and unfazed in possession. His reading of the game is far superior to any other defender his age at the moment; he made more interceptions than any other defender on the pitch today (4).

Whilst there were lessons to be learnt by Jones and the other defenders today, there’s little doubt that it was another test passed for him. Few challenges are harder than marking Torres and whilst he didn’t always get it spot on there were times when he did – easy to forget he’s only 19.

Nani’s best performance for United?

Nani’s certainly had easier games in which he’s been able to show off more tricks or have more shots. There is something very satisfying though when doing the simple things so well in a really big match. Nothing Nani had to do today was difficult, it simply required him to do what he’s done all season so far and play for the team.

He scored a wonder goal, a thunderbolt of a shot. It was that powerful that Cech had to do a double-take to check it had gone in, he’d simply not seen it fly past him. Nani could try that another ten times and it probably wouldn’t go in, such is the regular frustration fans have with him when he tries ambitions shots that go wide so often. His goal, as good as it was, isn’t even the reason he deservedly was awarded the man of the match award.

Ashley Cole (in tandem with Evra) has been the best left back in the world for a few years but today he was made to look clumsy and worse than average by Nani. Not so much because Nani has a fantastic repertoire of tricks but because Nani was direct, powerful and quick – attributes that fullbacks hate a winger to have. Cristiano Ronaldo was always credited with great bravery by Sir Alex Ferguson and despite the fact Nani hates the comparison, it’s apt. Nani always demands the ball, he loves to run at players and try to beat them even though more often than not they’ll kick him as he’s just too quick. He provided a wonderful regular outlet today and was one of the few United players to carry the ball and take the game to Chelsea. On top of all that, his decision making was superb and the antics seen in previous years were non-existent.

As long as United play as a team and don’t build a side around Nani, comparisons with Ronaldo’s goal hauls will be rendered pointless. There is though one comparison stat that is intriguing and is valid given Ronaldo’s early years were spent on the wing. Today was Nani’s 100th league game for United…

100 league games: Nani vs. Ronaldo

Yes, Nani is older than Ronaldo was at this stage and has had longer to learn the game having been phased in slightly differently but it’s a remarkable statistic that Nani has contributed a goal or assist at better than every other game so far in his United career. By comparison, Ronaldo wasn’t even at one in every three at the same stage of his career. Nani is unlikely to experience the sudden rush of goals that Ronaldo did when he moved centrally but there may well be more to come both goals-wise and assists-wise. He’s become a real team player (emphasised by the fact no United player won more tackles that he did today) and a vital cog in the United machine.

A look at the opposition: Lampard and Torres

People tend to have such contrasting views on just what Lampard is for Chelsea. My own opinion is that he’s been their playmaker for the best part of 10 years. Whenever I’ve watched Chelsea, every move seemed to go through him at some point as he headed up a midfield diamond or trio. Others point out that he’s not a playmaker and isn’t creative, he’s just a goalscoring central midfielder who times his runs well and is good at finding space. The more cynical amongst us suggest the previous but that he’s only ever late arriving into the box because he’s too slow to get there early; and he’s reliant on deflections and penalties to heave up his goal tally. Whichever category you fall into, it’s hard to deny he’s been a class act and important player for Chelsea.

Ever since being dropped for England’s game away to Bulgaria, there has been quite a public suggestion that Lampard is on the decline – something I’ve believed in for about 12 months. Today though, I think proved just that more clearly than ever before. Deployed as the midfielder at the top of the trio, the game seemed to pass him by, it was just all too quick for him. In possession he was harried and closed down, meaning that the majority of his passes went backwards and he failed to find space easily despite coming up against a two man United central midfield. In truth, he wasn’t able to make any kind of impact on the game and Villas-Boas was brave and correct to remove him at half time.

In Juan Mata, Chelsea have a player much more suited to the frantic pace of today’s game and when he was moved centrally in place of Lampard, Chelsea seemed to tick much better and play at a higher tempo.

Chalkboard 4. Lampard’s first half vs. Mata’s second half

It is rather striking to compare Lampard’s first half and Mata’s second half. Whist Mata showed his usual tendency to drift wide, that only served to stretch United. It’s incredible to see that whilst Lampard was playing 56% of his passes from within his own half, Mata only played 20% from that deep – by being much closer to his forwards, Mata was able to thread balls through to them easier and encourage them to make more dangerous runs.

Lampard shouldn’t be rendered useless though – against lesser opposition he’ll still be incredibly effective no doubt. However the time may be right for him to be phased out of the team. Unlike Scholes, reverting to a deeper quarterback position won’t suit him – Chelsea’s deep man has always been an anchor man, their playmaker’s higher up. Lampard was in fact trialled in a deep role during pre-season but insisted he wanted to play higher up. His decline is undeniably evident and is happening faster and maybe sooner than expected. Villas-Boas will have some big calls to make over the next few months.

There’s been a theory that Mata will bring the best out of Torres because they understand each other well, are Spanish and Torres has previously thrived in the Spanish national side with someone like Mata behind him. I agree that Mata may bring the best out of Torres but for a different reason. With Mata playing higher up and roaming about it’ll encourage Torres to make runs and also move. Lampard likes to be stationary and try to pick Torres out which is easier to defend against; it’s much harder to defend against two players who are both moving. With Mata playing closer to Torres it seems simple to suggest that it’ll become easier for him to play balls through over a shorter distance.

Torres though is a strange one. His movement today was superb and there were hints of the old aura coming back. Runs were good, control was good but the shooting just lacked conviction and he often lacked support. His goal though was brilliant, a super run between the United centre backs and a wonderful dinked finish that De Gea could do nothing about – much credit too must go to Anelka for a perfect pass through.

It’s therefore a shame for Torres that the game and Torres’ contribution will be remembered for this…

It happens to the best players, but even so…

Summary – lucky United or worthy winners?

Relief more than anything was my own feeling when the final whistle went. On another day, had Chelsea’s finishing been better they’d have scored at least three goals. That said, United missed a penalty, hit the post, and had a few good other chances to score too. Villas-Boas deserves credit for setting his team up to attack and win the game, it made for a good open battle.

Were United simply lucky that Chelsea’s forwards had an ‘off-day’ or did United deserve to win for taking the chances that came their way? To me, it was one of those wins that champions get – clinical, effective but could have easily lost the game. The small margins counted and each week a different player seems to be stepping up to make a difference. That said, I think there could have been few complaints had Chelsea gotten a draw, they were much better and at times played some good sharp football. They’ve the foundations to a solid team with some exciting young forwards; maybe though they lack the ability to change their system – too many players who do the same thing and still a real lack of natural wingers.

Sir Alex wasn’t overly satisfied post-match, he felt United were wasteful and gave the ball away too much. It was a far cry from recent performances even if, in patches, the attacking football was phenomenal. The win, despite injuries to Smalling and Hernandez (Ashley Cole’s a lucky boy) is what mattered though. Once again expect the team to be shuffled as some youngsters and players needing minutes come in midweek at Leeds in the Carling Cup. Next weekend sees United travel to Stoke as the best start to a season under Ferguson looks to go on. United are top of the table, have the top goalscorer (Rooney with 9) and the top assister (Young with 5); roll on the good times.

Authors: Doron and Nik

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Last season this was the fixture that all but sealed the title for United; a total contrast to the scenes a year prior. After a summer of change, Chelsea have a fresh new outer layer but they remain the same beast deep down – one that in the Premier League era has the upper hand over United in the head-to-head battle. No titles will be decided tomorrow but footballing statements can be well and truly sent out.

The opposition:

Failure to win a trophy last year was enough to end Carlo Ancelotti’s reign as head coach or whatever the fashionable term is for it these days. Carlo went but a lot of his squad didn’t; fair? The swinging axe always seems to slice the manager, rarely the players. In came a fresh new young face off the back of a trophy laden season at Porto, Jose Mour.. André Villas-Boas. At roughly the same age as quite a few members of his squad and younger than his back-up goalkeeper, Villas-Boas is the youngest Premier League manger ever. Tricky job to come into for anyone, let alone when the players are your age and egotistical; and when your boss, big Mr Abramovich likes things done his way, only. Tough gig.

Joining Villas-Boas at the club this summer was about £75m worth of footballing talent too. Lukaku, Mata and Meireles were the biggest outlays but young talent in Courtois, Romeu, Davila and in January, Piazon, are all now Chelsea blues. The most notable players to leave were Yury Zhirkov and Yossi Benayoun on loan – various young players who were neither good enough, nor likely to get a chance also left, some on loan and some permanently. It’s intriguing that the investment comes in the forward areas predominantly as it’s at the back that Chelsea have often not lived up to the high standards expected in the past 12 months. That said, the additions of Juan Mata and Meireles are exciting ones, and may well serve to start the phasing out of Lampard.

Villas-Boas has already hinted that he’ll not give in to egos and reputations. Big name players have been dropped, substitutions have been effective and he’s been encouraging expressionism alongside physicality. Chelsea right now is no place for sulkers; work hard and play or moan and be dropped. New players and new staff are hard to merge into something successful immediately. However, the expectations as ever at Chelsea are to deliver trophies, with particular emphasis on the Champions League. Villas-Boas knows he has to deliver results quickly.

