Blue Winner is back and you gotta take a break for an hour, from whatever you’re doing. Our man loves writing looong articles that I need to put them in three parts! Here, he talks about how Chelsea and Man Utd compare this season, position-by-position and this part covers the comparisons on strikers and wingers. Read on!
It is not difficult to determine the greatest obstacle between Chelsea and any silverware this year. The defending champion Red Devils of Manchester United loom as the foe that will demand the most attention. Chelsea and ManU engaged in a battle for the EPL crown that consumed all but the final week of the season last year. This year promises to be no different and the two sides will meet at least three times with many more matchups possible based on the progress of the Champions League and the domestic cups. How these two sides fare against one another could well mean the difference between the quad and a shutout.
The Shape
Man Utd: Yet to be determined. It will be assumed for the purposes of this article that Tevez will file into Giggs’ support role and force Giggs to move wide. The 1-1-4-4 that showed in the Community Shield is a possibility as is a modified 4-4-2.
Chelsea: Jose Mourinho has publicly stated that he wants to get back to his 4-3-3 but that manpower may force the occasional game in a 4-4-2 upon him. The injuries continue to come and the 4-4-2 looks more and more likely. This is written under the assumption that the injured shall return.
The Strikers
Man Utd: Assuming Carlos Tevez joins, which looks to be a certainty now, this is a ferocious strike force with which to contend. Smith has been shuttled off to Newcastle in a move ManU supporters must hardly have noticed and Louis Saha still lingers like overripe fruit. The aggravatingly brilliant Wayne Rooney was accused of being off his form last year and still managed 23 goals in all competitions. Adding Tevez creates a front line that seems more fitting to a Winning Eleven fantasy than real life. Tevez only managed seven league goals last year but he did that in only 25 games and without showing the culture shock that crippled Sheva. If the two played anywhere but Manchester, they would be a real treat to watch.
Chelsea: Didier Drogba will again lead the attack, who will be alongside, a bit behind or to his wings is the question that must be answered. In a 4-4-2, Andriy Shevchenko would join Drogba in the front as a second striker. Claudio Pizarro has been playing well and could challenge Sheva for that second position. In a 4-3-3 there would not be a second striking option in favour of the tremendously talented wings of Chelsea. Salomon Kalou could also see some time on the front.
Edge: Man Utd. Tevez and Rooney are a nightmare. Chelsea is talented but unsettled.
Wings
Man Utd: On one wing will be some combination of Ryan Giggs and Nani. On the other wing will be Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is the defending EPL Player of the Year and is renowned for both his otherworldly skills and his incredible ability to flop at a moment’s notice. Giggs has served notice that he intends to fight for his spot and Sir Alan Ferguson has said that Nani is “for the future.” Of course, one expects them to say that. The simple fact is that Nani is phenomenally talented and Giggs is getting old. Nani will see significant time and could replace Giggs by midway through the year.
Ronaldo is irreplaceable on the other wing and should shake the stage fright that crippled him in the FA Cup final and the Champions League semis. He has also made the ridiculous statement that he will shave his head if he does not hit the mark of 20 league goals. His play in the Community Shield showed perhaps even more creativity on tap than last year. He will be an absolute terror to defend this year.
Chelsea: At this point Jose Mourinho has a problem that any manager would crave. Too many wingers. Joe Cole, Arjen Robben, Florent Malouda and Shaun Wright-Phillips present a foursome that has a world of talent and experience. Malouda is the oldest of the four at 27. To oversimplify, Robben and Cole both show an obvious longing for the goal any time they posses the ball, while SWP and Malouda are more along the lines of playmakers. Mourinho will have plenty of options based on the shape he would like his formation to take. All four are world class players.
This is in no way to detract from the scoring ability of Malouda, he can and will. SWP may slide in a few as well. The return to form of Wright-Phillips may be the story of the Chelsea preseason so far. He has been threatening in every game thus far and shows a wonderful knack for settling even the most difficult of passes. Cole and Malouda may still rank above him in the mind of JM, but SWP will see much more time in important matches this year.
Arjen Robben remains the enigma of the Chelsea squad. When on his game he is an awe-inspiring combination of pace and ball skill. He carves to pieces anyone who dares attempt defend him and seems to do so with ease. When off his game, Robben is awful. He forgets defense, loses the ball on every attempted move and crumples, sometimes injured, sometimes not, at every touch. An Arjen Robben playing to his level makes this Chelsea team nearly impossible to contain on the counterattack. Another injury and he becomes another expensive spectator.
