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Chelsea: 5 most important fixtures of the 2021/22 season

By Olaoluwa Nwobodo

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Thiago Silva of Chelsea FC reacts during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on December 26, 2020 in London, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Thiago Silva of Chelsea FC reacts during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on December 26, 2020 in London, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images) /
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Chelsea’s German defender Antonio Rudiger (C) vies with Manchester United’s Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes (R) during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in London on February 28, 2021. (Photo by IAN KINGTON/IKIMAGES/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s German defender Antonio Rudiger (C) vies with Manchester United’s Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes (R) during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in London on February 28, 2021. (Photo by IAN KINGTON/IKIMAGES/AFP via Getty Images) /

Matchday 13: Chelsea vs. Manchester United

Chelsea has struggled to beat Manchester United in the league for the past two seasons. Perhaps it’s because Manchester United’s play style is the perfect antithesis to the playing style Chelsea has been trying to imitate in recent campaigns. Manchester United sits deep and is very effective on the break because of its incredibly versatile forwards. Chelsea has failed to score against Manchester United in the Premier League in two full seasons, that will likely change early on next season.

The Blues have to break this hoodoo. Even in the season Chelsea last won the league, it lost to Manchester United. This fixture is also particularly important because the Red Devils could be looking to push on from their second place finish. The Blues have to show that they can be more comfortable in games of this make-up, games where they can be vulnerable on the counterattack while having trouble creating chances.

Matchday 37: Manchester United vs. Chelsea

This seems like a trap fixture, especially with the placement of it. Chelsea is looking to compete for the Premier League title next season. This means that the Blues might have to take the title race to the wire. On the penultimate game of the season, Manchester United away is exactly the game you don’t want to be playing. If Manchester United is still in a title race by then, it makes it even more important because it means Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s boys have more incentive than to just stand in the way of Tuchel’s team.

This match is also likely to be a high pressure game, whether is a key fixture is a top four race or a in a title race. Chelsea players have looked nervous in games of this magnitude before, and while they overcame this to win the Champions League, this will be a bit different. In a high pressure game where the Blues are not against a team they can easily launch counters on, they are yet to rise to the occasion consistently. Numerous examples last season show Chelsea players perform really poorly in high pressure games, especially where they’re favorites. Let’s hope this doesn’t continue.

Next. Chelsea's academy gem: What's next for Conor Gallagher?. dark

Which fixture are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!

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