Chelsea vs Manchester United
"...Are we pinning too much hope on just 1 person? I mean if that is the arguement then aren't we screwed if Ronaldo decides to jump ship to Real Madrid at the end of the season? Then what?..."
- JayWalk, 20 Sep 2008
It's rather worrying that despite all the chances and dominating Villarreal, we were not able to put in a single goal.At this rate we are going, this will be one of the worst starts ever for ManUtd.
Who knows? Perhaps the season is over for us as early as September?
Fortunately for us, we are still pretty much on course to qualify to the next round of the ECL for this particular game is not one of those that we are going to kick ourselves in the backsides if we didn't win although winning would be a great bonus. However, if we stick to the original course of picking 10 points, which can be easily obtained from the 4 fodder games against Aaborg and Celtic, we are still going through. Any additional points taken from Villarreal just places us above them for a more favourable seeding in the next round draw.
Looking back, it seems that ManUtd has had a very very tough early season fixture having to face Liverpool and Chelsea away, back-to-back, with a ECL game wedged in the middle. The good news is that once we clear them, our fixtures would be relatively easier than our rivals which would give us a better psychological edge.
However, this game at Chelsea, should we lose it, would set us 9 points behind and unless the rest of the rivals were to collapse spectacularly like Arsenal in the previous years, it is unlikely we have a real shot at the title chase.
Sure, some people may say that it is better to stay behind in the slip stream but we have to be close enough in order for the advantage of the slip stream to have any significant effect.
JayWalk The Talk: Yes, we pretty much suck without Ronaldo of late, but I seriously doubt if the presence of one guy can turn the ship around just so easily. Are we pinning too much hope on just 1 person? I mean if that is the arguement then aren't we screwed if Ronaldo decides to jump ship to Real Madrid at the end of the season? Then what?
And there is Berbatov. Granted that the Bulgarian captain is one heck of a scorer but surely it takes time to finally gel into the team? Look at Carrick? Didn't it take quite a while for him to settle down? Let's not even go to Forlan, Veron and Djemba Djemba who come in with high hopes only to have nothing to show for?
Speaking of Carrick, he will be in the sick bay together with Vidic. And speaking of Vidic, there is the headache of who to replace him.
There are talks in moving Wes Brown to the middle and put in Neville to right back and there are talks of putting Evans in the middle after a fine showing at mid-week's Villarreal.
Hence the debate between ability vs experience.
Frankly, I would opt for experience for a game at this calibre with Evans on the bench in case of the need to switch formation.
As for the Chelsea side, Ballack, Essien and Drogba are not expected to turn up on the pitch but we will definitely see Terry after having his earlier red card rescinded.
As much as I am a ardent supporter the Red Devils, I am afraid that the bookies may be right this time. Still, that won't stop me from cheering them the rest of the season as we still have the 2 domestic cups as well as the ECL to gun for.
Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.
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