Manchester United Battles Chelsea at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’

Photo: Under pressure Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal needs a win against Chelsea at Old Trafford today. (Getty Images)

Battle of the colors Reds vs Blues
Payton Manning once said, “Pressure is something you feel when you don’t know what the hell you’re doing.” This probably be the same sentiment being echoed by the Manchester United faithfuls based on their current form. Under-pressure Louis Van Gaal faces a massive test as his Manchester United side host Chelsea in the Premier League today at 12:30 local time, as speculation over his future at Old Trafford continues. This fixture remains one of the biggest in the Barclays Premier League, and takes on added importance at the end of a tough month for both sides. The Reds have not beaten Chelsea in any of their last five league meetings, but may be encouraged by finishing last season’s 1-1 draw in the ascendancy with an injury-time equaliser.

Carrick backs manager

The Red Devils haven’t won in the top flight since November 21, and have lost their last three league games, the latest was a Boxing Day 2-0 defeat at Stoke City.
They have slipped to sixth in the Premier League table – three points behind Spurs in fourth and six behind local rivals Manchester City in third. Despite a poor run of form vice captain Micheal Carrick is optimistic the Reds’ form can turn around against the side now managed by Guus Hiddink. Speaking to MUTV after the final whistle at the Britannia Stadium, the 34-year-old said: “Football can change quickly. At the moment it is tough to take and it is going to hurt for a couple of days. 

“So we have to get our heads right for Monday. It can turn around quickly and if we get a good win then the feeling comes back. Hopefully we will be able to kick on from that.”

Manchester United forward intent

Van Gaal’s men could not be in a much worse state. Only Southampton and bottom-placed Aston Villa have collected less points in the last six Premier League games, while the defeat at Stoke means that United have lost four competitive games in a row for the first time since 1961. Defensively, things have been a little shaky of late, yet United can still boast the division’s joint-second best record in terms of goals conceded, shipping 16 times.

It is up the other end of the pitch where the once free-scoring 20-time champions of England have had their main issues. They average only 1.22 goals a game, which is their lowest return since the 1989-90 campaign. Van Gaal’s gamble of leaving Wayne Rooney out of the starting line-up backfired. However, he could make his return to the starting line up along with Bastian Schweinsteiger who returns after serving his three match suspension and Matteo Darmian after recovering from a hamstring injury. Albeit, a loss at Old Trafford could be the ‘the straw that breaks the camel’s back’.

Hot on Van Gaal’s heel as his replacement if given the boot, is 52-year-old Portuguese Jose Mourinho. He has long been linked with Old Trafford and was in the board’s thoughts when Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, but had already committed to a return to Chelsea.

Mourinho has the double appeal of being not only readily available but also having the status of Premier League title winner just seven months ago at Stamford Bridge.
The pragmatic style he employs may take some getting used to, or even tailoring at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’, but he is ready to return immediately and will have a point to prove after his Chelsea exit. This in a nutshell could be ‘swapping black dog for a monkey’ or a move that could see Manchester United return to former glory.

Chelsea’s hit back

Chelsea’s ‘bus got stuck in a ditch’ in which they have fired Jose Mourinho(the driver) who claimed two titles in his second stint at the Bridge. The post-Mourinho era got off to a winning start against Sunderland and while the 2-2 draw on Boxing Day with Watford at Stamford Bridge did highlight some of the frailties that remain. The Blues did at least appear to be more of an organised and enthusiastic unit on the return of the Dutchman Guus Hiddink’s stewardship. The main plus to come from that Watford game was the performance of Diego Costa, who seemed to sulk his way through the last few weeks of Mourinho’s tenure. Not only did he score both of Chelsea’s goals, he made more sprints than any other player on the pitch. But, in true Costa fashion, a wild sliding challenge on visiting defender Craig Cathcart earned the Spanish striker his fifth booking of the season and rendered him suspended for the trip to Manchester.

Despite, having picked up four points from their last two outings, the West Londoners remain in a lowly 15th position and are just two points above the drop zone. While bookmakers are still offering long odds of around 50-1 that the unlikely will actually happen and the champions are relegated, Hiddink’s immediate task is centred around getting the club out of the mire. Unlike their hosts, the Blues may well be confident of picking up maximum points from this game. They have won six games at Old Trafford since the Premier League’s inception in 1992 – more than other team. Although both teams have contrasting positions but equally poor form, this fixture is always a cracker and today’s match up won’t be any different.