Slight Edge: Chelsea, CR7 is quite good but the incredible depth of Chelsea gives them the edge.
Coming up: Chelsea vs Man Utd – Analysis For The Season – Part 2: Midfielders
looks like man utd has the better attack… but chelsea has the better defense and mid field… and manager!!!! just hope the injured ones come back asap!!
Sometimes I do not realize the length of what I write. This is like a bloody novel.
How do think other teams are gonna stop ManUre from scoring ?
What is/are Manure’s weak point(s) ?
Does the fixture list favour us or them more ?
What’s Sir AF gonna concentrate on EPL, CL,FA,Carling or all ?
Everyone talks abt how impotant good starts are , well hasn’t Chelsea had good starts in the last few years?
Which of these 2 teams is gonna cope with injuries better ?
Which team is gonna be more of a do-able -target for other teams ?
Love the analysis BW!
Great job Blue Winner, but I still am not so sure about SWP. He’s impressed all the way up to the cross. But the crossing’s been aweful. You have to admit that!
has robben gone to madrid. please tell me the deal has fallen through
looking forward for the part 2. well so far so good. ManU had a great season last time they beat chelsea in thier form. I hope that ManU dont have the same form that they had. I know they got great players but I think it is consistency that chelsea will beat them. It is the resolve and the strenght that Chelsea have got to come back and win those scrappy matches. ManU win but win beautifully, but I haven’t seen ManU do that just win scrappily yet. I feel they will fail there with so many teams buying up good quality players.
Very good analysis but i disagree on a few parts.you say chelsea have the edge in the wingers department.this could not be further from the truth.if there is one position that manutd beats us in its the wings as that is where more than half of their goals come from.ronaldo and giggs cannot be compared to kalou and swp.they are a class up.chelsea do not use wing play as efficiently as united do so i disagree with u there.btw my fav player who i believe is chelseas best robben seems to be on his way to real madrid.so that weakens us there even more
Manure’s main advantage last season was that all eyes were on Chelsea the overwhelming favourites for the title. this season, they will have all eyes on them as every team tries to match them and show that they can be as good if not better than the champs. were they really so super throughout? no. They were crap against fulham but luck was on their side. They were Bul….. agaist Loserpool at anfield and luck saved them there too. Even against everton, they were completely lost till that former manure player and brother of Manure captain strangely scored an own goal after the Everton goalie had also bizarrely spiled a ball that even my grand mum could grab.
Of course, like Mike Tyson, what they know best is to pulverize small oppositions by scoring lots of goals and create the impression as though they are so special.
This year, they will be found wanting. Tevez, Rooney frightens you? not me. Not even Ruud Van in his height plus Rooney frightened us, let alone this Crespo (shadow player).
PeterJones, the only reason why last season we could not use the wing effectively was 1. The departure of Duff coinciding with virtually a season long injury to both Robben and Joey. 2. The unwieldy diamond used last season.
In 2005 season we were the most brilliant on the wings, even though both Ronaldo and Giggs were there.
Robben is brilliant no doubt. But how reliable is he, when he spends half of the season on the stands injured? Malouda, kalou and sinclair backed by Ashley at left back provides us more on the left than manure can ever get from evra and giggs.
On the right, SWP is not yet the finished article- but by and by, he has started to show glimpses of his previous form; his confidence is coming up and he is becoming more and more consistent. This started in the latter end of last end of last season and has continued through the pre season- word around the bridge is that he was the best performer in the pre season matches. with joey on the right to be supported by Alvez (matter of days, I am sure) and sometimes Essien on this right side, we have nothing to envy manure for.
THIS IS MY POINT EXAXTLY. peter jones gives a true analysis of man utd having clearly better wingers. but MOUROFSAME, says its only bcos of duffs departure.
is this the same duff the was sold as he wasnt deemed good enough, now he plays 4 newcastle (injury cursed team.lol). common, Ronaldo was outstandin only at 22. Giggs has been the best winger the premieship has eva had. if ne 1 disagrees witht tht point let me no, n if thy do (dnt b insulted), but clearly hav NO CLUE about football and again club loyalty blinds them.
SWP £21 MILL, 2 years and has been a non-entity ( i no am right and many of the “chelasea” fans on this site”, say the same thing). Robben is a great talent (potentially). but to suggest and united do not have better wingers is absurd. chealsea edge united on tht, purely in terms of depth, certainly not talent. ballacks performaces last season proves me right
and MOUOFSAME, to say Ronney and Teves “DONT FRIGHTEN YOU”, proves my point about your club loyalty blinding you football analysis. these are players who r proven at the highest level and are at the tender age of 22 and 23.
