...As Man Utd begin new era against Chelsea

Buoyed by the news of Ralf Rangnick’s imminent appointment, Manchester United travel to Chelsea for tomorrow’s afternoon’s tantalising Premier League encounter. The Blues remain top of the pile with 29 points from their opening 12 games, whereas Michael Carrick’s side sit seven places and 12 points below the European champions.

Often criticised for a perceived unfairness towards their academy players – with countless names currently out on loan – Chelsea’s youth products stole the show against Juventus as the Champions League holders ran out convincing 4-0 winners at Stamford Bridge.

Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi all struck for the Blues before Timo Werner came off the bench to round off the scoring on his comeback from injury, which has seen Chelsea confirm their rightful place in the last-16 of the tournament.

Thomas Tuchel’s side’s Premier League fortunes also improved following their 1-1 draw with Burnley before the international break, as the scintillating Blues saw off Leicester City 3-0 at the King Power, with former Foxes lynchpin N’Golo Kante scoring the pick of the bunch.

Victory over Juventus marked Chelsea’s ninth win from 10 in all competitions, and the league leaders remain three points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table having conceded a league-low four goals all season – three of which have come at home, though.

However, Matej Vydra’s equaliser for Burnley is the only goal that Chelsea have conceded over their last 450 minutes of top-flight football, and United’s famed attackers will have their work cut out to impress their soon-to-be interim boss.

Rumours around Mauricio Pochettino continue to swirl, but as United seek an experienced head to guide them through the remainder of the 2021-22 season, the ‘godfather’ of the gegenpress – Ralf Rangnick – appears to be Manchester-bound.