Manchester United have beaten Chelsea with a margin of 4-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday. It was the first match of Frank Lampard as the manager of the Blues in the Premier League. It was not the start, the fans of the Blues was awaiting for. What happened wrong to them against Manchester United? Let’s talk about that.
1. Chelsea back-line not ready to face top sides:
The back-line of Chelsea are not looking settled at all. The club management of the Blues let David Luiz go to Arsenal on the deadline day of the summer transfer window. The manager of the Blues, Frank Lampard used the pair of Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma in the first match against Manchester United. Antonio Rudiger is still recovering from his injury. That’s why these two were chosen to play as the defensive pair of the Blues.
Kurt Zouma did a bad mistake in the first half of the match. Chelsea was controlling the game in the first half. Kurt Zouma tackled Anthony Martial badly in the penalty box. Manchester United was awarded the penalty and Marcus Rashford converted it successfully.
There were defensive lapses in the second half too. The defence of Chelsea failed to track two long balls. Cesar Azpilicueta was not in his own position and on the other hand, the central defensive pair also were not able to do their job. The backline of the Blues will certainly be a concern of Frank Lampard in near future.
2. Ole Won The Tactical Battle Against Frank Lampard:
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won the tactical battle against Frank Lampard in this match. Chelsea was playing really good football in the opening half of the match. They had more ball possession, more shots. However, it all changed after the penalty scored by Marcus Rashford. Manchester United made a comeback in the match and Chelsea kept going behind as the game progressed. The first half ended with a scoreline of 1-0 in favour of Manchester United.
The Red Devils were certainly the better side on the field in the second half of the match. Frank Lampard’s team selection was also questionable. He played Ross Barkley as the left-sided midfielder while the player would have liked to operate from the middle of the park.
Ross Barkley was not playing bad in the match. He was replaced by Christian Pulisic. That substitution affected the game badly. The Blues conceded back to back two goals after that. There are several areas for improvement for the Blues in the next few days. Otherwise, the top four finish is going to be difficult for them in this season.
3. Positives To Take For Chelsea From This Loss Against Manchester United:
Mason Mount was the biggest positive for the Blues in this match. It was his first game in the Premier League. Tammy Abraham created few good moves. On the other hand, Emerson Palmieri was unlucky to hit the cross piece in the first half. Frank Lampard will certainly analyse the game and try to make a solid comeback against Liverpool in the European Super Cup final.