THEIRRY HENRY (arguably the greatest player to grace the premeirship) said ROONEY IS “FRIGHTENING”, this was whn he was 18, a point he mentioned 2 his teams mates in Euro 2004. if he frightens a football great, how much mor shld he frighten u.
i suppose ROONEYS 23 goals last term dnt matter right?
dnt get me stared on tevez.
and to say man utd were lucky in the games against fulahm and liverpool, u r right FERGUSON (the greatest, again feel free 2 prove me wong), says u need luck even the talented mourinhio says the same thing.
BUT 2 say they were “CRAP”, in thos games is an insult and clearly provides a flaw in yours & chelasea thesis of winnig games, scrapply and games u shldnt win. the famous sayin goes winnig those types of games IS THE MARKS OF CHAMPIONS. and tht we certainly r, 9 EPL, would suggest tht.
the only position chelsea outedge man und is the goal keepin, and defence (purely in terms of numbers, MOST DEFINATELY NOT ABILITY/POTENTIAL). tht has ot been done yet i will look out 4 it.
Blue chempion v good analysis (apart from the misake about the midfield.lol)
uve proved m wrong mayb u do no a fing or 2 bout football.lol
DID U FORGET SHEVA &BALLACK THEY ARE GREAT PLAYERS.
BELIEVE ME, WE CAN SEE REAL SHEVA &BALLACK THIS YEAR.
OUR DEFENCE IS BETTER THAN THEIRS.&WE HAVE THE BEST MANAGER TOO
Foootballguy, you’re right in that Rooney and Tevez are a fantastic, devastating duo, but also we have had the best defense in the Premiership for three seasons, in goals conceded and in losses, so Mour is confident we can stop them and he’s not worried. To tell you the truth, I admit, they’re fantastic. But in Drogba we have the best Prem striker last season and in Sheva and Pizarro, we have to amazing, proven stars that score goals. (Don’t start arguing about Sheva, you know he’s a legend and most likely will get his form back.) So not only do we have the defense to stop them (if any team can, it’s us) but also our own strikers are nearly as good. And who do you have for support? Solskjaer and Saha?? They’re not of the same quality (not anymore, in the case of Solskjaer) as Pizarro or Sheva. So It’s fair to say, Chelsea are quite comprable.
As for the wings, you’re right, we have more depth, you have more talent. But Giggsy’s getting old, no one knows how much more he’s got in him, he’s certainly past his prime, and Nani is yet unproven. So based on that, I’d fully agree with Blue Winner.
ZANEEB ZANEEB
zaneeb. u just keep proving me right. u hav the best manager. hw do u mean, in what sense , in terms of trophies won, teams created, football played, what ?. every TRUE football fan would tell u 2 keep stum, cos clearly u dnt no wht u talkn bout.
Ferguson- 1 champions leauge title)
Ferguson- 9 EPL title 9has done it back 2 back) but 1st 2 do it 3 TIMES IN A ROW.
Ferguson is building his fourt great team, all have peviously/ presently dominated the EPL. (4 TITLES since the start of the millenium, would prove me right. so please dnt question this point)
has won numerous fa cups, and has reached the odd….i dont no 20 n above finals.
his team holds the record 4 most goals scored inthe premiership.
thts just a snippit frm the top of my head. please DONT MAKE FICTICIOUS statements lyk tht. MAKES U SOUND LYK A FOOTBALL ILLITERATE.
u no wht i bet ur 1 of those sevearl jokers who call themselves fans, whn really u just jumped on the bandwagon.
as a man utd fan and a footbal fan i demand an apology.
ADONIS.
1stly – BALLCK is world class and sheva is a GREAT. no 1 i doubting tht. but remeba r only as good as ur last performance. chelsea fans r living on the hope tht they will come good. but do u remeber a certain VERON, no 1 can doubt hes world class, bt he never came good.
about GIGGS yes he is gettin old. but 2 say he is past his time is a false statement. his perfomances last season and goal against chelsea would sugget different. remamber hes only a couple of years older thn sheva and ballack. by all acounts thy hav past their peak.
and u mention solsjaer. he scored 11 goals last season. 3 less/ or the same as drogba scored in his 1st season. and 3 less thn sheva. not bad 4 a 34 yr old right?
u say saha is not quality?. yes he is injury prone, but please look at the facts b4 u make such a comment.
