Chelsea and Manchester United are about to do battle in the League Cup following the drama and action of the Premier League clash. Here are five areas which deserve focus in the re-match.
The Crowd
The crowd do not forget things quickly in football. The home support will be loud and they will be vicious. There will still be a sense of hard feeling among the Chelsea home support and the fact this match is against the side that caused that hard feeling adds extra spice into proceedings. Manchester United are not going to bring as much away support for this game which means Chelsea supporters have a chance to give their team the edge.
The Players
Both sides will make changes for the match which will see some younger players coming into the equation. Chelsea and Manchester United will include some youngsters who will be determined to play well and get noticed by their manager. Expect a few early challenges with players flying around the pitch looking to make a point. This combined with the crowd atmosphere could mean a couple of early bookings.
Tactics
Chelsea will come on strongly to United because they will be wary of another slow start and there will just be a huge amount of passion about to boil over. This could put United on the back foot for much of the game meaning United will be likely to play a 4-5-1 formation to try and pack the midfield area. This could be another game with a few goals in it as United are likely to make changes to an already battered defence.
Javier Hernandez
Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez is likely to start the game and he is likely to be put under a lot of pressure by the home support. Hernandez scored the winner in the Premier League game last Sunday and then celebrated in front of Chelsea fans which resulted in one steward being taken to hospital with an injury. This shouldn’t affect the Mexican’s game but it will add to the hostile atmosphere.
The Referee
A lot of people are going to get on the back of the referee in this game although it won’t be Mark Clattenburg and the circumstances surrounding the match are slightly different. The referee needs to be strong willed because the crowd will be against him throughout the game regardless of what goes on. A strong referee is needed as there will be a few Chelsea and United players in his ear trying to make a point and influence decisions.
image: © wonker
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
