Man United vs Chelsea tactical preview: Can Lampard finally get the better of Solskjaer?

As Alan Shearer drew the balls out of the velvet bag, Frank Lampard must have felt a slight shudder. Manchester United wouldn’t exactly have been Chelsea’s ideal pairing in the FA Cup semi-finals.

Three times Lampard has come up against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team during his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge. Three times he has suffered defeat and with an aggregate scoreline of 8-1.

Lampard is just embarking on the first steps of what should be a long and fulfilled managerial career but the last thing he wants is to have a bogey team or bogey manager.

Yes, his Derby County team did knock United out of last season’s Carabao Cup on penalties but that was an ailing United side managed by a beleaguered Jose Mourinho.

Now, United are a completely different proposition. If anything, Solskjaer’s team are more daunting a proposition than before their three previous meetings this season.

His United side bang in form with 19 consecutive matches unbeaten dating back to January either side of the three month Covid-19 shutdown, Solskjaer will also be acutely aware of how significant winning the FA Cup will be to his prospects.

After all, it was the first trophy his mentor Sir Alex Ferguson won as United manager back in 1990, the starting gun on a 23-year dynasty of success.

Lampard will be similarly desperate to claim his first trophy in charge of the club he adores and served in midfield with such distinction. There is much at stake for these two young, optimistic managers.

But it’s clear that Lampard must heed the many lessons from Chelsea’s three defeats to United already this season and here’s what he must consider.

Have Chelsea finally worked out how to stop United’s counter?

All three of the previous meetings this season have seen Chelsea enjoy more possession but United operate swiftly and effectively on the counter-attack.

At Old Trafford on the opening weekend, all four of United’s goal stemmed from a quick break with the visitors seeing 54 per cent possession but still taking a hiding.

It was a result that highlighted the structural weaknesses in Lampard’s team with the two holding midfielders that afternoon, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic, inadequate protection for the back line.

That left Kurt Zouma, who conceded a penalty, Andreas Christensen and the rest of the Chelsea defence hopelessly exposed to the pace of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Daniel James, who all scored.

His first Premier League game as a manager, it was a real baptism of fire for Lampard and he has slowly moulded the team to play a 4-3-3 instead of the 4-2-3-1 deployed that day.

Nonetheless, in the other two meetings this season, Lampard did play a 4-3-3 and though United’s potency on the counter was less pronounced, they still prevailed despite still having less possession.

In the 2-1 Carabao Cup defeat, Lampard played Kovacic and Jorginho along with youngster Billy Gilmour, who was replaced by Mason Mount for the final 20 minutes.

In the 2-0 loss in the Premier League in February, it was a midfield three of Kovacic, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante. They saw 61 per cent of the ball in this one but were still undone.

United’s ability to counter with speed and incision is something Solskjaer has worked hard on all season – he views it as the way United teams should be playing.

On the wide pitch of Wembley, they’ll certainly look to draw Chelsea forward and pick them off on the break. With this in mind, the injury absence of the industrious Kante comes as a real setback for Lampard.

Chelsea are certainly less fragile than that game back in August but none of the midfielders likely to start on Sunday night strike you as being an obvious choice to disrupt United’s counters.

The best bet will be to cut United’s supply lines off at source with a high press, not to mention the simple notion of taking chances when they fall their way, something they failed to do in the earlier games.

United look uneasy playing out from the back

Solskjaer has clearly instructed his United players to try and pass out from the back but recent evidence suggests they aren’t entirely comfortable with it.

David de Gea has taken to playing a square pass to either Aaron Wan-Bissaka or Luke Shaw, or a 10 yard forward pass to Harry Maguire on the edge of the box.

But opponents are cottoning on to the fact these defenders simply aren’t as comfortable playing out from the back as, say, Manchester City or Liverpool.

Lampard should study how Southampton piled pressure on United’s back line during their 2-2 draw at Old Trafford on Monday night.