13 IN 25 STARTS LAST SESON, AND 37 IN 66 AT UNITED
not bad right. and believe me tht is a better statistics thn pizzaro. FACT. thus ur statement id flawed once more.
an no u dont win (except in numbers) SWP , has t performed in 2 years, so i would nt count him. joe cole is not s good as ronaldo. robben may b on his way out. malouda has made hi name in the last 2 year (he is v.god and a class act) but he is not a better player thn giggs, just younger.
thus man utd win. AGAIN
Footballguy, Sir Alex Ferguson (I have great respect for him, he’s obviously terrific) is 65. Mourinho is 44. That’s 21 years difference. 21 more years to accomplish such greatness for JM.
Where was SAF when he was 44?? Finishing his spell at Aberdeen. He’d won the Scottish league three times, the Scottish cup four times, and the Scottish League Cup once. He also won one European Cup Winners Cup and a UEFA Super Cup. Fantastic start, and certainly carving out a great career, but all of this occured after he’d been a manager for 12 years.
But Jose Mourinho, at 44, has also won a lot. He’s won two Portugese championships, a Portugese SuperCup, the Cup of Portugal, a UEFA Cup, the UEFA CL, two FA Premier Leagues, two Carling Cups, one FA Cup, and a Community Shield… Quite comparable to Sir Alex Ferguson, except Jose’s taken 5 less years than SAF… Yes, it’s hard to keep in mind he’s been a manager for only 7 years.
So is JM the best manager in the world? He’s certainly in the top ten, if not the top five… Is he better than SAF?? He’s more succesful at the same stage in their careers.
37 in 66 is not bad statistic at all, quite impressive really. I wish Chelsea had Saha!! Oh wait, that statistic’s made up. Manutd.com says he’s appeard 100 times and scored 36. Not as good as 37 in 66, is it? Don’t make up statistics, please. “MAKES U SOUND LYK A FOOTBALL ILLITERATE.” It’s “like,” by the way. I never said our strikers were better. I said “our own strikers are nearly as good.” Go back, read it. Yes, I realize your strikers are better than ours, overall. Pizarro had 99 goals in 249 Bayern games. Not bad at all. That’s slightly better than Saha’s form at Man U, actually. And Solskjaer… You can’t seriously say that Solskjaer is a better player than Sheva. Not now, not ever.
but hes not better
u seem 2 turn a blind eye 2 the amount of money he has been given during his time at chelsea. yes he didnt hav tht at porto, but the premiership is diff. look at gerard houllier won the french leauge 2-3 times. yet did squat in the EPL.
yes he has had an impressive carrer thus far. but feries been havin those kinda stats 4 year. gettin 2 the top is the esay part. stayin ther is the hard part.
and dont 4get manutd at the time fergie took over and now are a very prestigious club, if not the most in the world. and he has delieverd tym n tym again.
so please reasses ur staement, Ferguson is the godfather of football management, ask any purist in the game
Even if Robben leaves, by the way?? You have Ronaldo, a player who is rarely unstoppable… CL Semi’s, and most Chelsea games (he was on at Old Trafford last time, gotta give him that) prove that. You have Nani who again, has done nothing to justify that. I don’t care if he scores ten goals against Asian competition, let him do it in England. Don’t say 3 goals in 4 games. Against Chelsea he looked like a very expensive £14m shirt. Nothing else. He slipped around and changed his boots. That’s all I remember. Giggs is top class. I admit, he’s a terrific player, you’re right maybe the best winger in Prem history. But let’s be serious, he’s not too superior AT THE MOMENT. He’s someone I can compare to Joe Cole or Malouda rightfully. He’s on their level, no higher. If Robben leaves and we get Alves, then the same thing. Our full-backs will provide so much width along with our wingers, that we’ll be superior on the wings. If Robben leaves and we don’t get anyone, Man U is a better team on the wings than Chelsea. If Robben stays, then we are superior.
