Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Frank Lampard are twinned in much, the returning heroes appointed in part on the basis of their wonderful playing careers and knowledge of their beloved clubs, despite relatively slender managerial CVs.
They were twinned on 66 points last season, side by side in third and fourth, their seasons qualified successes despite disappointments in the latter stages of knockout competitions.
There is a more recent common denominator, too, and it entails emphatic defeats at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer’s last game at home was, he said, his “worst day” in management. Lampard’s heaviest defeat was his first match at Chelsea manager.
Manchester United lost 6-1 to Tottenham. Chelsea went down 4-0 to United in August 2019. If there are differences in the details – and Lampard felt the scoreline on his managerial debut was harsh, whereas United were shambolic two weeks ago – each has shown the mettle to respond.
Solskjaer and Lampard have faced similar challenges of late, and two men who forged fine careers by scoring goals have been charged with stopping them. Tuesday’s Champions League games have offered each a fillip, but in contrasting ways.
United's victory over Paris Saint-Germain came in the absence of Harry Maguire and the benched Paul Pogba, who have both had troubled seasons, and with a change of shape.
At least, if Maguire is fit again, Axel Tuanzebe’s performance in France suggested he has an internal solution, a possible partner to the £80 million ($104m) and whose pace suggests he can dovetail with the captain, offering the pace he lacks.
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Chelsea v Sevilla ratings
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CHELSEA: Edouard Mendy - 7, Looked reliable in the Chelsea goal and made some good saves – something that has not been said about Blues stoppers too many times recently. EPA -
Reece James - 7, Stood strong in his defensive work, though his attacking threat was slightly nullified. EPA -
Thiago Silva - 7, Seemed to pick up an injury in the warmup, but this didn’t show in his performance, as he looked assured throughout. Getty -
Kurt Zouma - 5, They weren’t costly, but there were a few moments where the Frenchman looked very shaky. Reuters -
Ben Chilwell - 7, He’s settled in brilliantly at Stamford Bridge and looked comfortable once again. Was booked for pulling Ocampos’ shirt. AFP -
N’Golo Kante - 6, Looked off the pace at times, though he did cover plenty of ground – as is expected of the Frenchman. AP -
Jorginho - 6, Got an early card for a cynical foul on Lucas Ocampos which limited him. He grew into the game as time went on before being taken off. AFP -
Christian Pulisic - 6, Had a very quiet first half, but he looked more threatening after being moved on to the left wing. Getty -
Kai Havertz - 5, His play was pretty at times, but the German lost possession far too easily and unnecessarily. Getty -
Mason Mount - 5, Struggled to create much and was booked for pulling Suso’s shirt after losing the ball. EPA -
Timo Werner - 5, Threatened to cause trouble but didn’t manage it. Wasted some good chances, the best of which came at the end of the first half. EPA -
SUBS: Hakim Ziyech (Mount 62’) - 5, Got into some good positions but struggled to make the most of them. Showed flashes of his technical brilliance. Reuters -
Mateo Kovacic (Jorginho 65’) - 6, Showed good authority from the moment he came on to the pitch. PA -
Tammy Abraham (Werner 91’) - N/R, Got his appearance fee and did a nice flick. Job done. Getty -
SUB Callum Hudson-Odoi (Pulisic 91’) – N/R, Pretty much his only involvement was a misunderstanding with Chilwell. Getty -
SEVILLA: Yassine Bounou - 6, Looked very confident when called upon, whether that was with his hands or feet, and was never overstretched. AP -
Jesus Navas - 7, Nullified Mount and dealt with Pulisic well. Also gave a good option down the right hand side. EPA -
Sergi Gomez - 6, Looked strong defensively during his time on the pitch, but was forced off through injury in the 33rd minute. AP -
Diego Carlos - 5, Was solid enough defensively, but some of his passing was awful. EPA -
Marcos Acuna - 8, Was behind some brilliant attacking play down the left. Largely looked comfortable defensively – the one time he wasn’t he got booked for pulling Pulisic’s shirt. Reuters -
Ivan Rakitic - 6, The Croatian was good in his general play, but his final ball was off at times. Getty -
Fernando - 7, Looked strong starting in midfield, which he continued when filling in at centre-back after Gomez went off injured. AP -
Nemanja Gudelj - 7, Was dominant in his play and almost got on the scoresheet but was denied by an impressive save from Mendy. Got a blow to the face from Zouma. EPA -
Suso - 4, He was really quiet. That was partly due to a lack of service, but he was nowhere near quick enough when he had the ball at his feet. AFP -
Luuk de Jong - 6, His hold up play was brilliant, allowing him to bring teammates into the game. Didn’t get many chances of his own in front of goal. AFP -
Lucas Ocampos - 6, Had some bright moments and got a couple of half chances but failed to make the most of them. AP -
SUBS: Joan Jordan (Gomez, 33’) - 6, Slotted into the midfield seamlessly and came closest to scoring a winner. Was booked for a late foul on Puliisic. AP -
Oliver Torres (Suso 58’) - 6, Injected some of the energy that Suso was missing but couldn’t have a major impact. EPA -
Youssef En-Nesyri (de Jong 80’) – N/R, Pressed well but didn’t really get a chance to work Mendy. EPA -
Franco Vazquez (Rakitic 80’) – N/R, Looked a bit clumsy on the ball – this won’t have done much to help him get more game time. Getty
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Lampard’s solution has been external. The authoritative Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell and Edouard Mendy, his three defensive additions, have played together twice and Chelsea have kept two clean sheets.
Whereas they have 3-3 draws with both Willy Caballero and Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal, Mendy is yet to concede as a Chelsea player.
He has only had to field two shots on target thus far so the positive early impressions of a commanding figure come amid a small sample size. This is his first real test and one that may be toughened by the presence of a forward with 403 goals to his name, if Edinson Cavani is deemed fit to make his United bow.
The Uruguayan is nevertheless likely to represent Plan B. Along with PSG, Chelsea represent favourite opponents for Solskjaer. His counter-attacking blueprint – low on possession, high on penetration – worked wonderfully in three wins against them last season.
The triple centre-back policy he used in France was a favourite ploy against Chelsea. Until, rather than playing into United’s hands, Lampard matched up in July’s FA Cup semi-final and beat United on a traumatic afternoon for David de Gea.
If the Spaniard has responded well to the challenge Dean Henderson poses and was terrific on Tuesday, Lampard faces the decision of whether to try and replicate his Wembley gameplan.
It would probably entail omitting one of Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount or Kai Havertz; with Hakim Ziyech yet to start, it is already hard enough to accommodate all his attacking additions.
Solskjaer may look at the raft of signings and identify a difference between comparable figures. United missed out on Jadon Sancho in a summer of frustration.
Cavani feels more a club recruit than a Solskjaer signing, given the Norwegian’s preference for young, quick Brits. Chelsea were the year’s biggest buyers but United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward argued this week that they have the largest net spend since the start of the 2019 summer transfer window.
Money has been at the heart of the discussions of both clubs, particularly with the talk of a European Premier League. Saturday will show whose approach is paying off.
