Manchester United vs. Chelsea - A battle of mind games

A fixture between the two giants of English football, Manchester United and Chelsea, is mostly a title decider. This time it was more or less the same. This fixture always sees the two teams at the top of their game and trying to get one over their rivals. But in this particular match, this particular evening on the 26th of August, was a bit different.

Wayne Rooney of Manchester United gestures during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford on August 26, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

One of the major talking points after the team sheets were out was the inclusion of Wayne Rooney in the starting line-up, to whom Ryan Giggs was preferred in United’s opening day fixture. Another surprise was the exclusion of both Fernando Torres and Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea’s starting line-up. Demba Ba didn’t even make the match day squad. Depending on these selections, either manager was to dominate the headlines of all newspapers the following morning. Or so thought the most of us.

David Moyes was questioned pre-match about his “big team news”. He claimed it did not even cross his mind about talking to Rooney about it and also added that he was confident his star striker would prove that he is still a Manchester United player. And believe me, he did.

Mourinho’s starting eleven saw De Bruyne, Schurrle, Hazard and Oscar as the four up top. The question as to what his tactical plan was remained unanswered though. Schurrle seemed to be the false striker, until Torres was introduced, with the rest of the three floating around him. But in the end, it was a midfield. Chelsea did not have a striker on the field for around 60 minutes of the match. Ramires’s passing was poor and Lampard could feed the ball to no one. Hazard and Oscar and De Bruyne did not know what they were doing. To put it briefly, Chelsea’s plan, if not undone, was not working; if there was any.

Jose is known for his tactical brilliance. His hunger to win. His ability to beat the best. And now that he is even more matured than before, he certainly has improved on all those fronts. After the match many questions were raised - did he really want to win the match? Did he play his team only for the draw?

As I personally see it, the answer to the second question is yes. He did play for the draw. Even if Chelsea had lost, he would have been a bit delighted, but only under one condition – Wayne Rooney being the winner. And his wish was almost fulfilled. And even if it did not, Rooney was by far the best player on the pitch. And that, I reckon, was Jose’s real plan behind the 4-6-0 formation.

It all started with Rooney letting his feelings known to Sir Alex, who in turn revealed in public that Rooney was indeed unhappy. This certainly was not the response Rooney desired. The reason behind Rooney’s unhappiness was the ultimate fact the he had to play second-fiddle to Dutchman Robin van Persie. He is indeed an all round player and that is why last season he found himself in midfield, receiving the ball from defence and then playing it to the forwards. But what he wanted, so say the sources, was to be at the receiving end of that pass rather than being the one who plays it. He wanted to be the main man up front.

Then came the second home coming of The Special One, and he made the United striker his number one priority in the transfer window. And he reiterated that with his team selection yesterday. He wanted to show everyone and the concerned party that the spot for the number one striker in the Chelsea squad is vacant. It was almost like an invitation for Rooney to come and fill the void.

But as it turned out, Rooney paid no attention to any of it. Both sets of fans were cheering for him. Chelsea fans inviting him to Stamford Bridge while United fans persuaded him to stay. But what he did was, I stress on it again, a very professional job. His manager deployed him in a central role and he went on about his job just like it was a regular match of football. And that is what Moyes wanted from him.

He found the right passes and also troubled Cech a couple of times. For a player around whom so much of speculation revolved, this was a top performance. He focused on the game well, his body language was such that United fans were offered more hope about him staying at the club for at least another season.

So it seems that Mourinho’s intent behind the team selection went unnoticed by his main target. He was too focused on playing for his current club rather than thinking about his next probable destination in English football. He played just like Moyes said he would – like a Manchester United player.

But did Rooney think about any of this after the match? Did Mourinho whisper something in his ear in the dugout? Or has Mourinho, after giving it his all, given up on him? We’ll know the answers come the end of the transfer window.