IT’S been 10 league games since Manchester United last beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and this weekend will probably be their best chance to end that streak.

Everything seems to be falling in place for United, and right on time too.

Not only are Chelsea currently at their most vulnerable since Jose Mourinho took over but United are also peaking at just the right time.

Antonio Valencia is now back to his best and his partnership with Rafael da Silva down the right will terrorise plenty of defences between now and the end of the season.

Michael Carrick took his own jolly sweet time to hit top form, something Alex Ferguson had predicted when he decided to keep him on ice for the first couple of months of the season, but it’s been worth the wait. The anchorman has been influential in his own annoyingly understated way and, along with Paul Scholes, has kept United ticking.

The return of Chris Smalling hasn’t really made that many headlines but, for me, he is crucial. United are a steadier ship with him at the back, and his assured displays have given our attackers greater confidence to push forward.

Also, with Wayne Rooney and Nani set to return against Chelsea, not to mention Anderson, Tom Cleverley and Phil Jones in the weeks to come, we will have a really strong squad for the title run-in.

So as usual, the boss was right – we didn’t need January reinforcements.

But didn’t you just enjoy that swoop for Frederic Veseli? There were all these rumours about how some of our young stars like Paul Pogba and Ravel Morrison wanted to quit and join City.

In the end, it was City who lost a prospect, an Under-17 World Cup winner (and captain of the team), to United, while Pogba made an impressive Premier League debut against Stoke in front of an appreciative Old Trafford crowd last week.

Morrison, on the other hand, went down a division to West Ham United. Honestly, I’m a little relieved.

With Manchester United, it’s not just about talent. Morrison definitely had that, and in bucket loads. But did he have the right attitude? Did he understand the ethos of the club?

This is a guy who has witnessed first hand the emergence of Danny Welbeck and Cleverley, players just a couple years older than him who are now on the fringes of the England squad thanks to United and Ferguson. Yet, he still wanted to leave, because United wouldn’t pay him, an 18-year-old, £30,000 a week.

Welbeck might not be as gifted a player as Morrison, and I know many fans have their grouses about him, but he appreciates what it means to be a United player.

He’s a local lad who’s got his head screwed on right and will play his heart out for the club. I’d take that any time of the day over some talented malcontent.

Ian Yee knows Manchester United don’t really need any more wingers, but damn that Kevin de Bruyne guy looks really good. Great buy for Chelsea.

 

 

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Inser

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