Analysis on Chelsea's draw against Man United

[hjperdeath 2,226]

In the midst of this well fought out 0-0 draw, the match also showed the missing piece in Manchester United and Chelsea. The former needed someone who could enhance the creative attacking aspect while the latter is in desperate need for a striker that score goals.

Rooney being picked to start was arguably a surprise but Mourinho would have seen it coming. He has spent weeks after weeks playing mind games with United’s new manager David Moyes and he fell for it by playing the England striker to prove a point. The Scotsman wanted everyone to know that he would suffer no fools and pushed around by others. Playing an unsettled striker against the club he wants to join certainly equates to a much more lively performance from the one who wants to prove a point here.

The decision taken by Moyes was justified. Rooney had a tremendous performance in the game even though his strike partner upfront did not. Robin van Persie relies on the link-up play and with Rooney concentrating more on getting himself into good spaces and putting in a high work-rate, Chelsea’s defence crowded out the Dutchman and denied him the space he likes to work in. Van Persie’s strong attribute is his ability to be where he needs to be as his natural instincts help him to be at the right place at the right time to score a goal. However, without that combination play, it was useless.

Do not get me wrong in saying that Rooney failed. He was by far the best player for Manchester United on pitch, with Valencia coming a close second. The striker just effectively failed to do what Welbeck did against Swansea and that was having good partnership and communication with Van Persie and the wingers. Rooney’s contribution was down to the fact that he was looking more into putting in a good performance rather than proving a point.

Possession wise, it was clear that we got dominated. There is no two ways about it. We failed to create passing triangles and even with that, we should have at least been able to keep the ball moving better than we did last night. There was only a small period during the game where we had actual control of the ball and were moving it with ease. Facing Hull City and Aston Villa was not that hard but this was certainly always going to be one though it has to be said, even in the former two matches, we had a quite a few problems turning possession into creation of chances in the final third.

That being said looking at the stats, it is not as bad as it has been made out to be. Chelsea had 8 shots on goal while United had 12 and Van Persie managed 3 of those but none of it were on target. It is not really bad considering the amount of possession they had which is a credit to the defensive performances of Cahill and Terry. And surprisingly for a team that had supposedly set out to defend and play for a draw, United had 46 clearances compared to just Chelsea’s 42. Man United also made 100 more passes than Chelsea but their average passing accuracy stands at 81%.

Moving on to some action areas. -

Hazard put in some very good defensive contribution in the match, which was clearly evident in him tracking Valencia’s run and pressurizing Carrick. Such play would help Chelsea in their next game too against Bayern Munich. They like to attack down the flanks and cut inside but also work hard in retreating back and help their team to defend. If Chelsea are to do the same, they could well then nullify them on the flanks.

Oscar pretty much ended up doing the same. It is evident that he is meant to defend and attack as well. However, Chelsea’s pressing was nowhere near how it was in the first two league matches and Mourinho has certainly made his disappointment known about his team’s inability to do that. That being said, he can be happy with the fact that United’s midfield area was shut down as Carrick and Cleverley were well pressured and denied moving into key attacking areas.

This is our very own ‘False 9’ with us playing around in the final third but mainly making lots of defensive contribution. If this does not indicate that Chelsea were looking for a draw from this vital match, then I do not know what will.

Going to Old Trafford is never easy for any teams and the worst part here is, the fixture came too early. The club is still finding their feet under Mourinho and they came up against a side that wanted to prove themselves. We could have taken a more attacking approach in getting the 3 points by fielding Mata or Lukaku but the order of the night was to have a solid defensive foundation to repress the United’s attackers from gaining a clear cut chance. Now you may ask why so? The clear answer or whatever you want to call it is that we are going to face Bayern Munich as the European Champions is going to be a much more formidable opponent. Do not tell me we parked the bus. That is just beyond stupid. It is a complete different philosophy which I would not mind explaining in a different piece.

We have gotten ourselves a good point from 2 difficult away fixtures against our title rivals with a trip to the Etihad Stadium to come later in the season as well. Beating Man United and Man City at Stamford Bridge and getting 6 points there would effectively put us in the driving seat. We need to play smartly to win the Premier League and it is how Mourinho organizes the matches and assign its priorities by managing the team perfectly. The criticism of Mourinho has been over the top when the failure of the midfield was not highlighted which dictated his approach to the game.

*Stats and graphics obtained from Squawka*

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[Jase 43,479]

*bump*

[John1611 77]

How come no replies to this?

Brilliant analysis..was looking forward to it, didn't notice it earlier.

[hjperdeath 2,226]

How come no replies to this?

Brilliant analysis..was looking forward to it, didn't notice it earlier.

Thanks bud !

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Brilliant. I wanted to do the exact same analysis but I don't think I would have made it this well.

[hjperdeath 2,226]

Brilliant. I wanted to do the exact same analysis but I don't think I would have made it this well.

cheers man !

[hjperdeath 2,226]

So I guess people haven't read it yet, cause some are surprised. anyway. *bump*

[Bir_CFC 3,455]

Thanks. Hopefully you don't get discouraged and stop doing this cause people don't reply. I loved every single one. Thanks.

[hjperdeath 2,226]

Thanks. Hopefully you don't get discouraged and stop doing this cause people don't reply. I loved every single one. Thanks.

Haha no mate . Some haven't seen them and were surprised they couldn't when it was posted . Nothing like that .

Thanks anyways !

[Mceachran 109]

In the midst of this well fought out 0-0 draw, the match also showed the missing piece in Manchester United and Chelsea. The former needed someone who could enhance the creative attacking aspect while the latter is in desperate need for a striker that score goals.

Thoughts on Lampard's Performance? And whether Mata could have brought something to the team or if his non-inclusion was necessary for this approach (all injuries/fitness aside)?

[hjperdeath 2,226]

Thoughts on Lampard's Performance? And whether Mata could have brought something to the team or if his non-inclusion was necessary for this approach (all injuries/fitness aside)?

Lampard is suffering from fatigue. If Jose really wants to play him in big games, then should have rested him against Villa. But considering that he has played all three games, he has done it to play someone else against Bayern. Maybe van Ginkel, or KDB as well in that attacking cum holding midfield role.

Mata couldn't have changed anything. If the philosophy was to go out there, play beautiful football, play through balls to an actual striker, then Mata could have offered a lot. We wanted to (a) keep the ball, ( break down United's midfield, © Not allow RVP any channels to move into and (d) Improve our pressing , counter-attacking movement and defense. Everything worked, except the part were we where to keep the ball and press very high. This was needed, cause we are to face Bayern on Friday. If we have a solid defense against the current Bayern team, they'll leave holes for us to counter-attack. If we press on the same level as they do and play aggressive by flying into tackles and fighting for every ball, we have a chance of winning the game. But coming to the main point, Mata needs fitness, that was evident when he played against Villa. Hopefully he is building on it, and I can't see him as anything other than a starter against Bayern..