Today’s game at Stamford Bridge presents a fascinating tactical battle. Chelsea’s wing backs face up against a solid Manchester United who looked very solid on Monday night against Liverpool – a team which looks to have considerably more weapons than Chelsea at this stage of the season.
Chelsea will be relying on their attacking players to provide the magic moment needed to break down Mourinho’s backline, and it will largely be the form of Eden Hazard that decides the result of the game. The new system has him playing considerably closer to Diego Costa. If Costa can get the better of Eric Bailly, he will go a long way towards creating the space Hazard needs to put Chelsea in wining position.
It won’t be easy – Bailly has speed, power and reads the game well. Costa will have to be on top form to get anything out of the Ivorian. Their physical battle will decide the direction of the game, and if Costa can get the better of his man, Chelsea can get the better of United.