The Reds vs The Blues conundrum
- The Red Devil Advocate
- Nov 3, 2017
- 3 min read
When we last visited Stamford Bridge, it was a horror outing that we only dish out to other teams. The 4-0 defeat was not the worst thing to happen that day. It was also the day when we watched Mourinho’s former team heading for glory and that painful to swallow.
This Sunday, we travel to London a different side.
Last season’s defeat was dealt by then Chelsea’s due of Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante. This time, however, the duo is split and we have the better half, if I may say so.
Manchester United, after beating Tottenham head to London to do some more damage to Chelsea, who are currently a little out of form with a Champions League defeat and also suffering from a ‘lack of hunger’.
Much like the Liverpool match, we expect Mourinho’s objective to be to take away a point from the Blues. The mood, different from last seasons is something Mourinho will be looking to take advantage of, besides the team’s current issues:
While the Blues pray for Kante’s match fitness, it is likely Conte will field Bakayoko and Fabregas; the duo that featured on this week’s Champions League and were declared tired. Maybe they will have rested in time for the match, but all the same, this is whom the Reds shall face in all likelihood.
Manchester United will field Matic, imperialist and Ander Herrera the… let’s call him the enthusiast. These two, offer our best chances of beating Chelsea because, they are both good and also because of Matic.
Nemanja Matic could be the wild card; but this is a top-notch encounter and anything goes.
It is Thibaut Courtois, Chelsea’s goalie, who has given a very balanced reflection of Matic’s depature from the Blues, although he did not exactly admit they were missing Matic! Without reading too much into what he did not say, but his concern was dripping from here to next Sunday:
Asked if Chelsea missed Matic, Courtois said: “I don’t know. We know Nemanja’s qualities, he is someone who last year gave us the balance as well. He decided to go to another team, so we won’t live in the past.
“Our midfield is very good, we have very strong players so I don’t know if we miss him. But if you have two injuries in midfield, then, of course, you can say yeah we miss Nemanja because he is another quality player and he is doing well in Manchester.”
While Matic has been the best player for Manchester United this season, it is upon Mourinho to make him an issue against Chelsea, and the only way to do so will be by securing three points and making a mess of their midfield’s tired players.
Four points separate Manchester United and Chelsea, as Man United lies second to Man City, Chelsea are fourth and will be looking to close the gap to the top. It is my personal take that Mourinho, unlike Conte has more to prove by getting three points on Sunday.
He needs to improve his record against top clubs and making clear his intention to capture the League this season. There is no better time to beat them as this Sunday. In the words of Ray Wilkins “Jose Mourinho must be looking at this situation now, after watching Chelsea in Rome, that they are a side that’s struggling. He has now got the best possible chance to go to Stamford Bridge and claw back three points that Manchester City also got,” Walkins told the Premier League Daily.
He added, “he [Mourinho] must feel they’ve got every opportunity to win this game. Chelsea are lacking confidence, the players are not playing to their abilities or their strengths and this is an opportunity for them to come to Stamford Bridge and take the game away from them.”
All the same, Chelsea are also chasing the win and the biggest mistake Mourinho and the team can make would be to think for one moment they will get away with a win. In the words of Courtois, “City are nine points ahead of us, United four, Tottenham just one. So if you want, this game is a must-win game to remain at the top and remain close to the other teams. We will try to get the three points at home and we will give our lives for it on Sunday.”
Will Manchester United repeat last month’s feats of their City rivals or will the tradition of the venue where United have only claimed one League win in 15 years and succumb to a draw or worse a loss? Will the defensive play hold-out or will Mourinho go all out on attack? Well, let’s wait and see!!!
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