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After a sombre night in Rome, Chelsea return to Premier League action and take on Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. Antonio Conte didn't look happy after the chastening loss to Roma and we presume some of the players bore the brunt in his post-game talk.
In the post-match press conference, the Chelsea-coach identified the lack of ‘hunger’ and ‘desire’ in his players as the main reason for the loss.
After returning to Cobham, the team has been reported to have sat through a full analysis of what went wrong and the probable solutions for the same. This Sunday, they will be looking to redeem themselves and track back to winning ways with a win over arch-rivals Manchester United,
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We take a look at these 5 reasons why Chelsea will destroy Manchester United:
#5 Manchester United’s poor record at Stamford Bridge
Manchester United has not fared well historically against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. In fact, the Red Devils have lost 17 Premier League games against Chelsea and have conceded 66 Premier League goals at the Bridge. That is by far, the most they have lost and conceded against any team in the League.
Additionally, there’s also that small matter where United have won only 2 matches in last 17 years at Stamford Bridge. They played a total of 22 matches, winning only 2 while drawing 7 and losing 13.
This tally includes games played during the managerial stints of Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho. On all 13 of those previous occasions, Manchester United had to make the return journey up north after losing the encounter to the Blues.
Considering the current form Manchester United is in, which cannot be called anything more than scrappy, it will be surprising if this trend does not continue.
#4 Chelsea will be keen to make a statement against a big side
Conte has been straight-forward with the Blues and is reported to have laid down the law at Cobham. Anyone who is not performing up to mark will not be given any further opportunities and will be dropped from the team.
Chelsea players will be fighting for their place and to show their reaction after the shock loss at Rome in midweek. Additionally, the holders will look to show that they are still a part of the title challenge after falling 9 points behind league leaders Manchester City.
The Blues have faced Arsenal and Manchester United already but have picked up just a point from the two games, so a positive result against the bigger sides is due.
This season, Antonio Conte’s Chelsea has known the true pressure of being a top-four Premier League, when you have to win in 3-4 different competitions. Last season, Chelsea did not have to deal with the midweek drama of Champions League and the same has been taking its toll on the team in the current season. Additionally, injuries to key team members have also exposed the lack of depth in the squad.
The title-holders will look to recapitulate their old form and deny naysayers the satisfaction. Conte has been successful in striking comebacks both as a coach and a player and will be determined to not fade into Premier League history as a one-season wonder. The much-animated Italian will look toward N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater to recreate their Leicester partnership and resurrect Chelsea in its title defence.
#3 Manchester United's injury crisis
The current Manchester United team is not the same team that managed four 4-0 wins in their first 6 matches of the season. With the likes of Pogba, Fellaini and Carrick missing, United have lacked the depth needed to consistently perform at the three competitions they are currently a part of.
Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic have been the combination of choice in midfield and have been playing every week. As a result, the midfield engine is open to fatigue and coach Jose Mourinho does not have any other experienced midfield players at his disposal to use as substitutes.
As with any Mourinho team, there need to be enough options on the field, as well as on the bench to help him cope with any changes in tactics during the game. Without a full bench, Mourinho has been known to withdraw into a shell and look towards playing a draw instead of marching full-steam ahead.
Without his full team, the only option left with Mourinho is to play deep and wait for an error on Chelsea’s part to strike on the counter-attack. Though the tactic has worked previously for Mourinho, it also erodes away at the attacking discipline of the team as seen in the last few matches. Additionally, sitting deep seems like a last-ditch effort and any mistake in defence can land them in a hot mess.
#2 Manchester United's attack has flattered to deceive
Ever since Pogba suffered that hamstring injury against Basel, United have looked disjointed during their attacks. One of the main reasons for such a display is their dependence on Pogba to link up the midfield with the forward line and play the ball forward.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been used mostly as the playmaker this season, but without Pogba, he has been unable to create as many chances as he did before. The current Manchester United team is built around Pogba. He provides the creative vision and also helps set the tempo of the match. While there are other creative players in the squad like Juan Mata and Mkhitaryan, they do not seem as convincing in their influence.
Mkhitaryan has his moments where he becomes passive and is prone to losing the ball. Mata, on the other hand, is often labelled as ‘slow’ and fails to keep the momentum high.
Pogba brings physicality into the midfield and can tackle, intercept, pass and create chances. He makes up for the weakness displayed by the other creative players and lets them play the beautiful game without having to stress for the ‘less beautiful’ aspects of the game.
In the earlier days of his absence, Fellaini was used in his place, but he too lacks the same guile. As a result, even if Fellaini does make it on to the pitch, it might not stop Chelsea from taking three points. As a result, striker Romelu Lukaku has had to remain content with limited opportunities in front of the goal and has been without a goal in 6 competitive matches now.
#1 N’Golo Kante's return
Injury to key player N’Golo Kante has been one of the main reasons for Chelsea’s recent turn of fate. Kante works as the defensive screen to the back three and offers stability to the defence. He had been crucial during Leicester’s title-winning campaign as well as Conte’s first Premier League title last year.
However, in his absence, Tiemoue Bakayoko has been used as the holding midfielder. Unfortunately, Bakayoko has a tendency to move forward which exposes the back three to marauding attackers. His partner in the engine room has often been Cesc Fabregas who shares this tendency.
As a result, opponent managers often get to capitalise on the space left behind by the two midfielders. In the event, one of the midfielders loses the ball of opposition players, there remains no further screen to protect the defensive line.
With Kante back in the fold, the defence will be able to thwart off attacks from Manchester United, while building up from the back to support the forwards up front. He will be tasked to keep the defensive discipline and maintain team shape, while Fabregas will be freed up to take a more advanced role upfront.
Additionally, the inclusion of Danny Drinkwater will help Kante strike up a familiar partnership and maintain a well-connected engine room. With less worry in front of the back three, the likes of Willian, Eden Hazard, Pedro and Alvaro Morata will be able to strike fear in the heart of opponent defences like it was in the beginning of the season.
