A View From The Bridge……. Manchester United.

Its been a mixed week for the Chelsea faithful, a fabulous 4-2 victory over Tottenham got us all excited, before a 2-1 defeat away at Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek really sobered us up.

Our man Ashwat (@ashwat) got the result right, as he plumped for a 2-1 Chelsea win, and we welcome him back today, alongside Naunkoo Thekash, to give us some opinions and some insight into the big game this Sunday, as we face Sir Alex Ferguson, and his Manchester United team.

 

So guys, its seven wins and a draw so far for us in the league, can we extend that run against Man Utd on Sunday, and how important is a win? Or is it more important not to lose?

Ashwat: I believe we can and we should go for all 3 points. This is one of the weakest Manchester United teams we’re facing in the past few years, especially in the midfield and defense and considering the fact that the fixtures are only getting tougher next month with Liverpool and Manchester City coming to the bridge, each and every point becomes valuable.

Naunkoo: I really do believe that we can beat Man Utd. We’ve started the season well, have a huge pool of talent, especially the trio of Mata, Hazard and Oscar, and most importantly, we are building on a winning ‘mentality’.While playing free football is no harm, we must learn from our mistakes against Athletico and most recently Shakhtar, and need to defend more as a unit…

 

How big will Terry’s absence be today?Terry will be out of the clash with his domestic ban, will Luiz and Cahill be able to hold Van Persie and Rooney off the scoresheet?

Ashwat: I personally feel that Luiz & Cahill have always rose up to the occasion in the past in Terry’s absence – remember Champions League final? and once against Newcastle if I remember correctly earlier this season. So I believe that they will do a good job again. My main concern is the amount of crosses coming from Ivanovic’s end and considering the lethal strike force that United possess, we can be put in trouble, so that is definitely an area that needs to be worked on.

Naunkoo: Cahill is in the same mould as Terry. He and Luiz will do a really good job. But, as i mentioned earlier, much would depend on the extent to which we are defending as a unit. Most importantly, we must make sure that RVP gets no time on the ball, as that is where he can be lethal.

 

Kagawa is out for them, how big is that for us? Will Mikel and Ramires be a match for Carrick and Cleverley?

Ashwat: Kagawa out is definitely a big blow for United because he’s looked good until this point in the season. I think the experienced head of Scholes will feature in United’s midfield along with Cleverley. For Chelsea, I am glad that Ramires has been brought back to where he belongs – centre midfield instead of the wings. He and Mikel have been doing a great job recently and I hope they continue to do that today.

Naunkoo: Kagawa is beyond doubt good, but Man Utd has also several other good players, and even Rooney can drop deeper into midfield. However, I0 think that Mikel and Ramires do have that edge over Carrick and Cleverley. Ramires’ dynamism will give Carrick a torrid time.

Though, knowing about SAF’s vision, they might change their normal formation (with wingers) to adopt onto more of a 4-1-2-1-2 (as they did against Newcastle). But, if Mikel and Ramires perform to their best, we will win the midfield battle….or at least, have a better transition from defence to attack.

 

RVP got a hat-trick here in Arsenal colours last season.Who do you think will be their biggest threat on Sunday, and why?

Ashwat: All of their strikers are a big threat to us. Van Persie has jelled into this United team within no time, and looks like he’s been playing for years with them, and his combination with Rooney has been working really well. They also have Chicharito who scored a couple of goals against Braga in the Champions League on Tuesday and he is someone who likes to score against Chelsea, so all three of them are dangerous.

Naunkoo: Their biggest threat will be both RVP and Rooney…RVP is a match killer (what we lack!) Just like lightening, he can strike at any time, so we must watch out. As for Rooney, he is in fine form since his return…if given the space, he might create havoc…Though i do think that Mikel should do a job on Rooney…that will be the battle to watch.

 

Finally, what will the score be, and who will grab the goals?

Ashwat: My heart says 2-1 to Chelsea but I think there are going to be more goals than that. I think Torres and Oscar are going to score for us. Chicharito for United.

Naunkoo:  I will go for a 4-3 Chelsea win. Rooney and RVP will score for Man Utd, and as for Chelsea, its going to be Torres (2), Oscar and Mata..But for Chelsea to win, we need to take all our chances.

 

Thanks again lads, we hope you are both right and we can grab the three points, although im not sure my heart can take a 4-3 thriller!

If you want to be considered for our ‘View From The Bridge’ piece, ahead of Wednesday’s League Cup clash with Man Utd, then be sure to send a message to either of the twitter accounts shown below!

 

By Brad Smith
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