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Chelsea v Manchester United Preview

February 28, 2011 — by Sean

Chin up, Nando. Today might just be your day!

The past few seasons have seen the meeting between  Abromovich’s blues and Fergie’s boys in red decide the winner of the Prem. This time around the result will have similar impact, but Chelsea are fighting for different honors. Three points to the home side will lessen the gap to the league leaders (an insurmountable twelve points with a win), but more importantly victory for Chelsea means they leapfrog Spurs into fourth and a place in the Champions League.

What’s more, a win for Chelsea holds United at four points above the Arsenal, who would then have a game in hand. It’s hard to say exactly who comes into the match with more pressure upon them: the holding champions, with their aging foundation of Terry, Cole, Lampard and Drogba, none of them having a particularly stellar season, or United, who paradoxically won an unconvincing 4-0 against Wigan over the weekend.

United have simply not been firing on all cylinders this season, and Ferguson has been hard pressed to name a consistent top XI. Rooney started the season under immense criticism over contract negotiations, and that plus his poor showing at the summer’s World Cup seem to have messed with his mojo. Berbatov has been his usual uncharismatic self who just doesn’t inspire confidence. Nani is a few seasons away from ripe, Ferdinand has had too many injuries, Giggs and Scholes couldn’t have much life left in them (though Giggs…), van der Sar is about to retire though he’s having an amazing season, and good thing too since his backline is unconvincing. Evans, O’Shea, Gibson– who knows who Fergison will settle on. Then there’s a supporting cast that includes the like of Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves. Between dead wood and raw youngsters Ferguson is caught making it up as he goes along.

You have to admire United, then, for the results they’ve produced this year. Especially considering they were confronted at the onset of the season with a Chelsea team who appeared unstoppable. Malouda looked incredible, Anelka was finding ways to be even smoother than his usually super-smooth self (perhaps as a message to the FFF who had sent him home from South Africa so unceremoniously), Essien was back and playing wherever he was needed, Obi Mikel looked solid in the holding role, even young Josh McEachran had a few run outs encouraging a sense that there was youth in an otherwise aging side.

Then it all got turned around for Chelsea. Somewhere along the way they lost the plot, something that United, though perhaps less talented than their southern neighbors, have not done for any length of time this season. Chalk it up to the management, then. Ancelotti forgot how to inspire his club in February, while Ferguson kept pushing a rather dull team to scrape out wins no matter what.

So what is the key to victory today? For Chelsea, it’s probably sit the lackluster Drogba and continue working on the connection between Anelka and Torres. El Niño hasn’t put one in and has been having a tough season in general, but his movement is fantastic. It’s really all in his head. He just needs to slam a couple home and he’ll be going strong again. The only problem with putting these two up top is that they lose the width Anelka would otherwise provide. Kalou is as good as he’ll get and though he’ll stretch play when he can, he’s not the one to turn the game on its head. Maybe Zhirkov will work better in what looks to become a 4-4-2?  On the right it’s unlikely that Malouda will hug the touchline. A narrow attack for Chelsea then.

On the United side I’d like to see the return of Park Ji-Sung. His early season energy was the one bright spot in a flailing team, and though he hasn’t seemed to have played much or at all since his return from the Asia Cup, Ferguson does tend to put the Korean out for big matches. With Park on the right, expect Berbatov to play up in his striker role and Rooney behind, Nani on the left…all standard stuff. Behind them, who knows? Gibson seems to be in favor, and he does have a nice long delivery, though Carrick is the obvious first choice. Him next to Fletcher, with the sturdy Smalling behind him with Vidic. Whatever the lineup, expect no sight of Bebe.

It promises to be an exciting match. Man United will be looking for a win with the Gunners breathing down their neck, and if Chelsea don’t make the Champions League next season there’s sure to be a fire sale come summer (may be one regardless).