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Manchester United haven’t won at Chelsea in the league since 20 April 2002. Ten years. A miserable record, especially as Chelsea have been managed by Avram Grant in that time. And to think people quibble about Tottenham’s record at Old Trafford. These are meant to be the champions of England, and they can’t even win at a ground where Chelsea didn’t lose for 86 matches, a run spanning four years and eight months. Oh.
Only four players, two on each side, remain from that match. United won 3-0, a victory that wasn’t enough to stop Arsenal finally sealing the league title at Old Trafford a couple of weeks later. No prizes for guessing which players we’re looking for here. For Chelsea, it’s former England captain John Terry and Frank Lampard. For United, it’s Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, who gave Lampard a lesson that afternoon and may be about to give him another one today. Scholes got United on their way, scoring a trademark 25-yarder, a fine way to end a season which began with him being messed about following the arrival of Juan Sebastian Veron. There have been a few occasions heralded as the end of Scholes, but here he still is, running the show against Liverpool at last weekend and against Stoke on Tuesday, like a dad pulling the strings in a game with his kids down the park. “Och, he’s got feathers in his feet,” purred Sir Alex Ferguson after the 2-0 win over Tony Pulis’s side.
Still, the return of Scholes from retirement last month, as romantic as it is, does demonstrate the problems facing United, who decided the best way to replace Paul Scholes is with Paul Scholes. Accept no lesser imitations and all that, but the lack of care given to their midfield over the last few years is the major factor holding this side back from truly challenging the best in Europe. In that context, it is remarkable that they are still keeping up with Manchester City, a bit like when you chop garlic and the smell follows you around for days. Despite not playing that well against Stoke, there was never really any doubt that United would eventually find a way.
They haven’t had many better opportunities to end their dismal run at Stamford Bridge than this. There remains the possibility that Chelsea might suddenly rediscover their former swagger at some point this season, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely. If United need an example of the dangers of standing still, look no further. Where the blame lies for Chelsea’s slump isn’t immediately clear. On the one hand, we constantly hear of a squad full of difficult characters who need taking down a peg or two and who haven’t won nearly as much as their egos would suggest.
Add to that an inconsistent transfer policy – it’s hard to name too many obvious successful signings since 2006 – and constantly changing managers, and it would appear that Andre Villas-Boas needs time and support from above. Don’t hold your breath. On the other hand, even with some of the old guard sent off to the glue factory, Chelsea still don’t have any obvious style or philosophy on the pitch. With all this talk of former players, now wouldn’t be the worst time for the old Fernando Torres to come out of hiding.
Teams: Were any of the Chelsea substitutes alive the last time United won at Stamford Bridge?
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Bosingwa; Essien, Meireles, Malouda; Sturridge, Torres, Mata. Subs: Turnbull, Ferreira, Bertrand, Hutchinson, Romeu, Piazon, Lukaku.
Manchester United (4-4-2): De Gea; Rafael, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra: Valencia Giggs, Carrick, Young; Rooney, Welbeck. Subs: Amos, Fabio, Park, Berbatov, Pogba, Hernandez, Scholes.
Referee: Howard Webb.
Premier League 2011-12ChelseaManchester UnitedPremier LeagueJacob Steinberg
guardian.co.uk
