Chelsea: Three things to look for as Blues travel to Manchester United
3. How do the defenses hold up?
As briefly mentioned toward the conclusion of the last point, Man United’s defense has been woeful to begin the campaign. United has a game in hand on a majority of the league, but even then, the Red Devils have let in more goals (12) than any club not named Liverpool (13), West Brom (13) or Fulham (12). Seeing as the club spent a fortune on Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka just a short while ago, the problems at the back are rather inexplicable.
Throughout Chelsea and Man United’s meetings with the current coaches in charge, Solskjaer has commanded his side to play a counterattacking style of football. This is rendered useless against any side—much less one of the Premier League’s highest scoring—if his men cannot keep the ball out of their own net. United has the talent to go toe-to-toe with any club in the world, and as much as any Blues fan hates to admit that, it’s true. However, the Red Devils stand no chance at the weekend if they do not figure out the defensive issues.
All of that being said, their opponents are no saints either. The Blues let in more goals than any team in the top half of the table last season. Although that seems like an eternity ago, none of the major European clubs have had a significant preseason to address issues fully and to the extent they would have liked. Chelsea’s defensive success largely hangs in the balance of who Lampard selects, as previously noted.
On its day, few teams in Europe can penetrate the Blues’ back line. The issue? The back four is seldom on top of its game—look no further than Chelsea’s last Premier League match as evidence. Luckily, when Mendy, James/Azpilicueta, Silva, Zouma and Chilwell are on the pitch together, the problems seem to diminish.
Both sides have incredible attacking talent—highlighted by names like Timo Werner and Bruno Fernandes—but it’s the stability of each back line that will ultimately decide the outcome of this match.
Next. Thiago Silva is the key to fixing Chelsea's defensive mishaps. dark
What are some of the things you’ll be looking out for? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!