After the momentous victory on the European stage, we return to the harsh reality of the Premier League, where last weekend’s disappointing 1-1 draw at Southampton saw Chelsea drop back out of the top-four having had barely enough time to say hi and grab some coffee with all the other contenders up there.
But we have a chance to return almost as quickly, with West Ham set to take on (and presumably lose to or at least draw with) Manchester City tomorrow. So if we beat United, we’re back in fourth and back to just a three-point gap to them in fact. (The other top-four team, Leicester City, host Arsenal, which could be an interesting one as well after Leicester’s shock elimination from the Europa League by Slavia Prague yesterday.)
In any case, as Tuchel would say, we can only worry about ourselves, and the only worry about ourselves at this very moment is the team’s inability to score many goals. Fortunately, our defensive record has been almost legendary — so far — even with the continuing absence of Thiago Silva.
Of course, eventually all streaks must come to an end, be they Chelsea’s defensive excellence, Chelsea’s lack of cutting edge in attack, or Chelsea’s six-match winless run against Manchester United in the Premier League.