The final time Enzo Maresca shared the environment of knowledgeable soccer pitch with Ruud van Nistelrooy, lower than 14,000 followers had been watching on in Osasuna’s El Sadar stadium.
A totally packed Previous Trafford would be the setting when the 2 former Malaga teammates face off on Sunday afternoon, because the Dutch coach continues his interim tenure at Manchester United with a go to from Chelsea within the Premier League.
Whereas the outdated buddies share a meaty embrace on the touchline, there shall be little heat between the 2 units of gamers battling for a vital top-flight victory. Listed here are the important thing flashpoints to deal with past the managerial reunion.
Cease Cole Palmer and you’ve got a excellent likelihood of stopping Chelsea. That, after all, is less complicated mentioned than executed.
Liverpool’s Curtis Jones snuffed out most of Palmer’s menace when the Blues had been crushed at Anfield final month, and the responsibility of shackling the ephemeral midfielder may fall to Manuel Ugarte on Sunday.
The £42m summer season arrival was afforded one Premier League begin below Erik ten Hag, however anchored United’s midfield within the midweek Carabao Cup win over Leicester Metropolis. Palmer will seemingly pose a bit extra menace than Bobby De Cordova-Reid.
Manchester United have by no means been in a position to flip away from their mercurial central playmaker, however Maresca has begun the method of fazing out Chelsea’s temperamental midfielder. “It’s a matter of stability,” the Italian boss mentioned to clarify Enzo Fernandez’s continued absence from Chelsea’s Premier League XI. “I believe on this second, Romeo [Lavia] and Moi [Caicedo] give us physicality and energy within the center.”
Bruno Fernandes had been enduring a season as irritating as his near-namesake till Wednesday evening’s 5-2 thrashing of Leicester Metropolis. United’s skipper spanked in his first two objectives of the season in a cathartic contest.
Up in opposition to the impressively cohesive duo of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, Fernandes could have a far harder time discovering house to roll his studs over the ball in comparison with his midweek stroll.
Two gamers at wildly completely different ends of the boldness spectrum. Whereas Nicolas Jackson is toppling Didier Drogba’s scoring data at Chelsea, Matthijs de Ligt appears to have spent the whole lot of his opening three months in England teetering on the sting of a tantrum.
The previous Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich centre-back has been dropped for a 36-year-old Jonny Evans at instances this season, struggling to adapt to the distinctive tempo of England’s high flight in a staff which, admittedly, does not afford him an excessive amount of safety.
Jackson won’t permit De Ligt any respite. At all times an brisk outlet, the Senegal striker has added some much-needed composure to his recreation. After changing simply 18% of his pictures final season – a decrease fee than Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Cristian Romero – Jackson is ending off 27% of his possibilities this time period.
This can be a battle Chelsea have misplaced for the final decade. Since Sir Alex Ferguson hung up his hairdryer in 2013, the imposing mystique of Previous Trafford has misplaced a layer of lustre with every passing yr of failure.
Newcastle, Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion – to call simply three – all ended painfully lengthy waits for victory away to United over the past 11 years, but it surely has been nothing however nightmares on the Theatre of Desires for Chelsea.
The Blues have didn’t win all 11 journeys to Manchester since Ferguson’s retirement, drawing six and dropping 5 – together with every of the earlier two visits. Even in victory, beneficial selections have evaded Chelsea – the west London outfit have by no means been given a penalty at Previous Trafford within the Premier League period.