Manchester United vs Chelsea usually delivers drama and it was no different at Old Trafford on Sunday. It just came late on.
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Bruno Fernandes scored a penalty kick but Moises Caicedo volleyed home a beauty to equalize and that result was about right.
Here’s a look at what we learned from Manchester United vs Chelsea.
Rashford, Garnacho may struggle under Amorim
With incoming Man United boss Ruben Amorim preferring to play a narrow 3-4-2-1 formation, all eyes are on out-and-out wingers Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho. Against Chelsea they both showcased why Amorim arriving may not be good news for them. Rashford and Garnacho both spurned good chances and panicked when they arrived. It’s almost as if they know they will be square pegs in round holes under Amorim and are under extra pressure to prove they belong. Can Rashford and Garnacho really play underneath Hojlund in a more central role? Probably not. That means one of them may have to play at wing-back and the way Garnacho’s teammates, especially Casemiro, lambasted him for his lack of defensive work doesn’t bode well. There will be lots of questions for Amorim to answer when he arrives at Old Trafford on November 11. One of the most important is how he plans to use Rashford and Garnacho. They are incredible individual talents but it seems like they could be the two players who have the most to lose from the new philosophy and formation under Amorim.
Chelsea struggling with lack of belief vs the big boys
Look, Chelsea, are really young. They’re also really good. They’ve gone toe-to-toe at home with Man City, away at Liverpool and away at Man United and they’ve impressed in all three games against the ‘big boys’ so far this season. But they have just one point to show for it from those games. The next step for Enzo Maresca’s young side is to truly believe they can beat these big teams with big-name, more experienced players. United were there for the taking on Sunday but Chelsea never really put them under sustained pressure. They had good moments and looked lively in midfield but when they got the ball into the final third they lacked belief and that extra swagger to finish off chances. That will come in time and Chelsea are truly heading in the right direction. If they’re going to finish in the top four this season they need to beat some of the teams around them and they get a chance to do that next weekend. They currently sit one place above London rivals Arsenal who they host next Sunday. That is the game to really make a statement about what they intend to do this season. They can do it. They just have to fully believe they can.
Defensive unit isn’t the issue for United
There is a lot for Amorim to sort out at United but defensively they’ve been pretty good this season. They have scored just nine goals this season but they’ve also conceded just 12 through the opening 10 games and that is something for the new manager to lean on. Amorim’s teams are know for being well-organized and resolute and he won’t have to tweak the defensive unit much, aside from the formation. Martinez, De Ligt, Dalot and Mazraoui could all start under Amorim with perhaps Dalot as a right wing-back and Mazraoui tucking in as a left-sided center back. Luke Shaw is coming back soon too and could start at left wing-back. It may not be that exciting under Amorim to start with but the main thing is that he keeps United solid defensively. That will give him a solid platform to bed in his ideas. He can then start to give more creativity and confidence to their underperforming attackers to make the difference.
