Chelsea's chance to stand still

Chelsea are facing the Devils from Manchester, Manchester United on October 26th, a day after the prestigious Spanish "El Clasico" between Champions League holders, Real Madrid and their rivals FC Barcelona. A highly anticipated week, packed with long awaited action... but, does it deserve all this hype? The answer is maybe; because, we don't know whether Barcelona and United will deliver something in their respective games, or not. Let's just stick to English football for now... Manchester United finished 7th last season, one of their most disappointing seasons so far. Can it be forgotten? Yes, it can. If we look back at their last season, it wasn't that bad to be honest, given that the majority of their players was too old to partake in a compelling physical-oriented competition. Also, the whole transition thing, from the Sir Alex Ferguson-era to a whole new phase, certainly affected the squad's morale. The man coached the team for 27 years straight... it was like losing a father for Manchester United. Then, after the old man's retirement, David Moyes took charge, a good decision from the United board (logically, it was), and a straightforward one, really. Due to the fact that the Scottish former footballer has developed an immense experience during his managerial spell at Everton, spanning 11 years, if you were the team's chairman, you would have hired him quickly as well, given his competence and history in Goodison Park, helping his team exceed all expectations by reaching the top spots for many seasons. But, did it go well?...

No, it didn't go well at all for the poor Scottish man, explains how he was eventually sacked less than 10 months after taking charge. Sure, David Moyes led his new team to Community Shield glory, unfortunately, it wasn't sufficient. By January, his team were already knocked out of two English cup competitions: losing to Sunderland on penalties in the League Cup semi-finals, as well as an early exit in the FA Cup by losing to Swansea City. They performed slightly better in the Champions League, maybe luck, maybe not, or maybe United like European winning traditions... A 4-2 aggregate loss against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals was their best achievement of the season. To end a horrible sequence of results, Moyes was sacked and Paul Giggs was appointed instead, as a player-manager back then. When Louis van Gaal came, there were high hopes, considering how the Dutch led a young national team to the 3rd spot in the World Cup, overcoming Brazil. In pre-season, the Red Devils claimed the 2014 International Champions Cup... it's not that prestigious, but it's something to be proud of, at least.

Transfer-wise, it was Angel Di Maria's arrival that topped the charts. Angel was a crucial member of the Real Madrid side that won the 2014 Champions League... if we consider the fee that was paid, it's almost a bargain. Others such as Ander Herrera from Bilbao, Argentinian international Rojo from Lisbon, Shaw, and Blind are also quite something. Especially Luke Shaw, who has a strong chance to impress. As of today, Manchester United lie in the 5th position of the Premier League; not that fancy, but not disappointing either. It could have gone worse, but it's not too late, there is plenty of time left to produce more. Chelsea are, for sure, going to invest sufficient energy to take their opponents down, however, it shouldn't be taken for granted. You never know what's going to happen, you never predict an outcome. This is United's first true challenge, and Chelsea's chance to stand still.