Form:

Four league wins out of four, the perfect start for United; and with 18 goals scored, it’s been entertaining too. Last weekend saw a potentially tricky trip to Bolton won with ease as another five goals were scored – three of them by Wayne Rooney who has 8 in 4 league games now. There was a slight blip midweek though as United were made to work hard to earn a point away at Benfica in the Champions League. However fresh players should come back in tomorrow and the chance to rack up a best start to the season fro over 25 years is just 90 minutes away.

United already have the league’s top scorer and assister – Rooney is running away with the scoring lead for now whilst Ashley Young has made more assists than any other player (4) and Giggs, Jones and Nani are all joint second with 2 assists.

Early days but Chelsea are 3rd, two points behind United having won three out of four. Midweek, they rotated their squad too and eased to a home win over Leverkusen. They’ve played two away league games, winning one and drawing one but only managing two goals. They’re yet to keep a clean sheet in the league since the opening game away to Stoke – the only game this season they’ve also failed to score in. Like United, they’ve already had 8 different players score this season with only Mata getting more than one goal.

Team news:

No fresh injury concerns after Wednesday so it’s just Welbeck, Vidic, Rafael, Gibson and Cleverley out. Rio Ferdinand returns after being rested midweek whilst Carrick, Park, Valencia, Giggs, Fabio and Fletcher are all fit after getting vital minutes in Portugal.

Chelsea have few injury concerns – Drogba and Essien definitely miss out on this game whilst Bertrand is a doubt. After being rested midweek, John Terry and Frank Lampard will be recalled to the starting line-up.

United formation and starting XI prediction:

Expect changes from the midweek game as Fergie rotates the squad. Look back a week though and the team shouldn’t be overly different from the side that won at Bolton. There’s another chance coming up during the week to give those who need minutes, time on the pitch as United go to Leeds in the Carling Cup.

After Lindegaard got a chance and excelled in Portugal, Fergie has been adamant that De Gea will return in goal. This will arguably be the biggest test of his concentration skills so far – saves in these kind of games tend to be more crucial than others. With six defenders available, the two to miss out are likely to be Fabio and one other. Jones is likely to return after being rested at Benfica and he’ll more than likely be at right back with one of Smalling or Evans partnering Rio – Evans, the more likely after impressing in every game so far this season.

Nani, Young and Anderson were removed from the starting eleven at Benfica indicating their likely return tomorrow. Replacing Cleverley should be a fairly simple decision – Carrick is the obvious choice. He came on for Tom at Bolton last weekend and played much in the same way that Cleverley has all season so far. Carrick also seems to enjoy playing Chelsea, excelling in the games last season against the London club. Ahead of the midfield quartet will be a prowling Rooney and almost certainly the livewire Hernandez.

Arguably this is one of the easier teams to predict as form dictates selection. In the past, Ferguson may have been tempted to go 4-5-1 to match Chelsea but with United playing so well and confidently it’s time to let Chelsea worry about how United will play.

Key battle:

Brazilian Brawn: Anderson vs. Ramires

Traditionally this fixture has elicited a central midfield battle that has been pivotal to the outcome of the game. More often than not, it has seen the Premiership’s form players come head to head in this central zone, including the likes of Lampard, Fletcher, Essien, Carrick and even Giggs. This season brings us a surprising head to head duel in form of a rejuvenated Anderson up against his combative compatriot Ramires, and the performance of both players will be critical to the result.

The central midfielders have showed dramatic progress in recent months, Ramires took time to settle, and Anderson’s impact since having a strong pre-season has improved his productivity considerably. Given that their respective partners of Carrick and Lampard (with Mikel deep) are not as agile as they once were, tomorrow’s battle of the Brazilians will be crucial in terms of the energy, dynamism and penetration each provides to it’s side’s ambition. Indeed, both players share similar characteristics; whilst equally able to pass the ball with precision and create in the final third, it is arguably their menace in a deeper lying role where their strengths come to the fore. Both players are fantastic dribblers of the football, adept at finding that extra bit of space and capable of powerful and defence-splitting runs from deep positions – the outcome of which is pulling key players out of position and creating that vital space between the midfield and forward lines for players such as Rooney, Young, Mata and Torres.

Chalkboard 1. Anderson, last season and this

For Anderson, it has simply been about getting back to basics. His fitness has improved and this has helped his overall reading of the game, more able to track his opponent, timely breaking up the play. Further, his short-range passing has improved dramatically and can only be the product of extensive work on the training ground with Ferguson and Phelan. In Chalkboard 1 we can see the difference this has made to his positioning and therefore, his passing. In the game versus Newcastle last season Anderson, whilst not performing dreadfully, gave away nearly a quarter of his passes, and the heatmap shows us that his positioning was skewed considerably – working in areas he shouldn’t and generally not having a defined role in the team. In contrast, Anderson’s performance against West Brom this season was measured and controlled with only 2 misplaced passes in open play. There was also the 66 completed passes versus Bolton last week, but for me this stat is less important given that the game was quickly ‘won’, meaning the Brazilian had more space and time on the ball.

Perhaps Anderson’s upturn in form has been in part due to his deployment in a slightly deeper role – one in which he succeeded during the first year of his United career. Chalkboard 2 displays his defensive acumen in the home game versus Spurs this season, intercepting the ball 6 times, all in his own half of the field. How Anderson combines with Carrick tomorrow will thus be an interesting tenet to the game, with Carrick more naturally suited to the deeper role. Perhaps each will take turns to support the attack, certainly there were times last season where the partnership flourished – the 7-1 defeat of Blackburn a classic example.

What will be key however is their work as a pair in nullifying the threat of Mata who likes to work horizontally across the pitch. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jones keeping fairly central – if indeed he starts at right back as expected – in order that he can work with the centre halves and the midfield to track Mata’s movement, thus allowing Anderson and Carrick to monitor late runs from Ramires and Lampard.

Chalkboard 2. Anderson, 6 interceptions in his own half v Spurs

Ramires is enjoying greater freedom with Villas-Boas, particularly in a central-right position which allows him to complete his defensive duties as well as join the attacking play with the ambitious Bosingwa and Anelka (or Sturrige). This has coincided with a greater precision and array of passing; similarly to Modric, Ramires found the Premier League a big climate change, and slowly but surely his class has begun to show, his reading of the game like Anderson, more complete. Chalkboard 3 shows the greater emphasis on attacking play in Ramires’ game, and the accuracy of his passing, whilst at the same time showing us his willing to perform defensive duties; attempting 13 tackles against West Brom recently. Both Ramires and Lampard will seek to alternate positions in the game, and as with his marauding run in last season’s Champions League quarter final at Stamford Bridge where Ramires was unfortunate not to gain a penalty late in the game, United will have to be wary of his ability to arrive late from a central or right position. Patrice Evra will perhaps have to be less aggressive in his wing-play and be alive to the threat, working in tandem with Anderson to ensure any danger is thwarted.

Chalkboard 3. Ramires, defensive and offensive acumen

History and last meeting:

United have a winning league record at home to Chelsea in the league, but only just. In 19 meetings at Old Trafford, Chelsea have 5 wins compared to United’s 7. It’s equally as close when looking at goals for and against too – 28 plays 24. United have kept 5 clean sheets and Chelsea have kept 3 – just one meeting has ended goalless. Chelsea are one of the few teams to have scored 3 goals on three occasions at United. Neither side has ever scored four goals in this fixture but in 2000/01 both sides scored three.

Last season this fixture ended 2-1 to United. The Reds took an early lead through Hernandez after a slip by David Luiz. Before half time one became two as Vidic appeared unmarked to head in. Despite pressure from Chelsea and a somewhat fortunate goal from Lampard United held out to virtually seal title number 19.

Prediction:

United’s rhythm was disrupted midweek but the form players should return and continue the ethos of ‘we’ll score one more than you‘. Chelsea and Villas-Boas know that a defeat won’t end their season and may well play cautiously which I think would play into United’s hands. Unlike recent league games for United, this one probably won’t be goal-laden and I’ll predict a comfortable but nervy 2-1 win for the Reds.

Referee:

Phil Dowd – took charge of the Community Shield and is the only referee to have been used on every league weekend so far. On average he’s dished out over 5 yellow cards per game this season with two thirds going to away teams.

Quick facts:

- This is the 162nd meeting between the two sides and United have won the last three
- United’s 18 goals after four games is the most scored by a top flight team for 64 years
- Man United have scored in 32 consecutive league games at home
- Chelsea have only kept one clean sheet in their last 8 competitive games

They say:

Fergie on young managers: “The young managers have more of a future. Their time will come. I’m pleased clubs are not ignoring the value of experienced managers.”

Rooney on Chelsea’s slightly new look: “I saw Daniel Sturridge started the last game and Juan Mata played as well. I’m sure they’ll have a few new ideas to go along with the new signings they have, but I’ sure we’ll be able to cope with that.”

Evans on Chelsea’s title chances: “It’s quite crazy that people are writing Chelsea off. Last season, Chelsea were winning 4-0 or 5-0 every game at the start of the season, kind of like we are doing ourselves, but we still went on to win it so we can’t discount them at all.”

Villas-Boas on facing up to Fergie: “Our (managers’) importance in the game is minimal. It is for the players to feel motivated, enjoy the game and exploit their talent. It is for us managers to try to promote that talent, incentivise their motivation and lead them to success. In my opinion, our percentage (of contribution in the game) is always small.”

