The explorer Howard Carter stood looking through a keyhole of his discovery into King Tutankhamen’s tomb while someone asked, “What do you see?” he responded quotably, “Wonderful things!” It’s finally here. After two seasons, it’s finally come to reality and it really is wonderful. Chelsea vs. Manchester United, at Stamford Bridge, for the title (eh, almost). We had the same opportunity last season to put our say on the title at the Bridge until our hopes were diminished at the Emirates against Arsenal, just one game prior to our 0-0 draw vs. United. We’ve trailed and held on for long enough to give Manchester United a run for their money on back-to-back titles.

So here we stand, three points from the United lead with 78 points and one last shot at doing our own damage to United and taking a step toward the Premier League title. Lose or tie and we’re out, win and the pressure of the last two games of the season hits an apex of an all-time high in the Premier League. The bystanders following the Premier League would hope for a Chelsea victory to sustain the pursuit of the title with a high of entertainment and vigor. As for me, I couldn’t be more excited to see potential fireworks at the Bridge. I can’t imagine the feeling I’d get if the Blues pulled it off and beat the Red Devils. Throw in a Ronaldo penalty miss and it’ll be one of the best days ever. After the Liverpool, Everton, and Wigan games the Chelsea fans deserve a good an exciting performance. C’mon you Blues!

There’s an early kick-off for the big game on Saturday, which is bad news for me because I won’t be able to see it on T.V. The worst thing about living in the States is the lack of football coverage. Alas, I’ll be confined to watching the game on Sopcast on my computer. It seems as if every Chelsea game can now be expected to be quiet cagey and the pivotal Manchester United game has that kind of facade when looking forward. We can only hope that our performance will resemble that of the Arsenal game.

In actuality, our football style does not at all matter in this match because it literally is almost all or nothing; we need the result and I’ll take it in any fashion against first-place Manchester United. In my opinion, Chelsea should try to score from the very beginning as they did against Arsenal. The important part is that we prolong our attack throughout the entire game and not wither in the second half. If Chelsea get on their horse for once and attempt to press United for 90 minutes, we will breakthrough and score a goal.

We should attempt to follow the game plan of the Arsenal in their 2-1 defeat of Manchester United. They were the better team almost the entire game and were killed by two dead ball situations. We need a consistent attack and need to nullify Ronaldo. Ronaldo has rarely shown up in big games and has trouble against the pacy Ashley Cole. We need to also be having people in the box to receive crosses, preferably Michael Ballack. The situation we must stay away from at all costs is going down. Maybe we can come back from a goal down to tie, but can we really score two against United if we’re under pressure? It’s possible but I wouldn’t want to bet the entire season on it. Remember, a draw is absolutely useless for us besides keeping our home record intact. I don’t much care about the home record anymore, it’s going to be broken eventually, I just don’t want the team to Manchester United, Tottenham, or Liverpool.

I have this feeling Ferguson will go with a semi-conservative line-up for us. I could definitely see him using Giggs and resting Rooney because of his banged up side. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were five midfielders, including Ronaldo. He’s not really a midfielder, there’s something wrong when you score 38 goals and only have 5 (maybe 6?) assists. Three of these assists coming from the Aston Villa game. I’d rather Rooney play over Tevez; I’m not impressed by Rooney’s finishing, it’s downright awful and I’m much more scared of Carlos Tevez.

Rooney played on the right-side of midfield vs. Barcelona with Ronaldo central behind Tevez. Seemed a brilliant tactic and worked to perfection based on the result, 0-0. We played the same tactic vs. Liverpool as United vs. Barcelona with the latter having a much more convincing performance. Barcelona dominated the position but United stuffed up every passing lane and left Barcelona with only one or two real chances. They also would have gotten the away goal had Ronaldo not tried too much on his penalty in an attempt to prove he can perform in the big game with a great penalty. That’s my take on it anyways.

I’d be very surprised if Hargreaves didn’t get the start; he’s my favorite United player by a long shot. Hargreaves works hard in midfield and is super dynamic, excelling in defense. Vidic was rushed to hospital before the Barcelona game with a stomach bug and is a major doubt according to Sir Alex Ferguson. Great news for the Blues, Drogba should have some more room up top with Ferdinand rather than Vidic on his back. The man who scored a great goal against us last season, Louis Saha, is also expected to be out with injury.

