Frank Lampard’s Chelsea will hoping to beat Ole Gunner Solksjaer at the fourth attempt this season. How can they do so at Wembley?
Chelsea face Manchester United in the FA Cup semi final Sunday with Frank Lampard looking to win his first trophy in management. Ole Gunner Solskjaer has beaten Lampard’s Chelsea three times this season, but the Chelsea head coach must get the better of his top four rival to reach the final at Wembley. Manchester United have an aggregate score line of 8-1 against Chelsea this season. This sounds alarm bells for Lampard, but the head coach will fancy his chances in North West London when the two sides kick off at the national stadium.
The energetic Lampard style of football means that conceding goals is no surprise. The demanding pressing game and overlapping full backs means Chelsea is always vulnerable to the counterattack. Hence why a Manchester United counter attacking side have found it so successful against Lampard’s blues.
Chelsea must stop the attacking capabilities of the Manchester side. The counter attacking approach from Solskjaer has beaten Lampard’s possession based football on every occasion this season. The first encounter in August, Chelsea had 57 percent possession but lost 4-0. The second game, in the league cup, saw Chelsea keep 66 percent possession of the ball but lost 2-1. The Premier League game at Stamford Bridge finished with 60 percent possession for Chelsea but again, they lost, this time 2-0.
This shows the tactical approach from Solskjaer and United. They let Chelsea have the ball and let them go from left to right. United sit with numbers behind the ball and when they win it back, they attack with a clinical edge.
How do Chelsea overcome this? Lampard’s side must be clinical on Sunday when they express themselves in the final third. Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic will be important to Chelsea winning the game. The two forwards have been on fire since the resumption of football, with both having a combined 10 goals and assists since the Aston Villa game on June 21st.
In the three times the two sides have met this season, Chelsea have had 40 shots compared to United’s 27. This just shows the attacking intent from the London club, but it also highlights the lack of clinical touch after only scoring one goal.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been phenomenal for United this season when defending. The right back has the most successful tackles in the league with 120. Pulisic will be a direct opponent for Wan-Bissaka, but due to the defending ability of the English defender, Lampard may switch Willian and Pulisic. “Captain America” may play more off the right hand side, running at Luke Shaw which may prove more successful.
One thing that could favor Pulisic against Wan-Bissaka is the inverted runs from the number 22. He often cuts in off the left hand side to centrally charge at the defense. This upsets the opposing defensive structure due to its efficiency and directness; it instantly puts the defense on the back foot.
This could be the approach when Pulisic plays on the left because Wan-Bissaka will not be dragged out of position, meaning the winger may find it easier to weave his way through the United defense. If Wan-Bissaka does follow Pulisic in field, this will leave a hole for the likes of Marcos Alonso to exploit. The Spanish full back is most dangerous when whipping crosses into the box, especially when Giroud is lurking.
Crossing is something in which United have been familiar with this season. They make on average 17 crosses per game. The 4-2-3-1 formation allows the wingers to stay wide, the defensive midfielders to cover the wings and the full backs to overlap. The threat of Bruno Fernandes in the 10 means he can pick the ball up between the lines and play it out wide to Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood or Anthony Martial. Depending on who is playing on the wing at the time.
Chelsea is likely to also play a 4-3-2-1 formation after playing this way for most of the season. On the other hand, Lampard has opted for a three at the back formation which has also worked. Chelsea beat Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur playing this way because it compacts their own final third when the wing backs are in defensive duties.
Crosses and set pieces into the Chelsea box has been exploited all season, especially since the restart. West Ham and Sheffield United was an example of this. Manchester United will be aware of this. Kepa Arrizabalaga has been questionable in commanding his area, this was clear when Tomas Soucek scored against Chelsea for The Hammers.
Chelsea must be clinical if they want to progress to the FA Cup final. They are likely to have more possession and shots on goal than Manchester United. In addition to this, nullifying United’s attack stops their pacey, electric wingers. Chelsea’s defense has been sloppy all season after conceding 49 Premier League goals, which is the highest in the top 10. Nevertheless, the 2-1 win against Manchester City and the 2-0 away win away at Tottenham Hotspur means the defense can be stubborn.
All stats from BBC Sport.