I NEVER claimed he’s better. I realize what SAF’s done is titanic in proportions, and I commend him for that. But the only advantage he has over Mourinho is time. And there’s nothing you can do about that. He’s had a better start than SAF, and don’t kid me talking about money!! Man U was doling out for years before RA came along. Now that Chelsea is a wealthier club for three seasons, you start making the excuse for money. Appologies. Manchester never bought great players on their way to 9 Premierships. They only bred them. YOU HAVE THE ROOTS ALREADY!! Chelsea need to win fast, and win plenty. To establish the roots. That’s why RA spent so much in so little time. But it seems as though we’re done spending, and Manchester’s back to their old ways. So don’t talk about money, please. If anything, it sounds like jealousy.
its not jealouy. i neva said u BOUGHT the leauge, u won it. but bro lets b real. uve bought players at will. sold them the next season as thogh it wer nothin. tiago, tht guy at celtic now, and smertin, boularuz, kezman. 2 name a few. and offerd players wages astronomical amounts.
my poin, is ferguson, whn he 1st began managin at OT, did not hav this kind of money 2 spend. of cours later on we became th top dogs and splashed the cash. but not the same rate as mourinihio has (mostly unsucessfully) in his 3 year reign. thts a fact. tht is my point.
yes fergie has tym ova mourinho. but unitl he can supass fergie, and make chelsea wht man utd is u CANNOT class him in the same leauge.
again i remeber a certain GERARD HOULIER who won 5 trophys in 1 season WITH LIVERPOOL, thn went on t the french leauge twice/thrice and other cups as well. does tht put him in Fergusons leauge?
this is my problem with chelsea fans thy run b4 thy can walk. Ferguson is better thn mourinhio, fact prove it and last season proves it as well. FACT
He IS better. I’m not saying he isn’t. But after 7 years of coaching, what did SAF win?? One Scottish League and one Scottish Cup. That’s it. Compared to what JM’s won so far… it’s nothing, really.
SAF in my opinion is the best manager of my lifetime. He’s accomplished dreams, made them reality. But AT THE SAME STAGE IN THEIR CAREERS, Jose Mourinho is far, far the better manager.
He’s not overall. He isn’t, not yet, not for the next decade. But I think he’s in the same league, surely. And he’s certianly, definately had a better first 7 years of managing than SAF.
All of those players were fantastic in their respective teams.
1. Boularouz… Gallas was an ass and wanted to leave and we were in a tight pinch. We had to buy a player, for twice the price if necessary. Hence, the Cannibal. Horrid season, he never should have been bought if we’d had sufficient cover. Gallas’s untimely departure makes the move reasonable.
2. Tiago… 15 million Euros for a player that played well for 51 games. Not a bad deal. Only Essien’s arrival limited his chances, and he left. He was a big part of our first championship. And by the way, don’t mistake, he’s a good player. Good enough for Juve, anyways.
3. Kezman… He just couldn’t perform. He was brought in for five million pounds after 126 goals in 172 games for PSV. Excellent record. But he just didn’t make an impact at Chelsea, and Chelsea made a profit off his sale to Atletico.
4. Smertin… Claudio Raineri baught hi, so no point arguing about him.
Jose Mourinho has bought players (when his hand isn’t forced to buy) that are good prospects and that have performed well in their previous teams. I prefer to give him credit for signing players like Essien, Malouda, Drogba, Carvalho, and a few more. In the transfer market, he’s not been the best manager in the world, but his mistakes aren’t as astronomical as people (including you) make out.
i stopped reading it whn u sai TIAGO 4 £15 MILL WAS A GOOD DEAL.LOL
seiously take tht back.
There’s a difference between “good deal” and not a bad deal. It was 15 million Euros, not pounds. Whether he was good or not, he certainly underachieved, and the arrival of Essien fixed the situation. He played well for Lyon, and AC Milan and Juventus were after his signature. He wasn’t the best player but at least give Mourinho credit for fixing the problem, and what a fix… Essien, our best player.
Hey there. As an Arsenal supporter I can see Chelsea winning the league next season with Arsenal and Manchester United challenging closely behind. I think a lot of people are underestimating the impact that Arsenal can have next season and they will surprise a lot of fans from Chelsea, Man U and Liverpool.
Guys (read ‘footballguy’)
The above article was written by ‘Blue Winner’. All credits and questions be directed to BW.
I’m quite happy with the quality of discussions that we have been seeing around here. Have fun, people!
My reasoning on the wingers went as this: For Manchester- Giggs (33) is getting older. Ronaldo is one of the very best wingers/players in the world. Nani is totally unproven at this level. For Chelsea- SWP is still very, very good (33 goals in 207 games from the wing) young, (25) and consistently showing improvement. Robben is well, Robben. He is maddeningly inconsistent. At his best, he is every bit the player that Ronaldo is. Malouda is fantastic, he is also a top talent in the world. He possess the strength and skill needed to play in England. Joe Cole is finally healthy again. All of Chelsea’s players are still improving.
