The Pride of London
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Chelsea have opportunity to overwhelm makeshift Manchester United squad in FA Cup

By George Perry

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 23: Gary Cahill of Chelsea jumps on tops as N'golo Kante of Chelsea celebrates with his team mates after he scores to make it 4-0 during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on October 23, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 23: Gary Cahill of Chelsea jumps on tops as N'golo Kante of Chelsea celebrates with his team mates after he scores to make it 4-0 during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on October 23, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images) /
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Chelsea will face a Manchester United squad bereft of Jose Mourinho’s top four forwards. The Blues must pounce on the weakened visitors to make the FA Cup quarterfinals a comfortable affair.

Pedro might just get his wish to score an even quicker goal when Manchester United return to Stamford Bridge. Pedro scored 33 seconds into October’s Premier League fixture. Early pressure on both sides of the ball can put Chelsea well ahead of United by half time and preclude the visitors from having any hope of making a go of this cup tie.

Jose Mourinho knew he would be without Zlatan Ibrahimovic due to suspension. Wayne Rooney and Marcus Rashford were in line to power United’s attack. However, Rooney suffered a training ground injury yesterday and Rashford fell ill. Anthony Martial also picked up an injury in training. All three stayed behind as the United squad came to London yesterday.

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Without those four, United have only three players who have scored more than a single Premier League goal this season. Ex-Blue Juan Mata (6), Paul Pogba (4) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (3) are the only Red Devils to net multiple goals in 2016/2017.

Juan Mata will likely end up bearing the brunt of his teammates’ absence. In the absence of any of his usual target men on set pieces or passes into the box, he will have to create more opportunities for himself. Mata will also have to marshal a disjointed bag of forwards who lack the experience – and, in one case, the discipline – necessary to hold off Antonio Conte’s Chelsea.

Marouane Fellaini is one possible target man for Manchester United. Fellaini is a yellow card machine, with no offensive upside. Fellaini averages one yellow card every 150 minutes. That is at least double the rate of any other player besides Wayne Rooney. But while Rooney has two goals and five assists to go along with being Wayne Rooney, Fellaini has no goals and no assists.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan will almost definitely start, given his steady return to Mourinho’s squad. Jesse Lingard or Ashley Young would likely round out the front set. These players would provide pace on the attack, with the hope that they could salvage a few opportunities behind Chelsea’s defence.

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Chelsea can overwhelm Manchester United early on with an energetic high press led by N’Golo Kante and Pedro. United will already be without the rhythm and intuition that comes from a group of players accustomed to play together. Chelsea’s disruptive play can dismantle and discombobulate United’s duct-taped squad.

Few teams can handle Kante’s omnipresence. Kante is always a few steps ahead of the ball and the man. Every United pass through midfield will land at his feet or be under Kante’s control within the first two touches.

With Pedro flitting about and Eden Hazard ready to pounce, Chelsea can keep United pinned deep in their zone for much of the opening 20 minutes. If Hazard and Diego Costa come ready to play – motivated by revenge, FA Cup glory or they just woke up in a good mood – the game can be out of reach by half time.

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Jose Mourinho has been building his excuses since the quarterfinal draw last month. If Chelsea defeat his side today he will turn the rationalizing up to 11. Not much downside for Antonio Conte’s first trip to Wembley.

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