Chelseas Striking options against Manchester United

Will it be the False 9 against Manchester United this season too?

The last time when the master took on the apprentice, the apprentice out-witted his master as Inter Milan won the 2010 Champions league final by a margin of two goals. But four years since then both the men have toured and have come to manage world’s two the top most English football clubs as they go head to head.

In our build up to the weekends clash at the Old Trafford, today we look at the injury crises which has recently hit league leaders – Chelsea FC.

With star man Diego Costa out and the clubs second option and French forward Loic Remy pulling his groin, Chelsea are left with only one recognized striker and their only true striking option in the 37 year old Didier Drogba. But, hey let’s not jump the guns! They do have Dominik Solanke the 17 year old who made his Champions league debut this weekend against Maribor. But the question is will Mourinho put his league form on stake by playing Didier Drogba who isn’t fit enough to complete the whole ninety or would he hand the 17 year old his dream début at the highest stage possible.

We here at The Football Mind think, Jose does have a third option, which he has already explored last season. Yes, correct – ‘THE FALSE 9’ or a dummy striker. Do we think the option would work this time around?

Yes, we do. This side is a better suited side to play the False 9 formation due to its style and rhythm of passing and with Fabregas dictating the tempo and passage of play it’s a formation Jose Mourinho could play if he chooses to come Sunday.

We look at the options available to Jose, and how the line-up could look if Chelsea decides to play the False 9:

1) Andre Schurrle: There was an injury boost to Chelsea this morning as the German is back in training and as he tweeted through his account: “Training time:))) #feelingbetter”

Andre who injured himself while playing for Germany was out for a couple of weeks, but looks like the player would be back and available for this Sunday’s game. Schurrle who was used as the striker last season when Chelsea visited United last season could be an option once again this time around as the player has the pace and sense to play at the defenders shoulders as a normal number nine does. And we believe with Fabregas in midfield, this could a combination worth trying.

2) Willian: Willian is one player who could beat defenders with his sheer pace in the last third. His ability to carry the ball could be vital as Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Oscar all like to exchange passes with their striker as we saw for the second goal against Crystal Palace in which a total of 18 passes where exchanged for the goal.

3) Cesc Fabregas: A tried and tested false number nine, Cesc Fabregas has featured/played in that role for his national team and as well as at Barcelona for quite a while. Fabregas who has been as vital as Diego Costa for Chelsea’s quick start could be used as a false striker with Ramires back in the ranks. But Fabregas who has scored twice and assisted 8 times this season, his presence could be missed in the midfield against a defensively frail United side with his vision and ability to find pockets of space.