As said above, Malouda is the oldest and the only one who can be considered to be at the height of his powers. All are proven in England. On the other side of the coin, Ronaldo cannot be topped (except in big matches) but Giggs is old and in decline. Nani is a very expensive and very overwhelmed child. Hence, Manchester is good, Chelsea, because of the depth, is just ever so slightly better.
Warm welcome Spanish Fry!
Thanks a lot for your honest expectation that we would win the title. If you pip Man Utd for a second spot, I’ll buy you as may beers as you want.
Sir Alex Fergie will always be darling best manager for ManUre fans.
ManUre will always be a better team than all Europe for ManUre fans
Its ManUre that can win the EPL,FA,carling and CL every 2 years according to Manure fans.
ManUre player are always the best in the world for ManUre fans.
ManUre have always spent the least and reaped the most out of footballers according to ManUre fans.
Well can’t argue with that.
They hafta think thata way cos they’re……… ManUre fans LOL LOL LOLLOL
Now there are 2 big guys on the field, mind you
Not like when u let the Arsey kid win once in a while.
Feel your grip slipping off the silverware already ?
Keep the trophy shined Manures.
…………… Now where’s my prawn sandwich ?
Roman, you always crack me up.
Hi,
i m from Pakistan the thing i know is that nothing better than Blues. Red Devils can dominate but Blue Will.
I’m a united fan, and a tad bit offended by what RomanHoliday said.. There are always different individuals with different opinions and beliefs. Stating that all man u fans think the way that RomanHoliday implied above is quite simply distasteful..
My own take on Chelsea – Man U :
GK : I agree that Petr Cech is one of the best keeper around, EVDS although a great keeper loses out to Petr Cech..I’ve seen shots that i thought was goal bound for sure saved by Cech and giving Chelsea the 3 points instead of 1. Although it gotta be said Chelsea seems to be less stingy with the goal against column this season.
Midfield : Really this is a toss up between both teams. Essien is a colossus and is great at defensive and attacking duties. Lampard is Lampard as usual, but Makelele is waning faster than one would believe. Ballack is class but needs the freedom that he enjoys in Bayern and Germany to shine. Hargreaves has been a superb shield for the back four and definitely proven that BlueWinner got it wrong, he’s a proven winner with Bayern at the highest stage and is class. Scholes is still Scholes and Carrick, Fletcher and Anderson are all good central midfielders. ‘Nuff said- it’s very finely balanced.
Wingers: Malouda has been a great buy for Chelsea and seem to be the main source of creativity for Chelsea this season, although SWP is commendable enough but lacking in the final third of the pitch. I still rate Joe Cole above SWP as with Cole, you have a player that can change the course of the game with a piece of sublime skill. United’s wing play definitely has the edge. It’s undeniable fact that United has the most potent wingers in EPL in CR and Giggs, furthermore we do have a very promising Nani and Eagles along with Park Ji Sung who has shown he’s a very able squad player. – I strongly believe we are stronger on the wing.
Defenders: At LB, Ashley Cole seems to be improving his performance in the blue shirt and Evra has demonstrated he’s one of the best LB in term of defense and attack. Vidic and Rio is in every bit equal to Carvalho and Terry in terms of partnership, speed, bravery, tackling & sense of positioning. At RB, we are still missing Gary Neville’s reliability (arguably one of the best RB in europe for the past decade alongside cafu and a few others) but Brown is every bit equal to Ben Haim / Ferrera / Belleti. Our defensive cover seems to be less experienced compared to Chelsea’s cover. But Evan and Pique, have both earned rave review in their time out on loan as Alex had, so once again it all look very even to me. Judging from current performance, our defense are the one keepin clean sheet for now.
Strikers/Forwards: Drogba, Drogba and Drogba. He’s your main man. For all the great bargain that Pizarro represented he doesn’t seem threatening enough, and Kalou has shown how profligate he can be with the goal at his mercy. Mourinho doesn’t seem to trust Shevchenko enough to field him..therefore that leaves only Drogba. Similarly although we have Rooney, Tevez and Saha. So much depends on Saha and Rooney being fit. Tevez is clearly unsuitable at leading the line, but Rooney has slowly showed that he can do it, and we know Saha can do it as well. I’ll say we have the edge here especially as Drogba seems injured/unfit and also need to participate in the ANC. This is unless Shevchenko of Chelsea can somehow play like Shevchenko of AC Milan.
This is MY own opinion, I’ve tried to be as partial as i could. feel free to bomb away