Mata on Giggs: “He showed what he’s worth with his goal the other day. He’s actually one of the best wingers that there has been and are around right now. I pay more attention to him because he plays in the same position I do. He’s an incredibly impressive player in his tackling, in his dribbling and in his general style.”

Forum links:

The Stretford-End.com team have each given a predicted starting XI and final score ahead of the game – give us yours here.

For all pre-match banter, tactical discussions, team and score predictions click here.

Videos:

In summary:

Both teams have placed an emphasis on using the width this season (with extra onus on the centre half to bring the ball into the midfield), as well as using the respective intelligence of the number 10’s, Rooney and Mata, who work across the pitch looking for runners in behind. Ramires and Anderson is a key battle in the middle, but equally important will be the duels of Nani and Cole; Young and Bosingwa, Evra and Anelka. The game should be tight, and highly compact in the middle third, placing great importance on the scorer of the first goal.

AUTHOR: – Stretford-end

Manchester United are on the brink of a historic nineteenth league title after beating Chelsea 2-1 at Old Trafford. Javier Hernandez and Nemanja Vidic scored for United, whilst Frank Lampard got a goal back midway through the second half. United took the game to Chelsea early on and opened the scoring in the first minute through a well taken Javier Hernandez strike.

United looked a different side to the cautious approach taken at the Emirates last Sunday, with Ji-Sung Park, Antonio Valencia and the age defying Ryan Giggs the star performers. United now only need a single point in the last two matches, against Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool, to win a record nineteenth title. Below we discuss the Talking Points from the game and welcome comments from both fans.

Talking Points

Ji-Sung Park

“He is on there to sell shirts” or “He is a good worker” are two of the backhanded compliments you may hear in the media when assessing the potential impact of our number thirteen since his arrival from PSV in 2005. Park was exceptional yesterday, both on the ball and off the ball. He broke up play all of the pitch making twelve tackles (double the amount compared to the match against Arsenal the week previous), whilst he played higher up the pitch (than at the Emirates) and notched up an assist for Hernandez. Park rarely stays wide in games in comparison to ‘wide players’ gone by, including Valencia and Kanchelskis. As we all know, this isn’t due to indiscipline – but because of the fact his high energy levels allows him to close player down and add an extra player in the centre of the park for teams that operate using a 4-3-3.

Below you will see a screenshot of open play yesterday just under the ten minute mark. The ball is on the air and is about to be taken down by Park, who then passes to Carrick. Notice the three Chelsea midfielders up against a midfield trio of Park, Carrick and Giggs – with a monumental amount of space on the left vacated by the industrious Park:

The move break down, which sees Lampard break towards the United goal – with support either side. Park works back to tackle Lampard and send the ball out towards United’s right hand side, which is then being chased by Mikel and Malouda. Notice Park is already up on his feet hunting down the ball:

Park has no right to win that ball, especially against Mikel, who was selected to break up this type of incident and retain possession. Park’s vision, work rate and anticipation was all on show as the Korean won the ball to break away and pass to Rooney who brought out a superb save from Cech:

This was the case for the whole of the first half, Chelsea being restricted to play in the centre of the pitch. Hurried and pressured into making mistakes was largely down to Park moving in from the left hand side to enforce a three man midfield. The example below highlights that even when Chelsea are comfortable on the ball, Park’s immediately hurries and presses. The first screenshot shows Cech on the ball playing a pass to Michael Essien in the middle of the park:

Now, any midfielder reading this will know of the position the Essien finds himself in the screenshot below. He has numerous passing options (1) Back to Mikel, (2) Back to David Luiz (3) Round the corner to the left to Lampard (4) Right to Ivanonvic, whilst he can also put his foot on the ball and turn, although is probably concerned with Carrick’s position and of course the roaming Park:

Essien ends up hitting the top of the ball in a poor pass back to Mikel, which arguably was the easiest option. Before he has even made contact with the ball, Park is gambling on intercepting the ball or at worst putting pressure on Mikel to rush his pass:

Park latches on to the ball, intercepting it from Mikel who then proceeds to bring the Korean down and give United a freekick:

The dotted red line highlights the movement of Park from left to right, whilst the blue circle highlights how far away Mikel is from the ball before bringing Park down. It is a small incident in the grand scale of things, however this type of work rate and intelligent movement (remember, this isn’t just aimless running) helped United to unsettle Chelsea. United will no doubt need this type of energy against a better footballing side in Barcelona come May 28th, so it will be fascinating to see how United line up that evening. We will of course cover that in more detail, but this is for a different blog.

Park’s movement is very different to the more pacy and stronger Valencia, who gave Ashley Cole – a more attacking outlet than Ivanovic – the run around for most of the afternoon:

Park was exceptional the whole afternoon yesterday and for me is certain to start against Barcelona on the 28th May. I could never understand when other fans would place him in the ‘average’ player bracket and is only in the side to sell shirts. In comparison to previous wingers over the years, he may not have the obvious quality on the ball that Beckham, Kanchelskis or Ronaldo had, but could you have seen Ronaldo working collectively for the team to close down Mikel or Essien? That point isn’t to state that Park is better for United than those wingers, as all players have different roles and responsibilities, but to highlight that his workrate, vision and anticipation is just as important for United.

United’s shape

Formations and styles of play are sometimes overplayed or over complicated. There is no doubt that your average football fan is more tactically astute nowadays as football continues to evolve, however United’s ‘starting shape’ can be classified as 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 with Wayne Rooney operating in the hole behind Javier Hernandez. Chelsea setup at Old Trafford for the Champions League game in Ancelotti’s trademark 4-3-2-1 formation, however it was more 4-3-3 yesterday.

One thing that is always branded about is the use of Wayne Rooney as a centre midfielder. Now, there is no doubt that I think he could play there, as he can play wide right, left, through the middle – however, you would lose something from his game if you don’t allow such a talent the freedom to operate in the space between the opponents midfield and defence. Take a look at the chalkboard below regarding the average position of Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard:

There is no doubt that Wayne Rooney takes up more attacking positions than Lampard, however the space ‘in between the lines’ is quite similar, indicating that Rooney’s freedom allows him to drop deeper than he did last season (where he played as a lone striker on many occasions) into a position where I believe he is most dangerous. So in response to the ‘Rooney can replace Scholes’ arguments, I still stand firm that Rooney is best when operating in the hole behind the front man. Hernandez and Rooney are linking up extremely well and there is no doubt that the movement and intelligence of the Mexican allows Rooney to pick his passes as highlighted in the screenshot below:

We see the following example below week in week out. Rooney drops off in between the lines to pick up the ball from a Giggs pass. Notice Park has come inside and that Rooney is in acres of space:

The evergreen Giggs is already on the move following the pass to Rooney, which in turn opens up space for Rooney. Rooney has the option to pass back to Giggs, either as a one two or when Giggs runs into space (the white dots highlights the eventual movement from Giggs). He can also knock the ball to Hernandez or Valencia hugging the right touchline:

Chelsea’s natural movement to close Rooney down (who Ancelotti had praised earlier in the week) meant that space opened up for Valencia on the right hand side:

This eventually led to the Lampard ‘handball’ incident (see next Talking Point), however I just wanted to note that one of Rooney’s greatest attributes is being able to find space in this type of area and using his vision to switch play or create a chance. He would be able to knock balls from deep if playing in the centre of the park, however I feel he is much more effective in the number ten role.

As mentioned earlier, United started off as 4-4-1-1, a close relation to the standard 4-4-2. When United didn’t have the ball, Valencia and Park tucked inside to bolster the midfield, which turned into a 4-3-1-2 when Giggs had ventured forward to influence play higher up the pitch:

An obvious observation is to conclude that when Chelsea had the ball, United made the pitch narrow, when United broke Valencia and Park sprinted to the wings, the bigger talking point is that will Fergie go for this setup against Barcelona? A week ago, I was calling for a 4-3-3 following the lacklustre performance against Arsenal (a more similar side to the La Liga Champions than Chelsea) – however, Park, Giggs and Valencia were exceptional yesterday and similar performance will be needed at Wembley is United are to lift a fourth European Cup crown. We of course do not want to jump the gun before finishing the domestic campaign – although, i’m sure Sir Alex Ferguson was weighing up his potential selection headache following the midfield performance.

Howard Webb & United chances

I think Howard Webb is a top referee and was rightly awarded the World Cup final last season. However, Webb got a number of decision wrong yesterday, despite the unfounded myth that he favours United. Frank Lampard handled in the area whilst Didier Drogba and Branislav Ivanović were lucky to stay on the pitch. Add in Terry’s tackle on Hernandez and Vidic’s tackle on Kalou – and we have a number of talking points regarding potential incidents (both of which were softer than the handball). Below is the handball by Frank Lampard that wasn’t given:

That for me is a clear penalty and I can’t for the life of me understand why Webb didn’t give it, or more importantly – why the linesman (who had a superb view) didn’t give it? There was a very similar incident at Stamford Bridge in 2007/08 when Carrick handled in the box. Chelsea were issued the penalty and Ballack scored from the spot. I understand if you’re not sure regarding a decision, but for that is pretty stone wall, don’t you think? Rooney and Hernandez had a number of good chances to add to United’s tally, which was reflected in Ferguson’s post match comments. Fergie, also revealed that Hernandez had exceeded all expectations and is now only three goals short of a 25 goal target – set by Paul Scholes:

“Hernandez has exceeded all expectations. He’s a real threat. The boy is keen to learn the game and perceptive to information. When he came at first we thought ‘give him a year’ but he has taken all the chances. I remember after Paul Scholes had seen him in training, he said the lad would get 25 goals for us as a sub. He’s not quite achieved that but there are three games to go!”

