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Defending champion, Manchester United, and Chelsea will meet tomorrow in a clash of Barclays Premier League titans. Both teams have started off the season well and find themselves at or near the top of the league table.
It has been a terrific start to the season for Alex Ferguson men and perhaps not he himself could have expected this level of performance. The squad rode on a blaze of new energy and young talents, picking up 12 points and outscoring their opponents in last Sunday’s cracker, bringing their goal tally to an incredible 15 goals.?
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The Blues, on the other hand, have been anything but slouches, notching three victories and a draw in four matches. The last time these two sides met, the defending champions essentially clinched their 19th Premier League title with a 2-1 win at Old Trafford, sending Chelsea to a second-place finish in the league table.
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The repercussions of this tie aren’t quite so terrible, given that it will be only the fifth of the 2011/12 premier league season for both sides. The result however may as well go a long way toward affecting how the table shapes out down the line. A win for Manchester United would guarantee them a ?continuous stay on top of the table and open five lead head of Chelsea, while a draw or loss would play into the hands of their main challenger, Manchester City, whom they jointly top the table.
The Red Devils faithful would be counting on Wayne Rooney who has been brilliant since the beginning of this season’s campaign, to do the needed damage against Andre Villas-Boas aging squad tomorrow. Manchester United star striker has already logged eight goals in four fixtures, with hat tricks against Arsenal and Bolton Wanderers.?
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With Didier Drogba’s appearance still doubtful for the match and the dark cloud hanging over Fernando Torres, Andre Villa Boas may look in the direction of Daniel Sturridge to lead his attack in his very major first game in the Premiership. The 22-year-old England international was dynamic in his debut with the Blues, scoring in Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Sunderland last weekend. Sturridge spent the last half of the 2010-11 season on loan with Bolton Wanderers and sat out the first three matches of the new campaign on account of a red card he acquired in his last game with the Trotters.
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Also of spectacular in Sunday’s showdown is the mind tactics between Alex Ferguson and the new at Stamford Bridge. With 12 premier league trophies, FA Cups, four Carling Cups and two UEFA Champions League titles to his credit, the scot needs no introduction in English football, while his opponent on other bench, is the new boy on the block that is looking for recognition. Though, the Portuguese is no slump, having done well in his native country and trying well to re-energize an aging Chelsea side with younger talent in his first season in the Premiership.?
Another issue that may also bother Andre Villa Boas in Sunday’s game is comment by misfit striker Fernando Torres who has accused his own teammates of being slow in delivering ball to him. According to ESPN Soccernet, the club is investigating an interview in which Torres allegedly branded his teammate of being old. Though the team was able to put the issue behind them which saw them win in their European campaign with Torres supplying the ball for the two goals.?
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“We are going in-depth to regain the tape of that interview. We will see if things played exactly as they were in that interview. We want to go in-depth a bit more. Anyhow, it is one player’s perspective. I don’t think it is a perspective that the manager shares. I don’t have to share my players’ ideas sometimes,” Villas-Boas said.?