Ralph Hasenhuttl told his two strikers Danny Ings and Che Adams, and his wingers Nathan Redmond and Stuart Armstrong, to maintain a high position from goal kicks.

On several occasions, the pressure told with United misplacing a pass, sometimes out of play, or at least resorting to a hasty long ball. Crystal Palace had some success with a high press on Thursday as well, especially early on.

United’s back line looks far better now than it did in the early parts of the season but there’s certainly a hint that Lindelof and Shaw in particular can be cajoled into an error. Maguire is far from invulnerable either.

Shaw is now ruled out with injury but the same pressure needs to be applied to Brandon Williams.  

Of Chelsea’s likely forward three, Willian needs to be standing next to Williams every time United restart the game, with Olivier Giroud keeping tabs on the two centre backs. Rewards could follow.

Mount offers the key to unlock United

While it’s true that Mason Mount’s form post-restart hasn’t quite matched his performances beforehand, he could offer the key to overcoming United at Wembley.

Lampard left the 21-year-old on the bench during the midweek win over Norwich so perhaps he agrees and the absence of Kante leaves a midfield gap.

In the league fixture in February, Mount played a smart role in darting in behind United’s two full-backs and it almost made a difference.

The wide forwards that night, Pedro and Willian, tucked inside to occupy Shaw and Eric Bailly, who played as part of a back three with Maguire for United. Wan-Bissaka and Williams were drawn out, leaving space for Mount to run in behind.

It allowed Mount to deliver effective low crosses into the box for Michy Batshuayi, who started, and Giroud, who came on later.

Though United will likely play a 4-2-3-1 than a 3-4-1-2 on Sunday, there will be occasions when Wan-Bissaka and Williams are drawn forward, potentially leaving room to exploit.

Make use of Pulisic pace 

On the face of it, Christian Pulisic will be directly up against Wan-Bissaka here, with Willian up against Williams.

But it might be worth swapping Pulisic and Willian around as the game progresses to keep United guessing.

Wan-Bissaka is having a storming first season at Old Trafford – his total of 122 tackles is more than any other player in the Premier League and with his speed and athleticism, he’s very difficult to get past.

So he promises to be more than a match for Pulisic, as quick as the American is. But if Pulisic moves over to the opposite flank, he might have more joy.

It will mean that Pulisic won’t be able to cut inside as often as if on the left, but there should be crossing or passing possibilities if he can put enough distance between himself and Williams.

Keep your head and don’t concede anything silly

Chelsea’s vulnerability at set-pieces has been a long-running theme this season and it’s been a source of frustration for Lampard that hasn’t gone away post-restart.

Soft goals were conceded in their games at Aston Villa and West Ham, with a dozen in total shipped at corners and free-kicks in the Premier League in all.

United capitalised on this curious weakness in the league game at Stamford Bridge, when Maguire powered home a header from a Bruno Fernandes corner to make it 2-0.

United’s captain, having scored a late extra time winner at Norwich City in the quarter-finals, will be licking his lips at the prospect.

Then there’s the danger of conceding free-kicks to United in and around the box. Rashford punished Chelsea in spectacular fashion with a 30-yard free-kick to settle the Carabao Cup game.

United have the luxury of various accomplished free-kick takers all of a sudden. There’s Rashford’s Ronaldo-style dippers or the more crafty curling shots of Fernandes and Paul Pogba.

Then for the conspiracy theorists, there’s the fact that more VAR decisions have gone in United’s favour this season than any other top-flight team.

In Chelsea’s league loss in February, they saw two goals disallowed by VAR. Zouma’s goal was ruled out after Cesar Azpilicueta was adjudged to have pushed Williams.

And a late goal by Giroud was disallowed for offside following a check by the VAR officials.

Zouma was also guilty of a clumsy challenge when Rashford ran at him on the opening day of the season, bringing the England striker down in the box and conceding a penalty which was verified by VAR.

The amount of controversy involved here is subjective really but it all adds to the sense that Chelsea must not put a foot wrong if they’re to overcome a team that, for the moment, seems to have their number.