Match Conclusion

United were worthy winners in a match that all but handed the club a record nineteen title win. Ferguson’s gamble in the week to rest a number of first team players obviously paid off no end, with the league leaders looking a lot more energetic and alert than their opponents. Ji-Sung Park was outstanding, Antonio Valencia demonstrated again his importance in the side – pinning back Ashley Cole for a second time this season – and Ryan Giggs was ‘marvellous’ – a quote from Sir Alex himself. Rooney and Hernandez continue to shine, whilst the defensive trio of Ferdinand, Vidic and Van der Sar look a lot stronger than two seasons ago.

Chelsea played a lot better in the 2-1 defeat in the Champions League, however United had a goal cushion – which changes the dynamics of the game. United’s early dominance ruffled Chelsea, who never really recovered. Van der sar did have to make a few good saves, from Kalou in particular, but Cech was more busier of the two keepers – whilst, Alex had to clear a Rooney effort off the line. United were worthy winners, both in the game and for league title – a point reiterated by the gracious Carlo Ancelotti. United now travel to Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers, who are fighting for Premier League survival. If United can avoid defeat, the Reds have a chance to win a record nineteen title.

AUTHOR: – Doron

Title decider? Probably. A couple of months ago this scenario seemed unlikely with Chelsea off the pace and United fairly comfortably on route to a title. Chelsea though are the league’s form side and their incredible run of results means they’re now just three points behind United with three games remaining. The winner of Sunday’s game will be hot favourites for the title whilst a draw would suit United only.

This fixture comes with a warning. Thirteen months ago Chelsea came to Old Trafford one point behind United and left two points ahead of them – whilst United next travelled to Blackburn and dropped two further points there. This time round, United head into the game with a three point advantage over Chelsea but similarly, they find themselves again at Ewood Park next week. Ancelotti’s triumphant turnaround means Chelsea are now three months unbeaten in the league with 8 wins in their last 10 games. With Chelsea crashing out the other cups much earlier than they’d have hoped, Ancelotti’s job is said to be on the line, however with an increasingly injury-free squad he’s turned their league fortunes around and should he go on to win an unlikely title, he may have saved his job. When these two sides met on the 11th April, Chelsea were 11 points adrift of United yet now they could overtake the Reds. Chelsea though will be all too aware that a defeat coupled with an Arsenal win may well see them drop down into third place.

Trying to decide how Chelsea will set up is difficult. Sir Alex Ferguson said in his Friday press conference that they rotate their strikers and their system so regularly that it really is tough to predict. What’s obvious though is how key Lampard and Malouda have become in recent weeks. In their last five league games Malouda has scored 4 and Lampard has scored 3 goals – important considering in that same period the strikers have only contributed twice (unless Kalou is considered a striker – he’s also scored 3 in their last five games). The only ‘given’ is probably their back four of Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry and Cole. Last week against Spurs, Chelsea went back to a 4-3-3 with Ramires and Anelka missing out – Anelka hasn’t scored since the 22nd February for the Blues.

United and Chelsea have of course met four times already this season (United winning three of those meetings) with the most recent three games coming in the past two months. For the two meetings at Stamford Bridge Chelsea have played a 4-4-2 each time and won 2-1 in the league (albeit rather dubiously) and lost 1-0 in the Champions League with a similar set-up. However in the game at Old Trafford in the Champions League, Ancelotti changed his system – whether because Chelsea were away from home or because they needed a win but he went for a 4-3-3, the system had similarities to how Chelsea set up against United in the 2-1 victory last season. Incidentally, that 2-1 win was the last time United lost at home and Joe Cole’s goal that day was the last time United conceded in the first half of a game at Old Trafford in the league. As for Sunday, Ferguson said he expects Drogba to start and Torres probably will too given his good record against United, even if he only has 1 goal in 15 games for Chelsea.

As previously mentioned, only a couple of months ago, the aim for Chelsea would have been securing a top three finish. Their turnaround has been built on scoring goals rather than keeping them out. They’ve managed only 3 clean sheets in their last 9 league games, but have scored 20 over that same time period. They are of course not unbeaten over such a long time in all competitions – United beat them home and away at the start of April, that may play on the minds of both sets of players. This run makes Chelsea the most in-form side in the league with 16 points taken from a last 18 available. There away form is also the best at the moment – 14 points from the last six games is considerably better than most other teams – their last league defeat came at Wolves on the 5th January, over 4 months ago. Chelsea haven’t been easy to beat on the road, only two teams have lost fewer games and no one has conceded fewer goals (17) on enemy turf. Chelsea’s defence is in fact the best overall in the league – 28 conceded in 35 games. Meanwhile only Arsenal have outscored them away from home – Chelsea have score 29 in their 17 away games.

Chelsea haven’t got a single injury concern or player suspended – a big boost but also potentially a selection dilemma given the lack of form of some ‘key’ players whilst some of the ‘squad’ players are proving their worth. Should the off-colour Anelka start, it’ll be his 100th for Chelsea.

Chelsea’s record at Old Trafford isn’t bad. They’ve won 5 out of 18 meetings and managed to draw 7. Last season’s 2-1 win was their first in five years in the league. Whilst United edge the goals scored column, Chelsea impressively do average better than a goal a game on their visits north to Manchester. Chelsea will be looking to score the opening goal – they’re yet to lose a game in which they’ve opened the scoring.

Enough on Chelsea…onto United and my predicted line up:

United are fortunate that injury problem have subsided at this key time of the season. Owen Hargreaves remains the only certain absentee as Paul Scholes returns from suspension and Wayne Rooney returns from a minor hamstring concern. Anders Lindegaard will also be amongst the squad after a couple of months out, although Fabio Da Silva’s condition is unclear – he missed the win over Schalke during the week because of a knock.

I’ve picked the 4-4-1-1 formation that failed at Arsenal last weekend but worked twice against Chelsea recently in the Champions League. In front of Edwin the back four should pick itself with Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra virtually guaranteed to start. At right back there may be some debate though. Rafael limped off against Schalke but is available whilst his brother Fabio we can presume is available too. O’Shea though I think will get the nod, Fergie has said before how he likes the fact that John can match up to Chelsea’s physicality and height.

There are big decisions to make in the midfield for Fergie. Whilst I’ve chosen Valencia and Park to start on the wings (the pairing who started away at Chelsea in the Champions League), the boss may fancy Park on the right with Nani on the left – the combination for the second leg of the Champions League tie against the Blues. Nani had Ivanovic on the back foot all of that game but similarly Valencia has had a lot of success against Cole. Potentially they could both start but with Chelsea generally fielding inside wingers, Park’s selection is seemingly key. Carrick and Giggs were both rested midweek and Giggs was ill last weekend so they should start in the centre although with Anderson and Gibson both stepping up midweek they may have forced an inclusion. Scholes is of course available again but his selection would probably prompt a 4-5-1 rather than have a two man central midfield pairing. Up front, Rooney and Chicharito are surely likely to start together after neither played a part in the 4-1 win over FC Schalke.

United remain top with a lead of 3 points now. Last weekend they lost 1-0 at Arsenal in a below-par showing that rejuvenated Arsenal’s hope in a late title push. This weekend, Arsenal are at Stoke on the Sunday before United host Chelsea.

Recent form shows United 3rd in the form league with 13 points taken from a possible 18 in the last six games. At home, United have been almost unstoppable, with 16 games won out of 17. Their home record is the best in the league – they are the highest scorers with 43 goals and have the tightest defence with only 9 conceded.

In Dimitar Berbatov United have the league’s top goalscorer (21 goals) as well as the joint 6th and 8th top scorers (Chicharito with 12 and Rooney with 10), whilst Nani is the league’s top assister (18 assists; Rooney is joint 4th with 11). It’s now over a year since an opposition player has scored a first half goal in the league at Old Trafford – 13 months to be precise and the goal came in this very fixture last year. In the last 15 years, Chelsea have only managed one clean sheet at United. There are a couple of things that may go in United’s favour – no side averages more points per game in the month of May in the Premier League that the Reds (2.04), and Howard Webb is the referee – United have won the last seven league games he’s officiated at Old Trafford. Should John O’Shea start, it’ll be his 300th for the club.

Chelsea are in a rich vein of form right now and this match up pitches the tightest away defence against the tightest home defence. Old Trafford has been a fortress for United and knowing that a win would pretty much seal a record 19th league title, I can’t see a home defeat. I do though think Chelsea won’t go away empty handed and I can see goals in the game. Therefore I predict a 2-2 draw – a result that would suit United much more than it would Chelsea.

You can share with us your thoughts ahead of the match and your favourite moments from games at home to Everton on our forum.

