In what should be an exciting contest at Old Trafford, Manchester United and Chelsea will square off for the 195th time in Premier League match week 10 on Sunday.
Two years after Erik ten Hag took over as first-team manager in April 2022, United announced in a club statement on Monday, October 28 at precisely 12:50 PM BST that the club had fired him.
Although Ten Hag’s first season as manager was impressive, the last two seasons at Old Trafford have been a rollercoaster of emotions, including a poor start to two straight seasons, the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City, a draw against Liverpool at Anfield due to an injured squad, and a 4-3 FA Cup victory over Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool team.
The team is currently languishing in 14th place with 11 points and just eight goals scored in nine games, so the new campaign has started similarly to previous season, if not worse.
After two and a half years with the team, Ten Hag departs with a record of 70 victories and 35 losses in 128 games across all competitions.
He oversaw 85 Premier League games during his time there, and he lost 27 of them, more than any other United manager since Alex Ferguson. The Dutchman has the second-highest loss rate of any United manager in the Premier League era, at 31.8%, according to a statistic by Opta. David Moyes had a 32.4% loss rate but only managed the team for 34 games.
Last Sunday’s 2-1 loss to West Ham United seemed to be the last straw, as the Red Devils now have their second-lowest point total after nine Premier League games after losing to the Hammers for the third time in a row.
Assistant manager Ruud van Nistelrooy was given the responsibility of temporary management after Ten Hag left, and the 48-year-old has not wasted any time in establishing his influence.
The Dutchman has led United to their second-highest scoring match of the season after the 7-0 victory over Barnsley in just one game as manager.
As one might anticipate from a center-forward who scored more than 150 goals for the team, Van Nistelrooy’s team was ahead by two goals in just twenty-eight minutes when they faced Premier League team Leicester City in the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford. Despite Leicester’s last-ditch efforts to rally, United’s offensive strength increased throughout the match, and a 5-2 triumph was sufficient to guarantee their spot in the competition’s next round, where they will take on Tottenham Hotspur.
Their greatest test, though, will be on Sunday when a formidable Chelsea team visits Old Trafford. Van Nistelrooy will be hoping to lead his team to another goal-scoring performance against a Chelsea defense that is leaking.
Since then, the Blues have had a dismal run of eleven trips to Manchester to play the Red Devils, with five losses and six draws.
This season, Enzo Maresca’s team has won three of their four road games, and he will look to build on that success.
In the Premier League, they defeated Bournemouth, West Ham, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, while their sole away loss was a 2-1 setback to Liverpool at Anfield.
They lost to Newcastle United 2-0 at St. James Park in their most recent game, though, and were unable to duplicate their Premier League performance away from home in the Carabao Cup.
If Aston Villa loses to Tottenham, Chelsea might move up to fourth place with a victory versus United. However, Old Trafford has never been a welcoming place for the Blues, even when they are playing at their best, and Sunday’s match will be no exception.
Forecasted starting lineup
Manchester United’s anticipated starting lineup
Ugarte, Casemiro, Rashford, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund; Mazraoui, de Ligt, Martinez, Dalot; Onana.
Chelsea’s anticipated starting lineup
Sanchez; Madueke, Jackson, Neto; Caicedo, Lavia, Palmer; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, James.
