Manchester United or Chelsea? (pt II) – The key players & tactical battles

Didier…

All in all, the 2009/2010 title race will come down to some hugely important individual battles over the course of the final 3 games. Having looked in Part I of this analysis at form and fixtures, let’s now dip our toes into the tactical battles and key men that will decide the destiny of the Premier League crown:

The key battles

Chelsea

Against the midfield tenacity of Stoke, and indeed at Anfield should Rafa Benitez plays his first team and include Javier Mascherano, Chelsea will miss the tigerish driving force that is Michael Essien, as they have for large chunks of the season.

With John Obi Mikel going off injured at Spurs and set to miss the run-in, Michael Ballack’s role as a potential holding midfielder in the final 3 games becomes pivotal. Chelsea struggled in the midfield battle against both Tottenham and Bolton recently. How Carlo Ancelotti’s team control play in the centre of the park will be decisive in their title push. Florent Malouda, arguably the league’s best player in recent months, is as hard-working as he is effective in attack, and how successfully he manages to find space in tight midfields to create chances will be very important.

In defence, John Terry remains Chelsea’s captain and leader (the ‘legend’ part of that mantra remains highly debatable), but the former England captain is suspended against Stoke, while Ricardo Carvalho is injured. Stoke haven’t lost away from home in the league since December but they are also low scorers, averaging 0.6 goals per game on their travels. Ancelotti will look to big physical athletes like Branislav Ivanovic and Alex to minimise Stoke as an attacking threat. Without Fernando Torres at Anfield, Chelsea’s not-so watertight defence faces a slightly easier ride, another potentially huge factor in the run-in.

Upfront, with the thus far supreme Didier Drogba nursing a sore groin and weary body, Nicolas Anelka could well hold the keys to the Premiership. Ancelotti has struggled to accommodate the two this season, switching his formation regularly to find a solution, and against Stoke’s towering defenders in particular the battle for 3 points could be won by the strength of Chelsea’s attack.

Anelka led the line well in the 2-1 win at Manchester United but played in a more withdrawn role at Spurs and found himself on the right hand side quite regularly. If the Frenchman does play upfront on his own at all during the last 3 games he’ll need to be as decisive as he was against Bolton. Drogba meanwhile is a battering ram, the best leader of the line in the Premier League by a distance, and the amount of pain that groin can withstand between now and May is as crucial a factor as any.

Manchester United

For Manchester United, tactical battles remain. Down United’s right hand side Gareth Bale vs Antonio Valencia is an intriguing contest against Tottenham to start. United have had issues at right back all season, but whoever Sir Alex Ferguson chooses to handle Bale will need to perform better than Paulo Ferreira, who was terrorised at White Hart Lane. I suspect Darren Fletcher will never be too far away from Luka Modric at Old Trafford on Saturday either.

Luis Antonio Valencia has been United’s secret weapon this season providing numerous assists for Wayne Rooney, and how he performs in the final three games will be key. To me, Valencia has the look of a Cuban army general performing a military drill when he plays football. Get it, dribble it, cross it. No emotions. Regardless of style he’s been very successful in his first season at Old Trafford and will fancy himself against the likes of Alan Hutton and Benoit Assou-Ekotto.

While Rooney is main man in attack and Premier League golden boot leader with 26 league goals, his persistent ankle injury lends Dimitar Berbatov a potentially decisive role in the championship chase. Does Ferguson persist in playing the Bulgarian as the target man of a 4-3-3, a position completely unsuited to his skills? Or switch to a 4-4-2 and risk losing midfield traction? If Rooney is fit this issue becomes irrelevant; if not, absolutely vital.

Against Stoke, as per Chelsea, the main challenge for United is how they deal with set pieces and the aerial battle. Nemanja Vidic does not shy away from this part of the game (he was a towering force in the Red Devils’ win at Eastlands) and with Jonny Evans not quite hitting the heights of last season both Vidic and Rio Ferdinand will be relied upon in that final game. The two Bayern Munich games and Chelsea aside, Gary Neville’s form has been very good of late, but both Matthew Etherington and Steed Malbranque are their respective teams’ chief creative outlets. Bale is also a growing influence on Spurs. How Neville handles all three will go a long way to deciding United’s results.

Against Sunderland the challenge is different. Both Darren Bent and Frazier Campbell are more comfortable running in behind defenders, so pace and mobility along the ground is of greater importance. Bruce will probably play a 4-4-2 as he did so successfully at Old Trafford. Kenwyne Jones provides the presence. Ferdinand and Vidic must again provide the protection.

These are just some of the many tactical battles to be fought out between now and May 9th. The league title lies in the details.

Who do you think will win the league and what are the key battles in your opinion? The poll is for you, the comments section for your opinions.

(Photo courtesy of laliparikh on Flickr)

Chelsea, English Premier League, Manchester United, Polls