Chelsea blue clues: Scoring the early goal against Manchester United

A potion is brewed for Frank Lampard’s first win against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The secret ingredient? The pivotal early goal.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has Frank Lampard’s number. It’s no secret. The gaffer probably exchanged numbers with the Norwegian when they played against each other in the 2000s, as they probably believed that exchanging jerseys was too mainstream. No harm done.

But one has to wonder if Solskjaer has somehow hacked into Lampard’s phone to get a peek at his tactics because the Norwegian has outclassed the Englishman three times this season, quite unlike their playing days. And yet, it is Lampard’s Blues that sits two places above United in the league (for now), which makes it quite a rather confusing equation.

So, while there will be plenty of talking points when it comes to the tactics and narratives surrounding the game, this match up will prove to be a battle of wits; psychological warfare. The key to winning here is fairly simple; score early and gain control.

The Chelsea players will start the game fresher than their opponents, having two extra days to prepare. Factor in that Solskjaer went with his strongest eleven against Crystal Palace on Thursday, and the United players will be demotivated about their physical condition to that of their opponents. They will, however, take comfort in the fact that they have beaten these Blues players three times, relieving them of that mental fatigue.

On the other hand, motivation (or lack of it) is the Achilles’ heel of these Blues players; they seem to turn up only when it suits them. Their confidence is more fragile than Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s body, with even the slightest setback destroying their morale. To that extent, it is of utmost essence that the Blues do not concede first.

Keeping the isolated Aston Villa game aside, how many times has this team dug down deep to make a comeback after going behind? The moment things don’t go their way, these Chelsea players begin to self destruct, even when they can turn the tide in their favor.

Should this team concede first against United, everything that is bottled up in their minds will spill out, creating a catastrophic mess. United’s 18 games unbeaten streak, the three losses to United, the top four race; pressure will take over and that will be game over.

United will surrender possession, as they have on the three previous occasions. This will partly be to conserve their energy after Thursday’s game and partly to maximize their pacey counter attacks. But as their recent games against Southampton and Palace have shown, the Red Devils are far from invincible. The oppositions in those games were playing the better football while United looked susceptible at the back. The difference only lies with United’s clinical touch in front of goal, with their oppositions being rather wasteful.

Chelsea has players of a far superior quality to those clubs, so it is crucial that when they enjoy their best spells of play early on, they finish the big chance that comes their way. And it will.

If the Blues do go ahead early on, Solskjaer’s game plan goes right out of the window. United will then have to begin taking responsibility of the ball and break the Blues down. That will not prove to be as easy as simply counter attacking, as the Blues will then be much more compact and pragmatic to frustrate United.

The more time United players spend on the ball, the faster pressure and fatigue will leak in. They will hit the panic button at some point and make mistakes, which the rapid Christian Pulisic and Willian can capitalize on. Both players have been very productive since the restart and could effectively seal the game with a second goal.

Should Chelsea fail to score early on though, Lampard will be on course for a fourth loss to Solskjaer. The players will quickly lose confidence and form a mental block; they will not believe they can beat United. As their belief wavers, United will hit the Blues on the break and win the game. The same old tale.

The style of football you endorse does not matter. The amount of possession you’ve had does not matter. The amount of chances you’ve created does not matter. The expected goals statistics certainly does not matter.

All that matters is the goals you score, and for the Blues to be victorious on Sunday, the Blues will have to strike early.