Chelsea: Four key clashes in the FA Cup semifinal with Manchester United
By Varun Dani
2. Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount versus Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba
Most games are won and lost in midfield and the there is a solid case for four midfielders to decide the flow of the game all on their own.
Bruno Fernandes’s arrival in January has been the catalyst for United’s upturn in form. The Portuguese play maker has been at the heart of everything good (and controversial) for the club, winning back to back player of the month awards in the Premier League. He’s a set piece specialist (in taking and winning them) with an eye for a pass and has the instinct of a goal scorer.
Since the return, he’s continued his rich vein of form, quickly becoming the talisman of the team. The differentiating factor though has been Paul Pogba’s return to fitness. Say what you will about the Frenchman, Pogba being a truly world class player is an undeniable fact. Fernandes linking up with Pogba has been a dream scenario for United, as the two have begun to find chemistry rather quickly.
With Fernandes operating as the advanced play maker and Pogba pulling the threads from a deeper position, Chelsea needs a game plan to disrupt the duo. Luckily, the solution lies with Chelsea’s two best players this season.
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The inclusions of Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount in the squad at the start of the season raised plenty of questions for Lampard. The former had not done much the previous season to justify the conversion of his loan into a permanent transfer while the latter had only played in the Championship. As the season progressed, Lampard choices were truly vindicated as both players have been irreplaceable for the team. On Sunday, Kovacic will be tasked at stifling Fernandes while Mount will have to take on Pogba.
As he has done all season, Kovacic adds solidarity to the team in the absence of N’Golo Kante. With the Frenchman’s status for the game up in the air, the onus will lie on Kovacic to not let Fernandes have his way, particularly when he will barely get any support him the elite regista beside him. This fixture once saw Jose Mourinho marking out Hazard with Ander Herrera to take out Chelsea’s best outlet to attack and Kovacic will have to do something similar with Fernandes to cut off United’s creativity.
Mount, on the other hand, will be tasked to do what he does best; press United into making mistakes. Pogba is still recovering from his injury and has a couple of mistakes in him, as the Southampton game proved. A well rested Mount needs to take advantage of that and destabilize the base of United’s midfield by constantly putting the pressure on them.
If Mount and Kovacic can frustrate United’s star midfielders, Chelsea will well and truly be on the cusp of a galvanizing victory.