Chelsea will test Man United’s nervy backline

The English Premier League continues this week with Chelsea taking their unbeaten record to Old Trafford. TODAY columnist Adrian Clarke (sports [at] mediacorp.com.sg) looks at Sunday’s big clash, including the key head-to-heads.

Man United v Chelsea

The warm-up’s over. It’s time to find out if Manchester United are in a fit enough state to join this season’s race for honours.

Current form suggests they’re still a touch out of shape. Clean sheets against the bottom two can’t conceal the fact they shipped 12 goals from their other six contests — five of which were against teams that weren’t in the Premier League’s top half last term.

Had the heroic David de Gea not donned his Superman cape for the visit of Everton in the other, the tally might easily have soared.

What was supposed to be a gentle opening passage for Louis van Gaal’s men proved tough going. En route to their first 12 points of the season, United have sweated profusely.

The Dutchman’s headaches are all in defence. His strange infatuation with a back three has mercifully been consigned to the dustbin, but finding the right blend with a four-man rearguard hasn’t come easily either.

On Tuesday morning at the Hawthorns, for example, Saido Berahino had room to drive two double-decker buses through the centre of the pitch before scoring West Brom’s second goal. In a difficult contest, the entire back four’s decision-making was often muddled and confused.

It’s little wonder many fans on the Stretford End are expecting to watch their club’s stiffest test of the season, through the gaps in their fingers.

Leaders Chelsea, on the other hand, will arrive at Old Trafford with their chests out and muscles bulging. When they casually strut in front of the mirror, they like what they see — and rightly so.

I can’t find fault with their progress so far, and but for a late equaliser from former hero Frank Lampard at the Etihad, they’d be bouncing back into Manchester tomorrow evening with 22 points tucked away already.

It’s their attitude that has impressed me the most, and that starts with the manager.

Not even a shove in the chest from Arsene Wenger could rile The Happy One and his calm, composed persona has rubbed off on the team. He has the air of a man who knows he can let his team do the talking this year.

His defenders are defending efficiently, the midfielders are bossing matches with steely precision, and in attack there’s a cold and clinical edge to their play. High work-rate from back to front is a given.

No one’s getting over-excited. No one’s shouting about how good they are. They are simply dismantling each opponent one by one, in an ominously nonchalant way.

There are two glimmers of hope for a United victory though.

First, it appears Diego Costa will miss the match through a combination of illness and injury. Back-up Loic Remy is likely to be sidelined too, so Didier Drogba is tipped to lead the line. As good as he has been, the 36-year-old’s legs aren’t what they were and this will reduce the peril Chelsea can dish out.

Secondly, reports suggest Angel di Maria will recover in time from a thigh injury picked up midweek. And if Van Gaal’s side is to stand any chance of penetrating a stubborn Blues defence, you sense it will be the Argentine who inspires it with a moment of magic — especially in the continued absence of Wayne Rooney.

I always knew the former Real Madrid winger could drift past players in poetic fashion at pace, but the quality of his left boot was something I underestimated.

Di Maria doesn’t only make the ball talk with his wand, he has it singing and dancing on tables too.

Should Chelsea make the mistake of leaving him free to produce a pass, shot or cross anywhere inside the final third, John Terry, Gary Cahill and Thibaut Courtois will need to be at their best to prevent a goal.

United’s record signing is certainly fit and ready to take a match of this magnitude by storm. The big question is: How many of his team-mates are ready to do the same?

We’ll soon find out …

Three Key Battles

Van Gaal v Mourinho

Having worked together at Barcelona there’s genuine warmth between the pair, but that doesn’t mean each won’t be desperate to outwit the other. Mourinho bottled it on his last visit to Old Trafford, starting with a timid striker-less formation, but smelling blood he’s sure to be the aggressor this time around. Will Van Gaal accept his side’s inferiority and come up with a defensive game plan? Or will he meet fire with fire and try to prevail in a goal-fest? The choice he makes will decide what kind of game we witness.

Rafael v Hazard

I can see only one winner is this duel, and that’s the irrepressible Belgian. With a well-earned reputation for doing something silly in the big matches, I fear United’s right back is in for a long and torrid evening trying to contain Chelsea’s in-form star. In the absence of Costa, it’s Hazard who is the most likely match winner.

Blind v Fabregas

United’s Dutch midfield general has begun life pretty smoothly in the Premier League, but he hasn’t had to control a player of Fabregas’ class yet. In possession he’ll be hassled and harried by Oscar (as well as the Spaniard) and then when Chelsea have the ball, can he stifle a player that’s currently averaging an assist every game? I have my reservations.

Adrian’s combined Man United & Chelsea XI

Courtois

Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta

Hazard, Fabregas, Matic, Di Maria

Rooney

Costa

Adrian Clarke is a former Arsenal midfielder who has played at every level of English football. Now an experienced sports journalist, he writes for publications around the world. Follow him on Twitter @adrianjclarke.