As is now common practice, it would be wrong not to include this video in a preview for a Chelsea game:

AUTHOR: – Doron

AUTHOR: – Stretford-end and Doron

Manchester United booked a place in the semi finals of the European Cup after a 2-1 victory over Chelsea (3-1 on aggregate) at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening. United will play the winners of the tie between Schalke and Internazionale, although it will take a small miracle for the Italian and current European Champions to overcome their first leg deficit. Javier Hernandez and JI-Sung Park scored either side of Didier Drogba to give United a well earned victory against ten men Chelsea. Here we discuss the Talking Points of the game and encourage both United and fans to leave their thoughts on an eventual and thoroughly enjoyable game.

Talking Points

Chelsea Formation & Drogba

Like a villain in a movie, Carlo Ancelotti with a raised eyebrow suggested that there would be a surprise in store in his Chelsea line up against Manchester United. One of the key surprises was the Drogba was on the bench, whilst Fernando Torres kept his place in the starting lineup. Maybe not such a surprise, considering that Roman Abramovich is quite clearly pulling the strings regarding who leads the line for Chelsea – if not, Ancelotti clearly isn’t the manager that his two European Cup successes suggest he is.

The main surprise from Ancelotti was his side lined up 4-3-2-1, with Anelka and Lampard supporting Torres and a midfield three of Ramires, Essien and Malouda. The energetic midfield three were key in all of Chelsea’s play that was good, with Ramires in particular working extremely hard in the first half. United’s midfield four became narrow, which of course meant that Chelsea’s fullbacks could push on and exploit the space left by Nani and Park. Without Wayne Rooney dropping deep, the central midfield areas was essentially 4 vs. 5, which is why at times Chelsea controlled the play. When playing against sides that use a 4-3-2-1 or a more adventurous 4-3-1-2, it is key to try and get the ball wide – however, it can be difficult when getting outnumbered in midfield. United’s first goal did indeed come from a wide area, with Giggs linking up with John O’Shea excellently before crossing for Hernandez to score. Chelsea had played well first half, but United had coped with everything that was thrown at them – however, could it have been a tad different had a certain Ivorian been playing ahead of Torres?

As expected, Torres was substituted at half time for Drogba, who I thought was excellent second half and looked dangerous throughout. Drogba isn’t the most likeable of characters, however there is no doubting his quality as a target man and forward. His ability to hold up the ball or to turn on a sixpence was clear to see, and he did cause United problems at times. His goal was well taken and he should feel aggrieved that he didn’t start the match. I for one am glad that Torres played instead.

The screenshot below highlights the average position taken up by Chelsea in the first half, which clearly demonstrates the 4-3-2-1 setup:

JI Sung Park

Many often refer to the point that Ferguson ‘likes Park in these sort of games’ or ‘he works really hard’ – however, I have always been a big fan of JI Sung Park for his obvious work rate, tracking back to slow play down and his direct dribbling style. He has also popped up with some key goals in recent times, netting the winner against Arsenal earlier in the season and against Liverpool towards the end of the last campaign. Add in a brace against Wolves (including a very, very late strike) and it is clear to see that he is an extremely important player in Ferguson’s thinking. His main strengths are obviously focused on hindering the opposition’s main strengths – mainly attacking fullbacks, or as he did in Milan – stopping Andrea Pirlo from playing. However, his high energy levels allow him to wander in from wide areas and influence play all over the pitch, as highlighted in the diagram below:

As mentioned his high energy levels allow him to get behind the ball and stop counter attack, however he should also get praise for his reading of the game and his interceptions – which were mainly from Ashley Cole looking to play the ball inside:

A superb overall performance by the Korean, who is going to play a big part in deciding whether or not United win a trophy this season or not. He may not have the craft of Carrick, skill and flair of Nani but his high energy levels, determination and adherence to instructions from Ferguson is second to none.

Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and an unsung hero

Two players stood out above the rest last night – Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs.

Rooney was once again deployed in a deeper role behind Chicharito and ahead of the midfield. On a night where Chelsea wouldn’t have been chasing the game, his instructions may have been to sit on their deepest midfielder however he was able to pick up pockets of space easily throughout the game.

He set the tempo for United’s performance early on with a rasping volley from 35 yards, conjuring something out of nothing. All game he was the focal point for United’s play, picking the ball up deep and regularly switching the play from one side of the pitch to the other with ease as demonstrated below:

The only thing missing from Rooney’s game last night was a goal however he very nearly supplied one for Chicharito in the first half – his stunningly accurate cross was headed in by the Mexican but ruled out for offside. His performance was near enough perfect, the work rate, the energy, the tackling, the passing – he was unplayable. That was as good a performance as Wayne Rooney has given for United.

One less obvious but equally pleasing aspect of his performance was the smile. Rooney seemed happy. There was none of the ‘angry man’ antics but a player enjoying his football and playing well. No one celebrated either goal as passionately as he did; if he had previously fallen out of love with the game and the club, that’s very much in the past now.

If Rooney was unplayable, Giggs was untouchable.

There’s little to say about him that hasn’t already been said but he’s a freak. His performance in the centre of midfield added a calmness and balance to the United side. In reality, Giggs should have been overrun by a class Chelsea midfield of Ramires, Essien and Lampard but they, like many opponents previously, couldn’t get close to the master.

It’s an underrated part of the Welshman’s game but defensively, he is very sound. He tracked back and tackled as well as anyone last night and fed by Carrick, he was able to supply Rooney & Co all night long. Despite being 37, he covered more ground than anyone during the game, an incredible feat when surrounded by many younger players.

It was Giggs who made the telling difference over the course of the 180 minutes of the quarter final:

The diagram above shows in yellow his two assists from the second quarter final – add to that the assist from the first game and Giggs set up every United goal. The assist for Park in particular was brilliant – Giggs had a split-second to get the ball out of his feet and play in a perfectly weighted pass for Park to swing the game back in United’s favour. It was reminiscent of the telling ball played to Owen in the 4-3 win over Man City last year.

The experience Giggs brings is irreplaceable, it was a masterful performance from him. However, he was partnered by one of the night’s unsung heroes.

Once again Michael Carrick put in an epic performance doing plenty of the ‘dirty’ work. In the absence of Hargreaves and the dip in Fletcher’s form, he’s had to play a defensive role this year and on countless occasions in that first half he was making key tackles, blocks and interceptions. Added to that is a new found confidence in his passing which is seeing him play the ball forward more often whilst retaining his accuracy. Giggs post-match singled out Carrick for praise saying his job became a whole lot easier as a result, Carrick’s contribution cannot go underestimated.

Match Conclusion

Manchester United fully deserved their 3-1 victory over Chelsea, despite a slight scare in the 77th minute, when Drogba equalized to level the match and give Chelsea hope of nicking the tie on away goals. Thankfully, Park popped up to get on to the end of another superb Giggsy pass and smash a left footed drive passed the helpless Cech. Wayne Rooney was superb, knocking cross field passes as we might do a 5 yard pass to a mate a Power League. Accuracy, precision and awareness to shift play from side to side was incredible – and something that United needed when playing against a narrow midfield.

Ryan Giggs continues to defy the odds and as the image shows in the blog, our number 11 had an influence all over the pitch and knocked both long and short passes when necessary – a complete midfield performance. It should be remembered that Giggs and Carrick where effectively up against an extremely energetic midfield three, who would stride passed them majority of midfielders in Europe. The dismissal of Ramires obviously made it a little easier, however there was still work to be done and Giggsy showed composure when finding Park for the crucial second goal.

United now travel to Wembley on Saturday to face Manchester City in the FA Cup semi finals, whilst Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea will hope to get this season over and done with as quickly as possible.

AUTHOR: – Stretford-end and Doron

AUTHOR: – Doron

United or Chelsea are 90 minutes away from a Champions League semi final. United have a slim advantage having won the first leg away at Stamford Bridge 1-0 last week. This weekend just gone, Ferguson chose to rest 6 of the 11 who played last week (Rafael was injured and Rooney suspended) whilst Chelsea rested 4 of their 11 (Bosingwa was injured), so both sides should be fresh to hopefully produce another good game.

This will be only the third time United have faced Chelsea in this competition – famously this all-English affair is a repeat of the final in 2007/08 that saw United win the competition on penalties; the other occasion of course was last week. The controversial league game between the two sides last month is well and truly in the past with United ending a 9 year wait to win at Stamford Bridge in the first leg. Sir Alex Ferguson has been recalling past Champions League failures that United have suffered in a bid to make sure they’re not repeated this time round.

In the league, Chelsea, the reigning champions sit a disappointing 3rd, 11 points behind United. They started the season excellently, storming into the lead but since mid-November, they’ve not looked or played like a championship winning team. Chelsea’s away form has been decent – in the league no one has conceded fewer on their travels (16 goals) and their record is the joint second best (with United). In the Champions League Chelsea have been ok away from home – conceding just 2 in their four away games and scoring 8, however they did lose at Marseille in the group stages. They finished top of their group which contained United’s last CL opponents – Marseille. To get to this stage, Chelsea defeated Copenhagen 2-0 on aggregate.

