3 Players United Will Have To Be Wary Of - Chelsea

Manchester United of course play Chelsea at home on Sunday in the Premier League and with that in mind it’s worth taking a look at three players who we should be wary of going into the game.

Frank Lampard

Despite being written off as a world-class player over the last year or so, there’s no doubt that Lampard given his experience is still a proven Premier League player who will be pivotal to any success Chelsea have this season.

Whilst injuries have taken a toll on his late runs into the box which used to result in so many goals for both club and country, Lampard is still someone who new coach Andre Villas-Boas believes in and will select in the big-match games this season.

He is still Chelsea’s first-choice to take set-pieces and has scored one goal already this season. He may not be the player that he used to be, but no United fan should be foolish enough to write off Lampard before Sunday’s fixture who has the knack of doing well against us.

Juan Mata

When Villas-Boas replaced Carlo Ancelotti in the summer, many Chelsea fans were wondering what players their new manager would be bringing into Stamford Bridge this summer to freshen up an aging squad.

Spanish World Cup winner Mata has been exactly the type of player needed at Stamford Bridge for the last 4-5 years and there’s no doubt his pace, trickery and imagination will make him a very popular player for fans of the Blues.

Already since signing from Valencia the playmaker has scored two goals in three games and looks a class act. He will defiantly be starting on Sunday meaning our midfield cannot afford to give him an inch of space as he has the ability to hurt us and create goals for his new team-mates.

Fernando Torres

He may have only scored once in 23 appearances since joining Chelsea from Liverpool for £50m in January, but given his performance against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, the Torres of old could be very close to breaking out of the grey cloud that’s been over his head for the past 18 months.

There's no doubt Torres will be one of the stories of the season and whilst he's beginning to feel more confident playing for Chelsea, the facts are unless he can recover to the form that saw him score goals-a-plenty for Liverpool, then he will not be first choice under Villas-Boas.

Despite his struggles, he has hurt United in the past and it would in some respects be predictable if he bagged a goal this weekend. United's defenders will not be foolish enough to write him off and will have to work hard to ensure he has a quiet game, as they would do to any striker.

By Adam Dennehey @ADennehey87

Comments

[Alex]

The outcome of this game is very interesting, and may offer the first indication of whether or not any teams outside of Manchester will be challenging for honours over the next few years. With UEFA's financial fair play laws imminent, teams without the financial might of Man U or Man City will no longer be able to pump vast amounts of money into playing staff in the hope of Champions League reward (like Villa and Spurs have done in the past). Having to spend only what you can afford will mean the gap between those outside the top 4 and those receving Champions League money will widen, causing a gulf that could have catastrophic affects on the Premier League. Read more about the devastating affects these laws could have on the Premier League at alex-keble.blogspot.com