"You can see it's a very good team" - Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag makes claim about Chelsea ahead of their PL fixture
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has praised Chelsea ahead of their Premier League clash at Old Trafford on Wednesday (6 December).
Both the Blues and the Red Devils have struggled for large parts of the season. Mauricio Pochettino's men have displayed some attractive football against the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.
But they still sit 10th in the table after 14 matches, largely due to their failure to remain consistent and turn good displays into results. Manchester United sit five points and three places above them in the table and won three league games on the trot before losing 1-0 to Newcastle United on 3 December.
Their performances, however, have failed to win over the fanbase, raising questions about Ten Hag's future at the club. This match could nevertheless be a crucial boost for the team that emerges victorious, potentially setting the course for a respectable season, if not a memorable one.
While Manchester United will play at home, they will have to be at their best to beat Chelsea. This is according to Ten Hag, who praised the Blues ahead of the match and said (h/t @UnitedStandMUFC on X):
"You can see it’s a very good team. In possession, they’re very comfortable, so that means you have to defend very good against those sides. You have to play to your best, in the levels of defending, but also we want to make it our game by dominating [with] our possession and make it difficult..."
Manchester United won this fixture 4-1 last season after five consecutive stalemates against Chelsea across competitions.
Erik ten Hag comments on a slew of draws between Manchester United and Chelsea in recent history
Manchester United and Chelsea failed to score a single goal in their two fixtures against each other during the 2020-21 season.
The following campaign saw a bit of goal-mouth action when the two giants met each other, but both matches ended 1-1. The trend continued last season when Chelsea hosted Manchester United, with both teams scoring one goal apiece.
The Red Devils, however, won at Old Trafford convincingly, putting four past Frank Lampard's side before Joao Felix's last-minute consolation strike. Speaking about the recent draws in the fixture, Ten Hag told reporters, via the aforementioned source:
"Yeah but it’s history. We have to think in the future and it’s always, I think, a very good game - Manchester United against Chelsea. Two big teams with great history but it’s about the future."
Overall, the Blues have drawn more games (56) than they have won against the Red Devils (55). The Manchester-based giants hold a clear advantage in the head-to-head results, with 82 wins to their name.