In Europe this season, as mentioned previously, Chelsea qualified 1st in their group, winning 5 of their games and losing 1. Chelsea have the luxury of a fully fit squad to choose from. Alex and Benayoun both lack match sharpness but Ancelotti confirmed that Alex could be selected to start, pushing Ivanovic to right back. That would see Bosingwa, who had a virus, dropped. Torres is a confirmed starter and it’s a lottery as to who will partner him. There have been rumours Chelsea may revert to their more comfortable 4-3-3, if that’s the case it makes United’s team selection even more crucial. Chelsea have to go for a goal.

Despite the rumours, I expect Chelsea to line up in a similar 4-4-2 to the one they played last week. Ramires who I thought was their best midfielder last week often makes the central area more of a ’3′ as he comes off his wing, whilst it allows the right back to bomb forward into the space he’s created – much like Evra when Nani plays on the left. Chelsea were able to rest a few players at the weekend – one of whom was Zhirkov which suggests he’ll keep his place ahead of Malouda.

Chelsea’s defeat against United last week was their first in 2 months. Their win over Wigan at the weekend was their first in 3 weeks – Chelsea aren’t in the best run of form coming into this game and certainly momentum isn’t quite on their side. Being the only trophy that eludes Chelsea under Abramovich’s rule this is a competition that seemingly gets more attention than others. It’s also a competition that Chelsea haven’t really had much luck in – strange substitutions in Monaco (’04), the dubious goal awarded to Liverpool (’05), penalties in consecutive years (’07 and ’08), awful refereeing vs Barcelona (’09) and being beaten by their ‘Special one’ last year. Last week, Chelsea fans were also claiming they got no luck right at the end when they probably should have had a penalty – that said, Essien, Ramires and Torres all could have been sent off for two yellow cards.

Enough on Chelsea…onto United and my predicted line up:

United played a 4-4-2 at Stamford Bridge in the league and last week – I expect them to line up in the same way tomorrow. Ferguson alluded to the fact that United play best when they attack and that’s how he’d instruct his side to play. The injury problems are easing for United and it means the ‘missing men’ now only includes: Lindegaard, Amos, Fletcher and Hargreaves.

Edwin should return in goal after being rested at the weekend – he had a minor groin injury in the run up to last weeks game. Rafael is a big doubt for the game and only managed some light training today. O’Shea or Brown could replace him, it’s likely to be the former after he got some game-time on Saturday. Ferdinand also had the weekend off and should partner Vidic whilst Evra pretty much picks himself at left back.

After the midfield worked well last week, it seems there is no need to change it. I’ve picked Valencia on the right, he looks incredibly fresh and fit at the moment. Carrick and Giggs both had the weekend off and that odd pairing on paper worked well last week. Scholes and Anderson provide viable alternatives in the middle though. On the left, Park’s energy and tactical discipline should see him used to counteract Ramires.

Rooney, who was suspended at the weekend should start just behind Chicharito who was rested against Fulham. The important thing with that selection is that if Chelsea do start with a 4-3-3, United can shift Park into the middle and Rooney out on the left to counteract the Chelsea formation.

United are now on a run of six straight wins in which they’ve scored 12 and conceded 3. The lead over Arsenal remains 7 points and despite the away form not being up to scratch (yet it’s the joint second best in the league), the home form has been imperious with 15 league games won out of 16 and none lost. Oddly, in the Champions League, United haven’t been convincing at home – only 4 goals scored in four games, with two conceded. Two games drawn as well. However, United’s defence has been excellent – no goals conceded away from home and the 2 conceded in total mean that United have the best defence in the competition so far.

This season is United’s 22nd in Europe’s top competition. 17 of those times United have got to this quarter final stage and incredibly on 11 occasions United have made it to at least the semi-final stage. Chicharito is United’s leading scorer in Europe this season with 3 goals whilst Rooney is second with 2.

Importantly, United have momentum at the moment as well as a fresh squad. Once again, the loss of David Luiz will be big for Chelsea and with them needing to come and score, I think that could play into United’s hands. With plenty of nerves, I’m going to predict a 2-1 United win on the night, seeing United go through 3-1 on aggregate.

You can share with us your thoughts ahead of the match and your favourite Champions League quarter final memories on the forum. We also spoken to a Chelsea fan before the first leg and you can read his thoughts here.

It would be rude of me not to share these videos with you too (and Rooney’s goal from last week):

AUTHOR: – Doron

AUTHOR: - Stretford-end

Manchester United scored a vital away goal against Chelsea on Wednesday night to earn a 1-0 victory over the West Londoners. Wayne Rooney scored on the 24th minute, following a superb cross field ball from Michael Carrick and a excellent take and low cross from Ryan Giggs. It is United’s first victory over Chelsea (excluding Community Shield) since the 3-0 win at Old Trafford in January 2009. Here we discuss the talking points of a great United away victory in Europe.

Talking Points

Impressive Michael Carrick

Some see him as the best cultured English midfielder for years, others continue to scratch their heads in amazement that our number 16 gets into the side in the first place. Having said that, I thought Michael Carrick was excellent tonight, breaking up play just in front of the backline and distributing the ball intelligently. Yes, Carrick has not found the back of the net this season for United but his patience on the ball and ability to switch play is an extremely useful asset in United’s play.

His excellent cross field ball for Ryan Giggs, who still had a lot of work to do and plucked the ball out of the air with ease – cushioning it onto his legendary left foot, started the move that led to Rooney’s tidy finish – as he passed the ball in to the back of the net. As mentioned he continuously broke up play in the midfield (See Total Football screenshot below), whilst was very tidy on the ball, only misplacing five passes (also in screenshot below):

Michael Carrick Passes

Michael Carrick Interceptions

Xavi once remarked that Michael Carrick is a ‘complete player’ and with a performance like this under his belt, there is no reason as to why he cannot dominate more games like this.

Crazy Chelsea Substitution

I am eager to find out as to why the menacing Didier Drogba was withdrawn rather than the ineffective and theatrical Fernando Torres? Could any Chelsea fans reading this Talking Points blog explain the reasoning behind the substitution? I was quite happy to see the back of Drogba who was starting to cause some trouble down the right hand side with Evra and who had looked much livelier than his Spanish counterpart throughout the match.

Drogba tested an der Sar in the first half, whilst offering options both short and in behind – with Torres looking distinctly average and losing confidence throughout the game. Is this another Shevchenko/Ballack case?

Previous Quarter Final Ties

The last time United won an away quarter final 1st leg was back in 2007/08 – with a 2-0 victory over Roma. United went onto beat Roma 3-0 on aggregate, although Di Rossi missed a golden opportunity when he struck his penalty high into the Stretford End, early in the second half. To my knowledge, United have never won a first legged away tie 1-0. The last five quarter final first leg ties that United have played in have ended as follows:

2009/10 – Lost – Bayern Munich (2-1) : Lost the tie 4-4 (AG)
2008/09 – Drew – Porto (2-2) : Won the tie 3-2
2007/08 – Won – Roma (2-0) Won the tie 3-0
2006/07 – Lost – Roma (2-1) Won the tie 9-2
2002/03 – Lost – Real Madrid (3-1) Lost the tie 6-5

So we’ve only won one of the last five Champions League quarter final ties, but overall have progressed through to the semi final three times. Four of those ties were away from home, with the exception being the 2-2 draw with Porto in 2009. These stats mean little, considering there is still a vast amount of work to be done in the second leg – however, United have a fantastic lead – backed up by an impressive performance – and history bodes well for the Reds.

Wayne Rooney

After a crazy couple of days debate around the country on whether he deserved a two match ban for his swearing in front of a television camera, Wayne Rooney done his talking with his feet as he scored the only goal of the game. His neat finish indicates even more that United’s tailisman is returning to top form, right smack bang in the middle of squeaky bum season. Sir Alex Ferguson spoke after them match of the importance of Wayne Rooney at this time and how he could well be the difference between nothing and silverware this term:

“He’s now been more regular with his goalscoring which, in the last part of the season, is going to be important to us. That was important. We were pleased with that performance. Work-rate, desire, he was top quality [against Chelsea]. He took a great lot of abuse and late tackles on him, but he was excellent.”

Rio returns

It was the 1st of February that Rio last played for United. The fear was that his season was well and truly over. However, after a couple of weeks of training he returned to partner Vidic in the heart of the United defence. Whilst in many ways he hasn’t been overly missed as Smalling has risen superbly to the challenge of stepping-in, there was an air of authority and calmness that returned. It’s Rio’s ability to read the game that is somewhat irreplaceable – there were a few occasions where he was just perfectly positioned to get rid of the ball or win a tackle or make an interception.

Rio may be older and may be a bit slower but there is little doubt that he has quality about his game as well as experience. Speaking to ITV post-match, Rio declared himself fit for the run-in; a massive boost for the club with some important games coming up. The question now is whether he’ll need to be managed for the next couple of games so there is no reaction to his injury – don’t be surprised to see him miss out on a start vs. Fulham on Saturday. Vidic was full of praise post-match for Rio, speaking to MUTV he said:

“Rio had a great game. It’s very important in these matches to have experience in the team and we definitely had it tonight – the fact we kept a clean sheet showed we did some good things defensively.”

Match Conclusion

Although Chelsea hit the woodwork and saw a Frank Lampard effort cleared off the line, United were worthy winners and defended comfortably for large periods of the game. The goal was top quality, with Wayne Rooney netting his thirteenth of the season (in all competitions). Edwin van der Sar was against magnificent in terms of shot stopping and positioning, although his distribution wasn’t up to its usual standard.

Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs provided the creativity in midfield, whilst also breaking up play deep in United’s half before distributing to the flanks for Antonio Valencia and Ji Sung Park to chase onto. Valencia’s return is a massive boost to United, especially as he showed how versatile a player he can be, putting in an excellent shift at right back in the absence of Rafael, who was substituted for Nani after a clash with Drogba. Chelsea couldn’t break United down and although there were a number of shouts at the end of the game for a penalty, following an Evra challenge on Ramires, I don’t think many Chelsea fans can argue with the scoreline.

United host Fulham on Saturday, before welcoming Chelsea to Old Trafford on Tuesday evening.

AUTHOR: – Doron

It’s London for United as the Reds take on Chelsea in the quarter final first leg of the Champions League. For United it’s a chance to right recent wrongs and put an end to a truly awful record at Stamford Bridge; for Chelsea, it’s a chance to make sure key men refrain from raising their hands inappropriately and don’t slip at any time (and maybe seek revenge for Moscow!).

This is the 17th time United have reached the quarter final stage in the Champions League but only the second time they’ll be facing Chelsea in this competition. This all-English affair is a repeat of the epic and infamous final in 2007/08 that saw United win the competition on penalties. The sides recently met in a highly controversial league game with United being defeated despite playing well. Sir Alex Ferguson has made no secret of the fact he’s after goals in this tie, it should be a great encounter.

In the league, Chelsea sit a disappointing 4th and for months now have rarely looked like the powerful championship winning side of last year. However Chelsea’s home form has been very solid and along with United they’ve conceded the fewest number of goals at home in the league (9). In the Champions League Chelsea have been impressive at home too – conceding just 2 in their four home games and scoring 8. They finished top of their group which contained United’s last CL opponents – Marseille. To get to this stage, Chelsea defeated Copenhagen 2-0 on aggregate.

In Europe this season, as mentioned previously, Chelsea qualified 1st in their group, winning 5 of their games and losing 1. Chelsea don’t quite have the luxury of a fully fit or available squad but are close to it. Benayoun and Alex are both in training but neither deemed fit enough to play. David Luiz who was so excellent against United in the league is cup-tied and unavailable. The big decision for Chelsea to make is seemingly who to start up front.

Expect Chelsea to line up in their now usual formation of 4-4-2. Whilst Ramires on the right doesn’t always provide natural width and likes to drift inside, the formation somewhat suits the current players better than a variation of 4-5-1. With Luiz cup-tied, Ivanovic should come in at centre back with Bosingwa at right back. It will be interesting to see if Torres is recalled to the side after being dropped at Stoke last weekend.

United must be wary of a Chelsea side in decent form – they’re unbeaten in 2 months and have only conceded 5 goals in their last 9 games. Being the only trophy that eludes Chelsea under Abramovich’s rule this is a competition that seemingly gets more attention than others. It’s also a competition that Chelsea haven’t really had much luck in – strange substitutions in Monaco (’04), the dubious goal awarded to Liverpool (’05), penalties in consecutive years (’07 and ’08), awful refereeing vs Barcelona (’09) and being beaten by their ‘Special one’ last year. Like United feel they deserve some luck at The Bridge – Chelsea may feel they deserve some luck in Europe.

Enough on Chelsea…onto United and my predicted line up:

United played a 4-4-2 at Stamford Bridge just over a month ago and did well matching Chelsea. However, I think despite saying goals are wanted, Fergie will revert to a 4-5-1 for this game. The injury problems are easing for United and it means the ‘missing men’ now only includes: Lindegaard, Brown (back in training), O’Shea (back in training), Fletcher (back on Friday) and Hargreaves.

Edwin should play in goal after missing the win at West Ham on Saturday with the most minor of groin injuries. The return of Rafael, Evans and Ferdinand means there are options at the back for United. I’d expect Rafael to oust brother Fabio from his right back berth and otherwise the defence should be largely unchanged. Rio is fit but has only done a week of training so it would be a surprise if he’s thrust back in for such a big game. The Smalling-Vidic pairing has generally been excellent so it would be odd to tamper with that.

I’ve been cautious and chosen a five man midfield that combines energy, accuracy and pace. Valencia’s return has been nothing short of exceptional and with options out wide returning it was a bonus that Nani could get a rest at the weekend – he should be fresh for tomorrow. Also fresh will be Paul Scholes who’s not played in 3 weeks due to suspension; keeping the ball should be key so to have him back will be a bonus. Carrick was excellent at West Ham and even showed signs of rebirth as he ventured forward and had some shots. He, like Scholes will be vital to controlling the midfield. Park got an hour at the weekend and I fully expect him to start behind Rooney, working hard to be alongside him in attack but join Carrick and Scholes in defence. Anderson is fit but Ferguson hinted he won’t start him yet in such a big game.

I’ve selected Rooney to play the lone striker’s role. Given he’s likely to be suspended for Saturday there is no need to rest him. Chicharito and Berbatov both showed against West Ham they can be effective off the bench if need be. Michael Owen too has bags of experience if that’s required.

United have come through a bad spell losing to Chelsea and Liverpool to put together four straight wins now. The lead over Arsenal is now 7 points and despite the away form not being up to scratch, it’s still the second best in the league. Away from home in the Champions League United have been efficient. They’re still yet to concede a goal on their travels in this competition but have only managed 5 goals in their four games. United have only conceded 2 goals in the competition in total so far, giving them the best defence in the competition.

This season is United’s 22 in Europe’s top competition. 17 of those times United have got to this quarter final stage and incredibly on 11 occasions United have made it to at least the semi-final stage. Chicharito is United’s leading scorer in Europe this season with 3 goals – two of which were scored in the last European game as United overcame Marseille 2-1 on aggregate.

I think the result against West Ham will have galvanised spirits at the club. United are certainly due some luck at Stamford Bridge – a ground they’ve not won at for 9 years. David Luiz could be a big loss for the Blues and United will certainly look to get at Bosingwa. Fresh from his hat-trick Rooney should also be buzzing and therefore I will nervously predict a 2-1 away win.

You can share with us your thoughts ahead of the match and your favourite Champions League quarter final memories on the forum. We’ve also spoken to a Chelsea fan ahead of this tie and you can read his thoughts here.

It would be rude of me not to share these videos with you too:

AUTHOR: – Doron

AUTHOR: – Doron

Ahead of Manchester United’s Champions League and FA Youth Cup ties against Chelsea this week, The Stretty Rant wanted to get the view of an opposition fan on the games, the Chelsea squad and predictions. So, we sent a few questions across to season ticket holder and Reserve/Academy follower James.

1. Would you say the club and fans want Champions League success more than anything else?

If this question had been asked at the start of a season, most fans would trot out the usual “you can’t differentiate between the Champions League and the Premier League”. As we enter April, though, Chelsea find themselves in the unusual position (by recent standards) of being largely out of the running for the league and so focus naturally shifts to the Champions League.

In truth, having regained the Premier League last season, I had my eye more firmly on the Champions League as the primary target for this season… but then I would say that now, wouldn’t I!

2. Has not winning the competition become a burden on the club?

It has become fashionable to talk of the Champions League as being a “dream, not an obsession” but Chelsea seem to tread the line between the two more delicately than most. I guess this is mainly born from the remarkable misfortune the club have had in this competition since Abramovich arrived. From the bizarre substitutions in Monaco ’04, the “ghost goal” in Liverpool ’05, the luck of penalties in Liverpool again in ’07, the outrageous luck of penalties in Moscow ’08 and the absolutely outrageous refereeing debacle against Barca in ’09. It’s enough to drive any football fan more than a little insane and it certainly feels like an increasingly heavy monkey on our backs. The worry, of course, is that it gets to the players too.

From the board’s perspective, the story of Abramovich deciding to invest in football after the thrilling Man Utd – Madrid tie is well-documented. Today, it remains the only trophy that eludes him and it has appeared in recent years that his personal quest for Champions League victory has influenced certain decisions. I’m sure Ron Gourlay probably thinks it would help shift a few more shirts around the world too.

3. How would you assess Chelsea’s season so far?

A tough one. Most fans were pretty apprehensive going into the season having shed a significant part of the double-winning squad from last year (a squad that, even then, still had clear deficiencies). These fears appeared to be mere pessimism as we raced clear at the top in the first couple of months. Sadly reality hit after the loss of just a few (key) players and suddenly options looked incredibly sparse. The goals dried up (and still haven’t really returned) and the defence began to wobble and suddenly the team seemed devoid of confidence. With the big personalities (Terry, Lampard, Drogba) out of the side, we began to wonder where the next point would come from. Suddenly we were a long way back in the league, out of the carling cup (oh well) and, frustratingly, the FA Cup too (we don’t like penalties much!). Thankfully, the squad is now almost completely fit and some semblance of form has returned, even if we still look far from fluent. Clearly it has been too late for a real run at the league but in previous seasons I’ve cursed at hitting form too early for the ‘business end’ of the Champions League – maybe we’ll time it just right this year

4. What have you made of new signings Ramires, Luiz and Torres? Will not having Luiz available in the CL be a big loss?

I guess I should start with Torres. To say he’s not quite hit the heights (yet) that we all expected would be a slight exaggeration. Naturally when your club spends £50 million on a player you’re going to defend him with some passion (others might call it blind optimism). He’s played a lot of football in recent years with little time for rest. He’s had European Championships, Confederation Cup and World Cup in consecutive summers as well as constantly being rushed back from injury so he could ‘save’ Liverpool. I still have every confidence that he’ll bang in the goals next season. It’s very clear that he’s still getting used to the style and players around him, as are they to him. His movement is top notch and the effort level is definitely there but, my word, the lad needs a goal!

