Chelsea and Man U Look to Reverse Recent Misfortunes | OneFootball

Chelsea host Manchester United with both teams still very much embroiled in the race for European competition. 

The top five finishers in the Premier League will qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season. United go into the weekend in the third spot while Chelsea are sixth. There are only seven points between the clubs, though, and that would be cut to four points with a Blues win this weekend.

Pressure on Chelsea

Chelsea’s new head coach Liam Rosenior is under increasing pressure given a dismal run of late which has seen them lose five of their last six games in all competitions. They are now only alive in the Premier League and FA Cup, and a Champions League finish looks in serious doubt. 

Chelsea have won one Premier League game since 8 February, and fan discontent is growing. Not just with the manager, but with the owners and sporting directors too. 

Chelsea fans have already staged one protest this season, in January, and there is another scheduled at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, ahead of the United clash. Fans from Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg will also be flying over from France to join the protest. A large overall turnout is expected. 

Rosenior himself has seemed agitated of late and was frustrated with what seemed a normal question in his pre-match press conference. A journalist asked the Englishman whether the players really “believed” they could pull off a run of results and finish in the Champions League places, and Rosenior replied: “Of course they still believe, of course we still believe. I don’t know why you would ask that question, I don’t know why you would.”

It’s not only Chelsea and their manager who are coming under pressure as Manchester United and Michael Carrick are also feeling some heat. 

Manchester United Under the Lens

United had not played for 24 days before coming up against relegation-threatened Leeds on Monday night. This was due to not playing in Europe and being knocked out of all domestic cup competitions earlier in the campaign. As such, fans were anticipating a strong performance and a victory to solidify their European ambitions. 

Instead they looked tired, lacklustre and simply not up for the fight. Leeds won 2-1 and United have now won just one of their last four league games.  

Carrick got off to a great start in Manchester with six wins in his first seven games and seemed a shoo-in for the permanent job in the summer. Now questions have emerged over his playing style and  credentials. 

All is not lost yet for the 44-year-old, and he could yet convince the hierarchy to give him the job, but a Champions League finish is a must, and Stamford Bridge is not an easy place to win at, despite Chelsea’s poor form. 

On facing the Blues, Carrick said: “It’s a tough place to go, always has been. We’ve had some tough games down there. Most of the time they’ve been good games in terms of what it brings. It has the feelings of a real, proper game so we’ll be ready for that. We’ve prepared well and take the confidence from what we’ve built.”