I know what you’re all thinking as you read the title of this article, giving up already? Conceding that the title is going back to Stamford Bridge after three years in Old Trafford? No way. Like the clichéd saying goes “it ain’t over ‘till the fat lady sings”, and as such I won’t ever lose hope before it has become mathematically impossible for us to retain our EPL title.
As a long time United fan, I’ve seen my beloved red devils come back from much bigger deficits and defy many times over the supposedly insurmountable odds, to overthrow other contenders and claim the EPL title. So for me to start giving up already is laughable. However, there’s no shame in admitting that in the currently Ancelotti-lead Chelsea team, we face our toughest challenger for the title since the “Invincibles” of Arsene Wenger last won it in 2004 without losing a single league game. You might point your fingers towards Mourinho’s Chelsea team which had won the title for two straight years before we eventually dethroned them in 2007, but trust me when I say that this current Chelsea team is a completely different monster. For starters, Mourinho’s “untouchables” won their titles on the back of their manager’s highly defensive, substance-over-style tactics, empowered by Roman Abramovich’s endless supply of cash which enriched their squad with every money hungry talent available in the land. Meanwhile challengers like us, Liverpool, and Arsenal lacked the spending power, the durability, or the winning mentality needed to put forth a genuine title challenge. Eventually Mourinho’s dull tactics became all too predictable, and Roman Abramovich grew disinterested in pouring cash into the hands of a coaching staff which seemed to squander it away uselessly (spending huge amounts of money on turkeys like Khalid Bulhrouz, Jon Obi Mikel, and an over thirty pair of Michael Ballack & Andrei Shevchenko) and impatiently chase away young promising talents like Glen Johnson & Carlton Cole, While United’s faith in youngsters such as Rooney, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Vidic, & Evra paid off, as it paved the way for another golden era with three straight domestic titles won, and back to back appearances in the European final, and we capitalized our return to dominance by defeating the presumably fading Chelsea in that unforgettable penalty kick shootout in 2008 (Easily my happiest memory to date).
After three years, with as many managers being changed, Chelsea seem to have finally found the right man to lead them back to the top. Not only that, but Ancelotti seems to have found a way to finally produce the type of stylish football which Roman Abramovich has been whining about the lack of since he bought this team. Where Mourinho simply took the players he was provided with and achieved what was merely expected of him through unimaginative tactics, Ancelotti seems to have improved his already world class squad with the application of his famed Diamond formation. Accordingly, this formation has brought out the best in many facets of Chelsea’s playing style, as he finally found a way to get Drogba and Anelka to form an effective striking partnership, enhanced Frank Lampard’s effectiveness by playing him on the edge of the diamond in midfield, and turned an underachiever like Florent Malouda into currently one of the best winger’s in Europe. Where the likes of Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, & Luiz Felipe Scolari before him failed to find a combination of stylish and effective football Ancelotti had succeeded, and what’s more, he managed to surpass the high expectations generated by the successful short stint Dutch tactician Guus Hiddink spent in charge of the club last spring.
However, if there’s one thing Ancelotti’s team haven’t achieved yet, it is “Invincible” status. After their demolition of an underachieving Arsenal team on Sunday, many have found themselves left wandering whether anybody could stop Chelsea this year. All of them believe that the Blues have already bested the Premiership’s most powerful sides, and as such have the title wrapped up. However those deluded many seem to be ignoring the fact that the competition in the league this year is much weaker than years past. Liverpool are having one of their worst season’s in club history this year, and Arsenal obviously lack a mature experienced team, devoid of much needed big name signings to lead the way, and United have had to restructure the team following the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez over the summer, and have looked barely average on defense after a series of never ending injuries to key players seem to have blighted our once impregnable backline. Man City have proven that all the hype around their supposed top four challenge was anything but deserved, as their strong start to the season has faded away, and made way for a stagnant run of seven straight domestics draws. Despite all of this, the “mighty” blues are only five points ahead of us in the rankings table, two points less than the deficit we faced against Liverpool exactly a year ago, and with many more games to come, it’s safe to say it’s far from over. We’ve proven that we’re head above shoulders still superior to this Chelsea team, as our team deprived of key defenders Vidic and Ferdinand, and in form striker Dimitar Berbatov, went to Stamford Bridge a few weeks ago and undeservedly lost thanks to shit decisions from referees, after dominating possession and attacking play throughout the game.
Should United get things together by January and go on an unbeaten run of wins, Chelsea should find the pressure to keep the gap hard to live with, as they will be losing key players like Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Salmon Kalou, and Jon Obi Mikel to the month long African Cup in that month, meaning their dependence on the performances of Drogba upfront, and the commanding impact of Essien in the middle of the park will be sorely missed. Further more, a visit to Old Trafford still looms in the return leg, as United will look to take points off the current table leaders in the Theater of Dreams. Even still, should Chelsea keep their current pace, and avoid losing points in the next two or three critical months, the possibility of them winning the title is something we’re going to have to brace ourselves for. After all nobody stays on top forever, and the true test of champions isn’t how good they are when they’re winning, but rather how quickly they can get back up when they’ve fallen down. Championship or no championship, this United team is built to keep winning titles, so long as the evergreen Sir Alex Ferguson continues to keep his faith in his young players, and keeps employing a system that’s been tried and tested for over two decades. In the end, challengers have come and gone over the years, Mourinho’s untouchables, Wenger’s Invincibles, Benetiz’s pretenders, and Sir Alex has bested them all over time. What will we do when he retires? Don’t ask him that question, he seems to be convinced that day will never come, and hopefully it never will. Until then, let’s enjoy the rivalry that will develop between him and Ancelotti over the coming year(s), as regardless to who’s going to win, it will definitely be one to enjoy.
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