Tactical Preview: Manchester United v/s Chelsea

18 Yard Box has a look at the all important FA Cup clash between the Red Devils and the Blues.

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It’s a super Sunday as two heavyweights of England, Manchester United and Chelsea clash in the FA Cup 6th Round for a berth in the semi-final. Both teams having fought off tough competition from both the Premier League and the lower tiers have to try eliminating their bitter rivals to reach the semi-final. While Manchester United are on the back of Champions League elimination, Chelsea are facing elimination from the Europa League with a first leg defeat to Bucharest.

18 Yard Box analyses the tactics and formations of both the teams ahead of the match.

Who will go one step closer to get this?

Manchester United

Rooney might start

Having lost out on the Champions League after suffering a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid, Sir Alex Ferguson’s dream of a treble this season has been thwarted, but he stills hopes for a double. With the Premier League title almost certain, United need to defeat Chelsea to stand a chance to win the the double. They need to regroup quickly to avoid a second cup elimination within a week with them being pitted against Chelsea, a win will bring back their confidence.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the master of the ‘managerial art’, had proved his tactical prowess when he decided to field Danny Welbeck and Ryan Giggs ahead of in-form Wayne Rooney and Shinji Kagawa, a move which paid dividends. Champions League football is different from that of domestic cup football and keeping that in mind, Sir Alex Ferguson would most probably be fielding his conventional starting 11 lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Robin van Persie spearheading the attack, Valencia, Rooney and Kagawa just behind him. 

Carrick will most likely be the lynchpin in midfield with Cleverly looking to be the creative force from the deep. The quadruple of Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra who started against Madrid might be altered with Evans returning at the heart of the defense.

However what remains to be seen is Hernandez’s introduction in the match. Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez has an incredible goal-scoring record against Chelsea scoring 7 goals in as many as 5 matches. Hernandez, often referred to as the ‘impact man’ might be brought into the match if his presence was required but going by form, his selection into the 1st team ahead of Rooney or Van Persie looks difficult. Currently though, Robin van Persie hasn’t been in good form lately, failing to score in the past seven matches and thus could be given a break for Chicharito to come in. 

Nani, who might not be even in the right frame of mind to get back on the field should start on the bench in favour of Ecuadorian Valencia who even tracks back to protect the often impulsive Rafael. 

Chelsea

Would Eden make the difference?

In a season that has gone terribly downhill for the Blues since their elimination from the Champions League, Chelsea will look to get some respite in the cups they still participate in. Having been knocked out by Champions Swansea from the Capital One Cup, the only realistic chance of a trophy this season would be the FA cup (they face a first leg deficit in the Europa League round of 16 against Bucharest) and in order to secure that trophy they need to play their hearts out against United. 

Rafa Benitez would most likely be fielding a strong side playing a 4-2-3-1 formation, similar to that of United. Dembe Ba,the latest Chelsea recruit is most likely to start the match ahead of Fernando Torres, who has been out of form for quite a while. Juan Mata, Victor Moses and Eden Hazard might be starting to get some width to the side and test Rafael and Evra on either wing. Lampard will look to put in his experience in the mix as he chases a 5th FA cup victory along with Mikel, who will shield the back four for the Londoners.

As far as the defense is concerned, Terry looks set to continue his absence from the side in big games, as the former Liverpool manager clearly prefers the pairing of Ivanovic/Cahill and Luiz in the heart of their defense.

Chances of Winning

Who will prove to be the master tactician?

Manchester United

As for United, its a chance for them to dust themselves and get back up again. The dreams of a treble having been vanished, United need this win to keep the dreams of the double alive. A home game suites them as United would be looking to repay the fans back after the 2-1 loss to the Galacticos in the midweek. United go into this match as favourites and Sir Alex would be disappointed were they to lose this tie. Chances of the Red Devils winning are 60 to 40.

Chelsea

Old Trafford is an intimidating place to visit and in such a crucial phase of the season, Chelsea need the win more than their rivals. Pressure is rising on Benitez as he looks to salvage his reputation by bagging the FA Cup. Although, alive in the Europa League, Chelsea have looked less than convincing on their road to Amsterdam. 4^th in the League, with Arsenal running hot on their heels, Chelsea needs the win to propel their season , which has been no less than erratic, so far.

The Final Verdict

The game promises to be an enticing affair as both sides would love to play the attacking brand of football. Benitez, Sir Alex’s old nemesis, could be expected to lead his side with an attacking and fearless formation. A game which could see plenty of chances being created, might be won due to a game changing incident. However, the home advantage and United’s consistency puts the tie in United’s favour. A 2-1 win would be enough to see the Red Devils make it to the next round.

