Chelsea vs Manchester United preview – things could get even more embarrassing for Jose Mourinho

The Red Devils face their most formidable foes yet this season in the shape of Maurizio Sarri’s high-flying Chelsea. A good result could save Jose Mourinho’s job, but an embarrassing defeat may force the board to act in order to salvage the season.

On paper, this Chelsea game should have been Manchester United’s first real challenge of the season. I mean, when the fixture list was first announced, who would’ve thought we’d have lost to Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur (at home) in our first eight games?

But that’s exactly what United have gone and done, meaning that the odds of us now beating Chelsea at their own turf – a ground we are historically poor at even at the best of times – astronomically low.

However, that doesn’t mean that United are allowed to down tools and hope for the best on Saturday. No – the team owe it to us, the fans, to go out there and show that they still care about the club and their manager, who could face the sack if we get embarrassed at Stamford Bridge.

So, here’s what the Red Devils must do in order to avoid yet another crisis at the club…

Key players cannot hide behind Pogba this time

After a poor result, Paul Pogba is often made the scapegoat, allowing other underperforming players to slip through the media’s radar. This will not be allowed to happen this game, as the whole world will be watching and scrutinising the performances of each United player.

Nemanja Matic is one player who has been woeful since the start of the season and will need to prove he still has the quality against his old club. To give the Serbian the benefit of the doubt, he did get injured during the world cup, and may not be back to 100 per cent fitness. Nevertheless, if he has been given the green light by the club’s medical staff, then there is no excuse for being invisible at the base of midfield for so many games.

Antonio Valencia has also been poor by not contributing enough to United’s attacking play this season. He seems afraid to beat his man and put crosses into the box for the last few games – inexplicable for a player who used to be a winger. We’ll need width in order to beat this Chelsea side, meaning the Ecuadorian needs to turn things around on Saturday.

Romelu Lukaku will also be looking to end his goal drought, and what better way to do so than against his old team? The Belgian has been routinely criticised for not scoring enough against the top-six sides. The 3-0 loss to Tottenham earlier this season only made matters worse, so he must use this game as a chance to redeem himself. /

Mourinho needs to get his tactics right

Although the players will have to step up in order to bring the game to Chelsea on Saturday, the manager will also need to get his tactics right in order to allow his men to express themselves on the pitch.

Matching Sarri’s 4-3-3 will be crucial, although Mourinho may opt for another man in defence in order to sure things up, so a 3-5-2 could also be a likely set up as well. Pogba plays much better when United are in possession, so we must not let Chelsea dictate the tempo of the game. /

However, because this is Mourinho we’re talking about, expect a very tight and compact formation that will aim to nullify Chelsea’s attack while leaving them exposed on the break. This could work, but if the Liverpool game at Anfield last season was anything to go by, the game will probably end in a boring 0-0 – but we’d absolutely take it.

Why United need to be fearful of this Chelsea side

Maurizio Sarri has a reputation for playing free-flowing attacking football. His Napoli side were a high-scoring one and were close to winning the Serie A title last season, but eventually lost out to Juventus. Although we thought it would take time for Sarri to implement his DNA into this Chelsea side – who were very strong defensively under Antonio Conte – this has not been the case.

Chelsea are currently in 2nd place in the Premier League table on goal difference and are undefeated so far this campaign. The Blues’ success has been in large part due to new signing Jorginho – a midfielder Sarri brought with him in his move from Naples to London. The Michael Carrick-esque player is key to driving his team’s attack from deep in midfield and could cause mayhem with his long range of passing if United don’t close him down in time. /

Furthermore, United’s defence isn’t looking too great at the moment, something Eden Hazard could take advantage of with his lightning pace and silky dribbling. Although Ander Herrara could be deployed to mark Hazard like he was over the last two seasons, this may not work this time, as the Belgian has more freedom to move across the front line under Sarri, making it easier for him to lose his mark.

What Pogba had to say before the game

Sitting down with Laura Woods of Sky Sports, the French midfielder discussed his thoughts and feelings ahead of the Chelsea clash:

"“For me, those games are the best games to play. You play against the best players, you play against a big club, a big story. You play football to play those big games with a lot of pressure. That’s what you want to play.“You can see this season [Chelsea] have a lot of possession obviously, they are winning, they have one character you cannot miss in Eden Hazard, they say he is on fire, this time he is probably the best player in the PL right now.“The team is going well, they have good results, for us we come back from the Newcastle game, 3-2 winning at home, we need points, so it’s going to be a tough one. I think they need points, we need points.” [Sky Sports]"

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Pogba recognises that this will be a tough game, but United cannot let Chelsea get the better of them. A loss on Saturday could see United fall into the bottom half of the table. The manager and his players must stop that from happening at all costs.

Catch Chelsea vs Manchester United on Saturday 20 October at 12:30 BST.

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