Analysis: Manchester United 0 Chelsea 1

Premier League, Sunday 5^th May 2013

Manchester United suffered a frustrating loss to Chelsea in a dull game at Old Trafford on Sunday. Juan Mata scored the only goal late on before Rafael was sent off for a kick on the infuriating David Luiz. This game will not live long in the memory of many Manchester United fans, and showcased an edgeless team performance. Here’s some analysis:

Positional confusion

There was some notable confusion between Jonny Evans and Phil Jones at times during the match. Phil Jones was playing in the defensive midfielder position, aiming to halt Chelsea counter-attacks and break up their play. It is a position Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher have already operated in against the Blues this season. The frequent, visible in-game debates between Evans and Jones however showed some positional error between the two of them. Jones would often leave the high ball for Evans behind him to deal with, whilst Evans would be looking to sweep up the play after Jones had dealt with the ball. Reasons for this could have simply been miscommunication, but also the fact that Evans was playing on the right side of defence which is different to his usual left side. Jones was also probably confused after having played central defence and central midfield in recent weeks; he never seemed to comfortably adapt to playing in between the two against Chelsea.

On the fringe

After limited opportunities this side of Christmas, Anders Lindegaard, Tom Cleverley, and Anderson all featured in the starting line-up, with neither particularly impressing. Anderson was at times his usual driving presence, but again showed his liabilities by not getting ball-side when Chelsea counter-attacked. The Brazilian also failed to complete 90 minutes, something he has only down an incredible 18 times in his six seasons at United. Tom Cleverley was often tidy, but largely ineffective. He is a good energetic foil for Michael Carrick, and usually offers dynamism in possession, but he was largely off the pace against Chelsea, something that could have been expected after limited opportunities recently. Anders Lindegaard showed his inferiority in terms of distribution to David de Gea, and an overall decent performance was perhaps marred by conceding late on to a goal that some better goalkeepers would have saved.

Going Forward

This result meant United’s poor record against Chelsea continues, now having only won one from five against them this season. None of United’s fringe players coming into the team particularly excelled in an understandably drab encounter. The Reds will now be looking to give a good account of themselves as champions in their final two games.

Ratings

[4-1-4-1]: Lindegaard-6, Rafael-7*, Evans-6, Vidic-6, Evra-6, Jones-6, Anderson-6, Cleverley-6, Valencia-4, Giggs-6, Van Persie-6

*Man of the match

(Rooney-6, Büttner-6, Hernandez-6)