Pyramid Labs

Written By,

Rishav Ghosh

Rishav is a writer for 18 Yard Box.

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Potential replacements for Frank Lampard

The 34 year old midfielder could leave Chelsea at the end of the season and considering his role for the past decade, his replacement is surely needed at the Bridge. Here are a few players who could be drawn up in the short list.

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With Frank Lampard all set to leave Chelsea in months to come, a replacement for the Englishman will most definitely be required at Stamford Bridge. His contribution at the London club for the past decade has been tremendous which shows, as he approaches the record of most goals score by any Chelsea player. Being a box-to-box midfielder, his 199 goals have in fact come from midfield and that is truly a stat to watch out for.

Lampard, for the best part of his Chelsea career played as a box-to-box midfielder (positioned on the left of a 4-3-3 formation), not only tracking back to keep up the number of bodies while defending, but also initiating attacks from deep in his own half with his accurate passing. Although in recent years, a fresh brand of attacking football has been introduced by Villas Boas, Roberto Di Matteo and Rafa Benitez which has seen an aging Lampard playing deeper to shield the defense and make his frequent forays forward to score crucial goals.

Lampard could leave Chelsea at the end of the current campaign

With Juan Mata having taken the mantel for being the creative mainstay of this new look Chelsea side, a replacement specifically for Lampard should have the ability to pull the strings from a rather withdrawn position not to mention the ability to tackle and intercept opposition attacks in their initiation.

18YB here analyses some players who could be moulded into a similar kind of a player (who can not only play in a box-to-box role if required, but also can operate from a deeper role) and leader on the pitch for the next decade or so and lead The Blues to further glory.

Josh McEachran

20-year old Josh McEachran, who is on loan from Chelsea to Middlesbrough could prove to be a home-grown replacement for Lampard. With a good range of passing across the field, McEachran not only has the vision to carve out an opportunity, but also has the composure to execute it. At a tender stage in his Chelsea career yet, he has not been able to claim a place in the starting line-up for The Blues. He has a lot of years to prove his worth though, and can certainly live up to the expectations from him at the club.

McEachran is a talented youngster who can replace Lampard

Former manager Villas Boas also rated the youngster highly claiming that he saw his future at Chelsea, while comparing him to players with ability to create from the deep like Luka Modric and Jack Wilshere. With good technique on the ball, McEachran surely has the ability to play as a box-to-box midfielder and if required, a deep lying playmaker, thereby making him an ideal replacement for Lampard.

Nathaniel Chalobah

18-year old Nathaniel Chalobah, who is currently on loan at Watford under Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola, also has the potential to be moulded into a Frank Lampard replacement. Having come through the ranks at the Chelsea academy, he is a midfielder who is good on the ball while going forward and he is usually used in front of the defense.

Chalobah has impressed on loan at Watford

An athletic player, Chalobah is considered to have a high work rate on the pitch and can operate both in an attacking and defensive role. A role of shielding the defense in the 4-2-3-1 formation, which Chelsea currently use would be ideally suitable to him. His adaptability being good, a more offensive role of running from ‘D’ to ‘D’ could also be given to him. The only thing which probably puts him in doubt of replacing someone like Lampard, as claimed by Zola, is his passing ability which isn’t excellent.

At a very young age currently, he certainly needs to improve his characteristics over the years, nevertheless, someone to watch out for considering his versatility.

Marouane Fellaini

Marouane Fellaini, who currently ply’s his trade at Everton, has been frequently touted as a replacement for the outgoing Chelsea legend. A defensive midfielder who is good going forward, Fellaini could be handed a different role considering his characteristics are much different than Lampard’s.

Fellaini has improved a lot at Everton

He certainly has the stamina to operate as a box-to-box midfielder, but with a more physical approach to the game than Lampard, he can probably be not as creative as the Englishman. Fellaini’s long passing is also not as great as compared to Lampard. With good aerial ability and lung busting runs though, he can often initiate attacks. He will fit straight in Chelsea’s attacking 4-2-3-1 formation as a defensive midfielder who has been given the license to make timely runs to support the attack.  

Even still, Fellaini could be looked at as a more defensive player than Lampard, but with Mata, Oscar, Moses and Hazard, may be all Chelsea need is a stronger supporter instead of an out and out replacement for one of the mainstays of Chelsea’s past teams. 

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Written By,

Aman Arora

Aman writes for Goal India, GiveMeFootball and 18 Yard Box

Follow Aman at @aman_ghs

Follow 18 Yard Box at @18YB06