PREVIEW: MANCHESTER UNITED v CHELSEA - DON'T WRITE US OFF!

There isn't any football fan on the planet that cannot fail to be impressed (even if they don't want to admit it) with the way United and Wayne Rooney have started this season. He has started the season on fire scoring goals for fun and will no doubt be looking to continue his form against us this Sunday.

The question I am asking you the football fan reading this, no matter where you are from is :

How do you stop them?

I know United have added quality this summer and in Nani and Young have obvious goal threats. With Chicarito beginning to start games as Wellbeck is injured we all know what he is capable of too. However, I believe this weekend if we can stop Wayne Rooney enjoying time and space with the ball we can stop United. The question remains, how do you do it?

The obvious answer is for us to dominate and keep possession of the football. If he hasn't got the ball he can't hurt us. He will become frustrated as the game progresses and we will see his temper on the pitch once again.

Young and Nani will both pose our full backs plenty of problems. Both of them like to cut inside and link up as quickly as possible with the forwards.

The problem we have is that Rooney has a licence to roam around the pitch this season and will drop deep, play out wide, as the main striker or just off the front man.

I mean no disrespect to the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and Bolton when I say this but they aren't defensively strong as we are. For Spurs it was their first game, Arsenal had plenty of injuries at the back to cope with and Bolton's defence isn't exactly water tight. Chelsea come to Old Trafford with a much better defensive unit and they need to play well to give us a chance of winning the game.

It will be really interesting to see who AVB picks to play across the back four. It's certain that Ashley Cole will play up against Nani and he needs to do better than he did last season against him.

JT will come back into the side and at the moment it's a toss up between Ivanovic and Luiz as to who plays next to him. I am hoping Luiz plays there and Ivanovic plays on the right going up against Young. The key to playing against Young is to force him out wide left onto his left foot and negate the space for him to come inside onto his right foot. Arsenal found out twice what he can do.

Both Nani and Young are weak defensively and this could be something we will exploit. Both of them aren't the best tracking back and giving cover to their full backs. Anderson in their midfield is the same and gets caught ball watching time and time again.

Arsenal proved if you attack United at pace, you can turn them and cause them problems. Arsenal still scored two and missed a penalty when they were battered the other week so United are not that great at the back and can get caught out.

The thing is this season's Chelsea will be very different from the Chelsea that lost and deservedly so at Old Trafford last season. We have added creativity into our midfield with Raul Meireles and especially Juan Mata. There is a new found urgency to our play and we are getting the ball forward quicker. Gone are the days of a constant slow, laboured approach from Chelsea that made it easier to defend against.

I fully expect Meireles to start and Frank Lampard so the manager will have a decision to make. Does he go with Mikel as the holding midfielder or does he keep faith with Ramires and move Meireles back in there?. Chelsea need to win the midfield battle and dominate the ball.

With our defence set up to not concede and to get the ball forward as quickly as possible, it could come down to our front three in this one. We all know and are aware of United's attacking ability but Chelsea have our own.

Danny Sturridge has made an impressive return to Chelsea this season and I expect him to start once again on Sunday wide right up against Evra. With a licence to get on the ball and express himself, he has the skill and pace to cause United's defence problems all game.

Juan Mata is the key man for me as much as Wayne Rooney will be for United. Mata has arrived here and really impressed us all. He is the man we are looking to unlock the door for us this season and it could be something that he pulls out of the bag when we least expect it, that could be the difference.

Up top with Drogba missing, I hope that Fernando Torres gets a start through the middle and gets the service he is looking for. If these three up top click and like I said with United not being the most solid of defences, we could easily break through and get in on goal time after time on Sunday.

I have total faith in Torres to regain his scoring touch and his form and there were signs with his two assists against Leverkusen on Tuesday, that he is beginning to link up well with the side. What better way could there be for Torres to get his first goals of the season?

In these games, it can go either way or it did at least up till last season. The two Champions League games and the final game at Old TraffordUnited's advantage last season and as I said before, they deservedly beat us.

AVB, a young fresh, forward thinking manager keen to build on his success last season and to make a similar impact against United and the rest starting on Sunday.

Chelsea need to hit the ground running and concentrate on our game. Chelsea need to attack United at EVERY opportunity and at pace. United are weak at the back without Vidic there without question

United fans do not think it will be easy on Sunday as history tells you that it normally isn't against us. With motivation and attacking football being AVB's new philosophy at our club you can do little else than to expect a very different side from Stamford Bridge turning up and we will pose you more questions than last season.

It comes down to who wants it more and how can cope with the levels of expectation in this one, to play their own game the way they train to do it. These are the games you live for as a footballer and the games you are dying to play in. Chelsea were caught out and on the back foot from early doors last term and seeing United lift their record 19th title hurt us. Chelsea won't need to be any additional motivation than that.

People are saying that this game means so much to the title race already at this early stage of the season. Are they right?. If we lose we go five behind United but if we win a point above them.

People have written Chelsea off this season and the focus is on both sides in Manchester. The thing is, this suits us fine as we know the quality we have in our squad. Think about the players we have in the squad now and on paper is more than a match for anyone, including United.

It's down to those 11 Chelsea players who take to that pitch to show pride in the shirt first of all, a hunger and desire to win the game and to attack United. We've had pre season, we've had 10 points out of 12 so far, but now it's time to put up or shut up.

AVB wants to make an impact here, what better way than three points on Sunday!

Come on Chelsea!

KTBFFH

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