Man United vs Chelsea: 3 Blues Pochettino must start

2. Cole Palmer

To think Manchester City actually let this guy go. The Citizens created a monster. The Blues are merely reaping the benefits of his quality. Five years from now, we all could look back on CFC’s new No. 20 being a historic steal for the club.

Without Conor Gallagher, Poch will have no choice but to slightly shake up the midfield. Against Brighton, the Blues did not want to take too much of a risk by giving him significant minutes. If he feels good to go on match day, his a plug and play type of player. Even in limited time on the pitch, No. 20 was sensational. People want to call him a “penalty merchant” due to the fact that he has only scored goals from the spot since his move. That name has to be coming from uneducated individuals.

One would assume that Palmer would slide into that No. 10 role, a position some would say is his best. There are few players on the current CFC team that the coaching staff would want pulling the strings than Palmer himself. Without the Brazilian Casemiro roaming the middle of the park, United’s midfield is below par. The 21-year-old should be chomping at the bit seeing the injuries that are present in the middle of the park for the Red Devils.

English international did not compete in the entire 90 minutes on Sunday, allowing him to save most of his legs for a massive fixture in one of the most famed stadiums in all of England. His 16 chances created across all competitions puts him second behind only his England teammate Gallagher.

1. Enzo Fernandez

While “Big Ben” was top class, it has to be said that Enzo Fernandez was the best player in Blue on Sunday vs. the Seagulls. The monkey of that first Premier League goal is finally off the Argentine’s back. It’s not only that. Fernandez rippled the back of the net on a penalty, something he failed to do in east London earlier in the campaign.

His confidence is flowing, carrying that momentum from a two-goal display at the Bridge into an encounter at Old Trafford. This is why you sign big players. Big contests on the road. In hostile environments, how do you react? These are the games that make paying £107 million for a single player digestible.

Its not about impressing once and closing the book. Use those positive and build on them into the next one. Enzo is more than capable of doing just that. He’ll most likely feature in that double pivot once again alongside Moisés Caicedo, a duo that is only going to continue to grow as the club progresses through the season.

Chelsea at Manchester United will be broadcast live on Peacock in the United States, and on Amazon Prime Video in the United Kingdom.