Van Nistelrooy steers MU to a patchwork 'delivery' against Chelsea

MU has just experienced a turbulent week when they fired coach Erik ten Hag and reached an agreement to recruit Ruben Amorim. However, the Portuguese coach will not be able to move to Old Trafford right away, so coach Van Nistelrooy will continue to lead the "Red Devils" in the match against Chelsea.

Coach Van Nistelrooy faces a difficult challenge

In midweek, Van Nistelrooy had an impressive debut when he helped MU beat Leicester 5-2 in the fourth round of the English League Cup. The "Red Devils" saw some positive changes in this match when the players took advantage of the opportunities better. Key players such as Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro both scored and played confidently.

Therefore, MU needs to try to win against Chelsea in round 10 of the Premier League to improve their 14th position on the rankings.

In terms of current form, if MU beat Leicester to enter the quarter-finals of the English League Cup, Chelsea was defeated by Newcastle (0-2). However, being eliminated from the English League Cup is not a disaster for coach Enzo Maresca and his students, because his top priority is to bring Chelsea into the top 4 of the Premier League, thereby returning to the Champions League arena.

Chelsea are in good form in the Premier League despite a heavy schedule recently. "The Blues" have won 3, drawn 1 and lost 1 in the last 5 rounds. The brightest star on Chelsea's side is still Cole Palmer, so MU defenders must be very careful with him. This season, Palmer was given the No. 10 position by coach Enzo Maresca, meaning he was allowed to play freely and exploit the gaps between the lines. This is a big problem for MU when their system often creates large gaps in the area in front of the goal.

Maresca's side are currently fifth in the table, just one point behind Arsenal and Aston Villa. However, United are the last team to keep a clean sheet against Chelsea in an away Premier League game, having scored in seven consecutive away games in the English top flight.

MU and Chelsea have drawn 5 times in a row from mid-October 2020 to October 2022, but recent matches between the two teams have ended in wins and losses. MU won 4-1 at Old Trafford in the 2022-2023 season before Chelsea won 4-3 at Stamford Bridge in the 2023-2024 season. In the last 6 head-to-head matches between the two teams in all competitions, MU won 2, drew 3 and lost 1.

In terms of squad, MU will be without Antony, Tyrell Malacia, Harry Maguire, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro and Kobbie Mainoo due to injury. Meanwhile, Christian Eriksen withdrew from the squad against Leicester for unknown reasons, so his appearance against Chelsea remains uncertain. Noussair Mazraoui and Rasmus Hojlund could be used in place of Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee, while Andre Onana replaces Altay Bayindir in goal.

If MU has up to 8 injured players, Chelsea will only lose young player Omari Kellyman, while Jadon Sancho cannot face his parent club, so Pedro Neto will once again keep the position on the left wing.

It seems that this is a very difficult match for interim coach Van Nistelrooy, because in addition to leading the "Red Devils" in the Premier League for the first time, he also has to deal with a patchwork squad. A draw is lucky for MU.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lich-thi-dau-moi-nhat-van-nistelrooy-leo-lai-mu-chap-va-vuot-can-truoc-chelsea-18524110222254363.htm