Chelsea, Manchester United, and the fork in the road

Chelsea and Manchester United followed similar trains of thought to appoint their latest managers. But United took a wrong turn at the fork in the road.

No, the title is not a set up to a bad joke. Well, it could be but that is neither here nor there. Simply put, both Chelsea and Manchester United embarked on a similar journey with their latest managers. But when United came to a fork in the road, the wrong path was chosen. On paper, that mistake does not seem to be coming for Chelsea but the club needs to also be aware of its potential.

There was a sense for both Manchester United and Chelsea that they were not themselves anymore. What once made them special had given way to other ideas and notions. As the confidence eroded, both clubs turned to former players to rekindle that since of being who they were again. Manchester United was allowed to be Manchester United and Chelsea was allowed to be Chelsea.

This came, in part, thanks to a simplicity in tactics that both Frank Lampard and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer share. There is a basis to what they want to do but at the end of the day the decision making is left to the players within that framework. It requires a great deal of confidence which Chelsea has only gained since their loss to United on opening day. But United’s confidence has been a roller coaster ever since Solskjaer became the permanent manager. The fork in the road came when the confidence left United.

Both managers started their tenures by putting themselves among the squad. They were not above or below their players; they were in the trenches with them. That gives players confidence and also breeds a great amount of trust, both traits required in the tactics the managers employ.

But it all started to go wrong with Solskjaer when his side overcame Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League. More or less for that alone, Solskjaer was made permanent manager with a mandate to rebuild. And that is when the wrong path was taken at the fork.

After the PSG game, it was no longer Solskjaer and the boys. It was Solskjaer’s boys. Suddenly, by his own decisions or those of the club, he was above the squad. And while that works when it is someone like Sir Alex Ferguson, that kind of respect is earned. As Solskjaer started chopping and changing the squad, he was left with a husk of the team he had and the husk was no longer brimming with the confidence it had.

There is a fear that something similar could happen at Chelsea after the transfer ban. If Lampard starts chopping and changing because he can, he may find himself further and further from his squad. He is the manager, but he cannot put himself in a place where the squad does not feel like they have his ear.

Mind, as things currently are that seems a near impossibility at Chelsea. Nothing about Lampard’s personality hints at him closing his door to concerns because he is the manager and they are the players. And where United cleaned house but did not replace their talents with players from within, Chelsea seems more than willing to fill the gaps with players that have an attachment to the club.

Even more than that, whereas both managers ultimately have simple tactics, Lampard has not been afraid to make tweaks to get the best out of the side he currently has available. It is all about confidence which was lost at United when Solskjaer was handed all the keys to the kingdom and willfully started locking doors. Lampard has to leave them open.

As Chelsea once again head towards a match against United, it is hard not to draw the parallels between Lampard and Solskjaer. The two had very similar paths to their current jobs. And while Lampard has (probably) yet to hit the fork, it feels more certain that he will pick the right path with Solskjaer picked the wrong. It is early in the season yet, but Chelsea feels on the right path.