Manchester United are back in action after an international break. And what a match it will be back to make a return, as the Red Devils are visiting Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The match between Jose Mourinho’s current and previous club is always going to bring up some interesting storylines, especially surrounding the manager.
However, on Saturday early kick-off there are certain things we would like to see from Man United. The players had two weeks off Man United duty – well, some of them – and after an important 3-2 comeback against Newcastle, it is time to erase the previous losses with a win against still unbeaten side.
Defensive Discipline
Manchester United are craving defensive discipline and solidity. They conceded 14 goals so far and only Cardiff, Huddersfield and Fulham have a worse record. They conceded twice against Newcastle inside of the opening 10 minutes through incredible mistakes in defending and add to that the three goals against Brighton and West Ham and you get the picture.
The thing is that Jose Mourinho had 10 or so days to work with some of his players specifically for this match. He knows what he needs to do against big teams and we have already seen that from Man United during the spring when they beat most of the Premier League’s big six sides. Such discipline is necessary against a powerful opposition like Chelsea.
Lukaku’s Improvements
Romelu Lukaku needs to improve. He also needs a rest, to be honest, but that is a different matter. (Really, why was there need for Roberto Martinez to play him against Netherlands in an utterly meaningless friendly match this week?) Lukaku has scored four goals so far, which is not terrible, but he could and should be better. And not just with scoring goals.
His movements on the pitch need to be more purposeful. Do not get me wrong – Lukaku is getting into good chances. His average shot value is 0.22 xG, which is quite good, the problem is that he does not get into many chances. Some of that is due to the way United have been playing so far this season, but 2.48 shots per 90 minutes is less than both Alexis Sanchez and Paul Pogba.
Jorginho Neutralised
It is incredible how quickly has the Italian become so valuable for this Chelsea side. It was expected for him to become important, simply not so smoothly and right away. Jorginho joined last summer after he was on the verge of signing for Manchester City and with Maurizio Sarri, he was always to become an integral part to the way Chelsea were expected play.
In a highly fluid 4-3-3 with lots of possession, swift moves and high pressing, Jorginho is absolutely crucial. His passing skills are impeccable and he controls the way Chelsea (and Napoli before) play similarly to how Sergio Busquets has been orchestrating Barcelona’s play for the past 10 years. Stopping Jorginho is not simple, because of his deep position on the pitch and complexity of what he does. But closing down lines and maybe even pressing Chelsea very high early on could unsettle the Italian.