Something I’d be willing to bet a nice 10 dollars on is that Avram Grant will opt for a 4-3-3 with Ballack, Lampard/Essien, and Makelele in the midfield. I’d surely give those 10 dollars to see a 4-4-2 for the first time under Avram Grant, however. Lampard’s choice is dependent on if he is willing to play just three days after his mother has passed away; I’m expecting him not to be in the lineup and such is entirely granted and reasonable, best wishes, Frank.

The last competitive Chelsea vs. United match in the Premier League would have to be last season’s 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in 2006. As we were already out of the title, the Stamford Bridge game meant nothing and the game earlier this season was Grant’s first and Mikel was sent off early. In that game we played the 4-4-2 Diamond with Geremi at right-back, Terry, Carvalho, Cole, Makelele in holding, Essien and Lampard in the middle, and Ballack at the top of the diamond with Drogba and Shevchenko about him. It would please me to see the same formation but with Essien at right-back, Ballack in the center with Lampard and Joe Cole at the top of the midfield. If I remember correctly, the only formation change Avram has ever provided was against QPR which was a 4-2-3-1 without most of the starters. His record of not changing the formation doesn’t bide well with my hopes a 4-4-2.

Essien has to be on the pitch for me, his powerful runs are unmatched by anyone on the pitch and he can play almost anywhere. Grant has enjoyed playing him at right-back in some of the recent games and in a similar big game against Arsenal. This hasn’t been the most popular choice for the Ghanaian but the attacking option he provides is unmatched and he’s twice as fast as our other right-back choices. His great form should be continued and hopefully will transit to the Liverpool game on Wednesday. However, with the domestic tragedy at Lampards, it is likely that Michael Essien will be pushed into midfield alongside Ballack. Either position for Essien has its own benefits, Essien has scored two in his last two from the midfield role and I’d rather see him here if the position is available.

The choice of striker is really bothering me to talk about and difficult to admit that I want Didier Drogba starting. The reason being as such: Drogba’s heart is already far from Chelsea; his loyalties, although they bother me, would not make me cringe at excepting him into the starting lineup. Drogba has said he’s 110% committed to the Chelsea cause and this is no further from the truth. He’s become incredible selfish lately in the past few games and his performances have been pitiful, especially against Liverpool. The strongest striker in the world should not be falling down every time he is touched. For me, Didier Drogba shows no interest in Chelsea anymore and can’t wait to move to an apartment in Milan. Why should he start then? Because although he doesn’t believe in the Chelsea cause anymore, I do.

Drogba has performed greatly in big games throughout the years and we were reminded of such in the Arsenal game. The Ivorian will go all out to better his name and score in a huge game that is Manchester Untied, a game that club managers all over the world will be watching. It is greed on my part and on his part that makes me think he’s the top choice still. Steven Cohen, a Chelsea supporter and host of World Soccer Daily said the following about Drogba after the Liverpool game: “Didier Drogba is an effing disgrace, how dare he grab his shirt at the end and kiss the badge. Get out of there. The sooner he gets out of English football, the better.” Similar to how I feel about Drogba nowadays. I will cheer when you score and I will cry when you leave but you’re virtually nothing in my mind right now, Mr. Drogba.

And now it’s truly up to the Blues to show whether they are good enough to be champions for the third time in four years or if Manchester United is the better team. If we were to have held onto four games that we conceded last minute goals we’d be first place right now with five points to spare. I know this is not entirely accurate because certain events trigger other events but it’s worth noting our potential success. We’d be five points clear of United with a chance to win the title at Stamford Bridge against United once again. That would have been beautiful to see. We’re in line now for a historic double and this is the game to keep us on track. The old cliché, a make or break game can be dubbed on the first vs. second battle on Saturday.

It’s important to remember Frank Lampard during this match, whether he plays or not. The chances are severely against him playing but this irrelevant. We must play this match with passion as tribute to Lampard’s mother, Pat Lampard. The Chelsea organization has filled its webspace with tributes and condolences to her and we should do the same. Get this result in the memory of a regular match goes over the career of one of our greatest ever players. Rest in peace, Pat Lampard.

I haven’t given much thought in this article about us losing at home and to be honest, I’d rather not mention it, but it’s necessary. Our Premier League, our home record, and our pride will take a huge blow if we concede the title to United after giving all we can. I don’t think the table lies, if we finish first, we deserve the title and that’s regardless of the football we played. I’ll tell you what though, if we can’t beat United at the Bridge, we don’t deserve anything. It’s all or nothing! Come support the Blues in the BC Shout and we’ll support the most important game of the season together. C’mon Chelsea! Last chance, no regrets!

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