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Three things to look for as Chelsea hosts Sheffield United before the break

By Gabe Henderson

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - JULY 11: Ben Osborn of Sheffield United and Reece James of Chelsea challenge for the ball during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Chelsea FC at Bramall Lane on July 11, 2020 in Sheffield, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - JULY 11: Ben Osborn of Sheffield United and Reece James of Chelsea challenge for the ball during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Chelsea FC at Bramall Lane on July 11, 2020 in Sheffield, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
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SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – JULY 11: Ben Osborn of Sheffield United and Reece James of Chelsea challenge for the ball during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Chelsea FC at Bramall Lane on July 11, 2020 in Sheffield, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – JULY 11: Ben Osborn of Sheffield United and Reece James of Chelsea challenge for the ball during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Chelsea FC at Bramall Lane on July 11, 2020 in Sheffield, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /

2. Facing the Ghosts of the Past

While the last slide discussed the present and future of the fixture, this one dives into the past. It’s no secret Sheffield United batted above its own weight last season, as evidenced by the Blades’ current position in the table this season. Part of its success en route to a 9th place finish came against the big six. Newly promoted teams seldom get results against the Premier League giants, but Wilder’s side puzzled the star Premier League squad. The most notable of those results came against Frank Lampard’s Chelsea.

The Blades capitalized on the Blues’ early season stumbles back in August of 2019. Sheffield battled back from a 2-0 deficit at Stamford Bridge to salvage a point on the day when Kurt Zouma put it into the back of his own net. It was a disappointing result for Chelsea, but the worst was yet to come. The two sides didn’t meet again until after the restart when Lampard’s side was looking for a third consecutive win to sure up the race for top four. Sheffield dominated the Blues in every aspect that day, sending Chelsea packing after a 3-0 Blades victory kept their dreams of a top half finish alive. Things ended up working out for both sides with the Blues finishing top four and the Blades finishing in the top half, but without those results, things could’ve gone much differently.

That brings us to Saturday. Chelsea is looking to strengthen its league position heading into the break. Sheffield sits joint-bottom, only ahead by virtue of the fact it has a less-worse goal difference, and is in desperate need of a result. The Blues need to seize the moment as many other top clubs square off against one another this weekend. If Chelsea wants to have any shot at keeping up with the true title contenders, they have to beat Sheffield United for the first time since the 2006/07 season.

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