Premier League 2019/20: Manchester United vs Chelsea – tactical analysis

After an exciting Saturday evening with many interesting results, the Premier League continued with the return of Sunday football. The day also witnessed one of the must-watch clashes of the first matchday as Chelsea travelled to Manchester United’s Old Trafford.

The Reds entered this new season with the hope of improving their results from last season. A busy summer with them participating in the International Champions Cup and new homegrown signings such as Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side would want to start off their campaign with a positive start and their match against Chelsea was a great chance.

On the other side, the London-based club were facing a transfer embargo but still managed to introduce some new faces. Club legend Frank Lampard returned to Stamford Bridge to fill in their managerial spot after a decent season with Derby County. The signing of Christian Pulisic was made in January and a permanent move for Mateo Kovačić went through and bolstered the squad for their expectation of qualifying for the Champions League.

Things didn’t go their way in the match, though. After a positive start inside the first half and threatening David de Gea on several occasions, Kurt Zouma conceded a penalty and it was converted by Marcus Rashford. The second half saw a big step up for Man United as Rashford doubled his tally and two goals from Anthony Martial and new signing Daniel James sealed a 4-0 win for Solskjær’s side.

This tactical analysis will provide an analysis of Manchester United’s dominant win over Chelsea. Meanwhile, using statistics, we will point out what went wrong with Lampard’s tactics over Solskjær’s tactics.

Lineups

For the first match of the season, Solskjær filled his 4-2-3-1 with the strongest players that he could have. The loss of Eric Bailly would surely hurt the side but it allowed Harry Maguire to make his first start for Man United. Paul Pogba returned on time as he paired up as central midfielders alongside Scott McTominay. With Romelu Lukaku having completed his transfer to Inter Milan, the Norwegian manager chose Anthony Martial to lead the line.

Lampard faced more injury problems as he picked his first Chelsea team. Antonio Rüdiger was still doubtful for the game, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi’s long-term injury mean they won’t be involved in Chelsea’s matches soon. Although N’Golo Kanté and Willian lacked a bit of fitness, they appeared on the bench and made their mark on the field later on. His lineup also saw Mason Mount, Kurt Zoumas and Tammy Abrahams return after both have impressed for their respective sides in the Premier League and the Championship.

Chelseas style of play

During the first half, Chelsea adapted an active state when it comes to pressing Man United. With Abraham dropping deep, they formed a 4-2-4 formation as they entered the opposition’s half. The striker line usually put pressure on Victor Lindelöf and Maguire when they had the ball. They immediately closed down possible passing options and prevented those two from making penetrative passes.

Meanwhile, Jorginho and Kovačić provided supports below them. They were tasked to follow Pogba and McTominay and stopped them from coming deep to pick up the ball. Also, if the centre-backs decided to make a direct pass, they must intercept it and signal the teammates around for a counter-attack.