United v. Chelsea – Match Preview

By: Taylor Rockwell | January 9th, 2009

Barclays Premier League
Old Trafford
Sunday, January 11, 2009
KO – 16:00 GMT (11:00AM EST)
Media – Fox Soccer Channel, Sky Sports 1, BBC Radio Fivelive

Points to Ponder:

Ferdinand Returns. ManUtd.com are reporting that Rio will be fit for the Chelsea match. “Rio’s fit to play,” Ferguson said in his pre-match press conference. “He’s missed the last few games, and that’s given us time to get things settled down. He’s very good, he’s trained for the last few days and he’s feeling much better.” The red section of Manchester just breathed a little easier while glancing in the direction of Jonny Evans (still pretty young) and John O’Shea (still pretty terrible).

So does Patrice Evra. Having served a lengthy ban for his involvement in the fracas with a Chelsea groundskeeper, Patrice Evra will make his LONG awaited return to the United starting lineup. His composure, skill, and defensive capabilities have been sorely missed (once again, John O’Shea, I’m pretty obviously staring in your direction). Evra gives us pace outside and will no doubt prove a helpful option in shutting down the Chelsea offensive machine.

Will this be Neville’s last chance? Rafael started against Derby on Wednesday, which seems to indicate Neville will take the field on Sunday. A less than impressive return has had many clamoring for Rafael to be declared the automatic first choice. Neville hasn’t exactly done a lot to turn the tide in his favor. Although he will probably retain first selection status Sunday, a poor performance could see the aging captain taken off early and left on the sidelines in future big matches.

What do you do with the Chelsea attack? It would stand to reason that Chelsea will deploy Drogba, Cole, Mikel, and Deco in the attack, with Boswinga and Cashley bombing down the wings. So, the question must then be posed, what’s the best way to counter this while keeping our free-flowing attack alive? If we clog up the middle, the game is destined to be a VERY close one, plagued by inconsistent passing and a lot of long balls played in.

Lately, Fergie seems content to work it out wide and have Evra and Rafael lob in balls for the midfield to crash. This has not worked to the degree the Scotsman must have desired. In this type of match, I would much prefer a direct attack via a 4-3-3 with Rafael/Neville and Evra cotent to focus on defending. Plus, I sort of drool a little bit when I think of an attack featuring Berba, Rooney, Tevez, and Slave.

This could (and most likely, will) be the decisive match of the season. Thus far, we’ve gotten 1 point from 3 matches against the other Big Four clubs. With the fixtures piling up and some less than definitive results (need I mention Derby?) lately, United must find their stride and begin hammering home the points. Soundly defeating Chelsea at home would go a long way towards silencing the naysayers and bridging the slight gap between Manchester and Liverpool. Furthermore, with the way things have been lately, this match could play a serious role in deciding the future of the Red Devil attack. A big performance from Berba could prove that he belongs front and center in the United roster, while a supersub performance from Tevez could keep the debate open for a good long while.

Projected United Staring XI:
Van der Sar, Neville, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Park, Carrick, Fletcher, Slave, Rooney, Berbatov (Bench: Failbot, Tevez, Anderson, Rafael, Giggs, Scholes, O’Shea).

Taylor’s Wishful Thinking Lineup:
VDS, Rafael, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Slave, Carrick, Anderson/Giggs, Tevez, Rooney, Berbatov (Bench: Foster, Scholes, Neville, Anderson/Giggs, Fletcher, O’Shea, Welbeck).

Prediction
I wish I could say I feel highly optimistic about this one, and there are many signs to indicate United could crush the Blues… but that seems very unlikely. The Reds have yet to fully click this season (not a good sign, as the EPL is already halfway gone), haven’t sorted out many of their on-field issues, and are starting to show a lack of confidence going forward. My guess is that we’re looking at another 1-1 draw, with Chelsea pulling a goal out of their arse (and, of course, completely against the run of play).

Editorial Note: For those of you thinking this is an obvious attempt at a reverse jinx and that I do, in fact, believe United will come out with three points… well… shut up… you’re ruining it…

And you, dear readers? What formation would you prefer? What starting eleven gives us the best chance? Final score predictions? Any chance on which manager attacks the other first?