Brought in at the same time but without the fanfare was our new cult hero, David Luiz. What a player. What a man. What hair! He’s taken to the league with remarkable assurance, collecting the March Player of the Month award. His enthusiasm and spirit are contagious and ultimately allows fans to overlook certain areas that need work – namely his rashness and fondness of getting very (overly) close to attackers at all times. Until those issues are ironed out there is always the worry that he might cost us some points (e.g. Fulham and Stoke) but I’ve rarely seen a defender invigorate a crowd like he does and a curly wig is suddenly the must-have accessory at Stamford Bridge for good reason! Having done so well, of course it’s a blow that he can’t play in the Champions League but hopefully we’ll chase some goals in the first leg so Bosingwa at RB gives us more attacking threat than Ivanovic whilst allowing our Serbian to fill his favoured position at CB.

Finally, Ramires. He arrived in the summer from the same league and team (Benefica) as Luiz but unlike his fellow Brazilian, has taken a little longer to acclimatise to our league. He came in for some early criticism for failure to retain possession and seemingly being a second late into most challenges. Those criticising him early on are beginning to rethink their opinions and, in truth, he’s been our best and most consistent midfielder since November. Happier central than on the right of a midfield four, he’s adapted well and covers a huge amount of ground every game. I fully expect him to continue to improve next season and provide us with an excellent option for years to come.

5. Where do you think Chelsea need to strengthen this summer and who would your ideal signings be?

With one of those pointless international breaks just gone, it’s got everyone thinking about improvements to their side for next season. Right now the squad is in limbo somewhat. The players at Ancelotti’s disposal don’t really fit neatly into any obvious system and the result has been some kind of deformed 4-4-2 since January. Personally, I can’t see Ancelotti (if he’s there next season) sticking with this so I think whoever is bought will be with a view to moulding a new team in a new system. Personally I’d like to see us move for a new Right Back with Bosingwa rather shaky. It doesn’t seem a RB is top of the priority list for the club this summer though – probably content that Ivanovic was the best RB in the league last season.

Personally, I’d love to sign Neymar. There was supposedly a deal in the offing last summer that never materialised but depending on what sources you read, there’s already a deal in place for his arrival this time around. He’s not without flaws but has bags of talent and we’ve desperately lacked someone with his creativity and flair since, well, Robben (Joe Cole might have something to say about that).

Beyond that, it probably depends on what system we adopt but we’ll ideally need another CM or winger. I quite like the idea of Modric (who doesn’t!) whilst Pastore is a name being banded about these days too but I’m less convinced on that one.

6. Our clubs have only met once in Europe before – will this tie be as close as that one?

When was that? I don’t remember! I prefer to deny that night ever happened! In reality, I expect this tie to be incredibly tight and excruciatingly tense. Both clubs have seemed capable of scoring at each other’s grounds in recent seasons and I have a feeling this one will be decided by away goals. Anything but penalties. Please.

7. Do you think United are due some ‘decisions’ and luck against Chelsea?

Ah United fans talking of being “due decisions” – never fails to tickle me that one…can’t think why! Without wanting to rehash all the previous decisions (you tend not to want to when you get the benefit of them!), I only consider the Drogba ‘offside’ goal last year as absolutely 100% wrong. The others I feel are all open to interpretation and could be argued about for longer than I care to consider. In truth, when you get to a Champions League Quarter-final, what you really want is to win and go through because your football warrants it, rather than rely on a big decision to turn the tie. You certainly shouldn’t underestimate the injustice felt by Chelsea fans when it comes to Champions League refereeing decisions. Wouldn’t it be funny if UEFA decided to award the game to Mr Ovrebo to referee…

8. What are your thoughts on Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson?

Grudging respect is most appropriate, I guess. Whilst it has largely been Manchester United and Chelsea that have shared top honours in England over the last 6 years, the rivalry has never really resulted in any great contempt. In fact, I think I disliked United more when we weren’t so good. This probably stems from Mourinho’s care to stay on the right side of Fergie (“the big boss”) and so Chelsea fans tended to do likewise. Our most controversial matches (especially in Europe) have tended to involve Liverpool and I’d much rather see United lift trophies than Arsenal. Seeing first hand how difficult it is to stay at the top and regenerate your team without losing ground has also brought home just how remarkable a job Fergie (or “Sralex”, as he must be known) has done for such a sustained period.

9. Predictions for the match?

I said it would be decided by away goals so I’m going to go with 0-0 at Stamford Bridge followed by a 1-1 at Old Trafford. I’d take a win on penalties though…

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10. Chelsea are the current holders of the FAYC and have been in 2 of the last 3 finals – is there renewed optimism and interest in the youth team?

Certainly the huge investment in the youth setup by Abramovich raised optimism throughout the club that the youth team would suddenly start producing players. The nature of youth football though and the massive overhaul (new building, facilities, structure, personnel etc) meant that it took a few years to take effect. It has been a common dig at our youth setup that we simply buy up the best young talent around the world with our roubles and hope they end up to be as good as they were hyped. The reality is far removed from this with massive emphasis on finding and training local kids. Off the top of my head, I think 9 of the 11 who lined up against Watford in the last round were British.

Naturally, the marked improvements in results and publicity that has gone with it has invigorated interest in the youth team too. There is suddenly a real belief that some of these kids might break into the first-team with Bruma, Van Aanholt, Bertrand, McEachran, Kakuta and Borini all with first-team roles over the last couple of years. The biggest key to these things, though, is patience – something most football fans aren’t very good with! – and it appeared there was a miscalculated rush to get these guys into first-team roles at the start of the season. This backfired somewhat on the first team and many have gone back out on loan for the second half of the season but there is certainly belief that they will come back and contribute over the coming years.

11. Who would you say are Chelsea’s stand-out plays in the U18 side?

The name on everyone’s lips is Josh McEachran. He just turned 18 and has made a handful of sparkling cameos in the first team this season already, as well as securing a couple of starts recently for England U-21s. Very much in the Wilshere mould, with a fantastic eye for a pass and natural ability to create time and space for himself even in a congested midfield. Nothing seems to faze him at any level but the key will be whether the forwards can take advantage of the chances he will undoubtedly create for them.

Aside from Josh, Aziz Deen-Conteh has progressed markedly this season and provides a vital attacking outlet from LB whilst having the speed and athleticism to recover to his defensive duties. Milan Lalkovic, the Slovenian forward, has also been key to the team’s run this year. Previously utilised on the wing, he has inherited central striking duties due to injuries and has taken the opportunity with aplomb, scoring both goals to knock Arsenal out. He seems suited to the Chelsea kit too, missing a penalty in the last round!

A final mention must go to Nathaniel Chalobah. Still 16 but captain of the impressive England U-17 side and central figure in their European Championship victory last summer. Comfortable either at CB or CM he has all the attributes to succeed at the top level and his performances in this year’s competition have shown impressive maturity beyond his years.

12. How big of a loss will it be to not have Billy Clifford available?

Billy would undoubtedly have appeared in my previous list but sadly a knee injury has ruled him out. Another player who has had an excellent campaign both at youth and reserve level and even appearing on the First team bench a few times this season. He can ply a number of positions very capably but has been best utilised in an all-action midfield role this year. His energy and link-up play will be sorely missed against a very strong United midfield.

13. Chelsea overcame a hyped-up Arsenal side in the competition – just how good do you think this U18 group is?

It’s difficult to tell, in truth. All their matches in the FAYC this season have followed an unnervingly similar pattern: go behind (very) early on and then create tonnes of chances and eventually winning the game, deservingly, 2-1 – normally with a late winner. Certainly they are full of character and spirit and play some great passing football. Their downfall is undoubtedly their profligacy in front of goal and this will likely be the deciding factor over the two legs between the sides. Ultimately, the purpose of a youth side is to produce players for the first team rather than win youth trophies and there is a real belief that a number from this side can progress in the same way previous graduates in recent years have.

14. What do you know about the current United U18 side?

I know about certain individuals but less about their performances as a team. The midfield three of Pogba – Tunnicliffe – Morrison is an impressive looking triumvirate. I watched the highlights from the Liverpool game and was obviously impressed with both Tunnicliffe and Morrison and that comeback clearly shows a strong character in the United side too. I’d imagine Chelsea’s ability to contain and control the midfield (even without Morrison, in the first leg) will go some way to determining the how the two ties play out.

15. And finally, are you confident that Chelsea can reach another FAYC final?

The wonderful thing about youth football is its unpredictability. The strong character of both sides means that either side is really going to have to earn their place in the final over the full 180 minutes. As is so often the case at this level, it will probably be decided by a moment of magic or a defensive error. Hopefully it will be the former and both sides have players capable of producing exactly that. If I could, I’d sit on the fence, but I’ll go for a 4-3 aggregate victory for Chelsea.

AUTHOR: – Doron