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By Alex Roberts
Liam Rosenior hasn’t been the inspired appointment BlueCo had hoped he would be. If the Premier League had started when he joined, they would be in ninth, and the 3-0 defeat to Man City last time out is just their latest collapse.
Michael Carrick has been everything Rosenior hasn’t. Clearly commanding the respect of his players and the fans, Man United have gone from looking like a basket case club to one of the more sensible. Not even a 2-1 defeat to Leeds can bring them down.
Bad vibes in West London
Chelsea haven’t even scored a goal in their last four Premier League games, they’re now closer to Bournemouth in 11th, a three-point gap, than they are to Liverpool in 5th, the final Champions League spot this season.
They’ll be hoping to avoid a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat. The last time that happened, Frank Lampard was in the middle of his disastrous interim spell in 2023. Rosenior is a lot more like Graham Potter, he’ll probably get until the end of the season though.
To make matters worse, the protests have begun. Fan groups from sister club, Strasbourg, also unhappy with some ridiculous ownership decisions, have made the trip to make their feelings known alongside their Chelsea counterparts ahead of this game. It’s all a complete mess.
Short at the back
Man United are looking a little light on defensive numbers heading into this one. Carrick’s only real options at the heart are Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven with Lisandro Martínez and Harry Maguire suspended alongside Matthijs de Ligt’s injury.
Martínez was shown a straight red for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair at Old Trafford in their last game, while Maguire was handed an additional one game ban for improper conduct after having a go at a fourth official.
Still, Heaven and Yoro are two young yet very capable centre-backs, and given Chelsea’s recent goal scoring issues, they may not have too much to worry about. We’re in to the business end of the season, and squads need to be used to their fullest.
Team news
Rosenior has confirmed that Enzo Fernández is back from Chelsea’s self-imposed two game suspension following his flirting with Real Madrid. Hindsight is 20-20, but he was certainly missed in their defeat to City.
Reece James (hamstring), Levi Colwill (knee), Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (thigh), Filip Jörgensen (groin) are all out for at least the next couple of games. Trevoh Chalobah (ankle) is “very close” to returning, but not quite yet. Benoît Badiashile (illness) will be assessed ahead of the game.
Other than their issues at centre back, Man United don’t have too much to worry about. Patrick Dorgu (hamstring) is still out and not expected to return until the end of the month, with the same being said of Kobbie Mainoo (knock).
Prediction
This is the most drawn fixture in Premier League history, and we’re expecting it follow suit on Saturday. So, 1-1 at Stamford Bridge.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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