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Distance between Stamford Bridge and:
Craven Cottage: 1.6 miles
Emirates Stadium: 7.2 miles
Old Trafford: 200 miles
Why is it that in a game ruled by the ferocity of local derbies, do we find one of the great new rivalries in Chelsea vs. Manchester United? That question needn't be difficult to answer. The last six seasons have found a grand total of two premier league champions, with three titles for Chelsea and three for Man U. While this had undoubtedly made for contempt among the rest of the league, it has done amazing things in creating a (respectful?) hatred between the two.
What makes this rivalry especially great is the crop of players that have consistently been on each team through the last six years of battling. For Man U, the likes of Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, Edwin Van Der Saar, and Paul Scholes come to mind among countless others. For Chelsea, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Didier Drogba, Ashley Cole. What makes this particularly fun is the amount of beef displayed by Chelsea fans toward Wayne Rooney and of course the infinitely unpleasant Paul Scholes. As a Chelsea fan, I deal with constant criticism about John Terry and Frank Lampard. But the truth is all the two of them have done is act as the greatest duo of teammates in the last decade. Not to mention the brilliant work that Chelsea players bring out on the English national team. John Terry, Frank Lampard, and Ashley Cole bring a swagger to the Union Jack every time they play that could only be found from a bunch of Chelsea lads. Don't even try to tell me that Wayne Rooney has a regular impact on the team.
But enough about that.
The point is not that Chelsea neccessarily reigns supreme right now. Man U are light years ahead in the table and look to be on their way to a premier league title. The point is, instead that the two are really light years ahead of anyone else in the league. Arsenal slashed their only real chance at a trophy on Sunday and Man City and Spurs still seem to be lacking that extra push to hang with the big boys as much as I applaud their recent developments. But with all this being said there is one last thing to say. Chelsea have a chance at the title IF they win both games against United this season. They currently stand a whopping fifteen points behind the leaders, with a game in hand. But as a lifelong red devils hater, I continue to believe that a losing streak for the reds is possible but only if Chelsea win both clashes. The first of those encounters will occur tomorrow night in West London. It won't take magic to beat these boys but sheer Chelsea, John Terryesque grit. And you can always count on that. January, 2009 was the last time Manchester United beat Chelsea. Assuming all goes well in the capital, that sweet streak will continue. Good will prevail over evil. The hope that blue stands for will win out and the red devils will cower back to the pits of Hell where they belong.
That is all.
In the meantime, enjoy the work of the fine folks over at Hate Man Utd
http://hatemanutd.co.uk/
But of course I'm a Blues fan before an anti Man U guy, so let's get it going!
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