Manchester United Fans' Takes on Chelsea Players Past and Present

Chelsea occupy an interesting place in the pantheon of Manchester United's rival clubs.

They were not traditional enemies by any means, though the 1960s and '70s certainly saw clashes between the Red Army and the Chelsea faithful. However, the west Londoners' rise to Roman Abramovich-funded prominence in the mid-2000s obviously brought with it an on-pitch rivalry.

While Jose Mourinho's first Chelsea side were able to win some of the early battles, many fans would see the 2008 Champions League final as the moment Sir Alex Ferguson's United won the war.

Sir Alex left United in 2013, the year Mourinho returned to Chelsea, who once again ascended to the top of the Premier League table. And with the old rival now in charge of United—and his old team doing a good deal better without him—the enmity has been refreshed.

Chelsea have the upper hand in the current battle and will come to Old Trafford full of confidence given they have already beaten United twice this season—by an aggregate scoreline of 5-0—and are a full 18 points ahead of them in the Premier League.

They have not met at Old Trafford yet, but home has hardly been a happy hunting ground for United this season. The Red Devils have taken just 27 points from a possible 48 on their own turf in 2016/17.

Considering Chelsea have the best away record in the country by some distance—with 36 of 48 potential points acquired on the road—it is clear the Blues are a clear and present danger to Mourinho and United's chances of improving their standing in the race for a top-four finish.

We asked United fans which Chelsea player is the biggest threat. The answers were not a surprise:

An overwhelming majority of respondents replied with mention of Eden Hazard. The Belgian was excellent against United in both Chelsea's wins at Stamford Bridge this season. In the 4-0 league win, he scored, beat United defenders with five of the eight dribbles he attempted and made a key pass. 

In the 1-0 FA Cup win, Mourinho gave Phil Jones a man-marking brief on Hazard, which lasted until Ander Herrera's first-half red card. Hazard went on to complete six of his eight attempted dribbles, and accurately completed an incredible 71 of his 72 attempted passes, of which one was key.

He has been Chelsea's main man this season, though he is clearly not the only threat they possess:

Diego Costa has 17 goals in the Premier League this season, so his threat clearly has to be taken seriously. His comfort with the dark arts of football made him a perfect match for Mourinho, and he serves as a potential antagonist against his old manager's new side. A cheap yellow given away in retribution for some Costa shenanigans would be a big mistake were a United defender to engage in that kind of behaviour.

With United's propensity to create chances and not take them, it is understandable that fans would be concerned about the posts or the opposition 'keeper:

This is a salient point. And while N'Golo Kante was not among the most mentioned players as "greatest threat," he certainly was when considering the next question, which was about which members of Chelsea's squad would best augment United's.

Kante's tireless work rate and stellar football intelligence would be assets to United's midfield, though in truth, Ander Herrera has been doing a pretty good Kante impression alongside Pogba for much of this season.

"

@UtdRantcast hazard..he is such a killer

— George Raphael (@Tamunobereni) April 13, 2017"

There were plenty of people who suggested Hazard in this category, too, which is understandable given how effective is. But given his final few months under Mourinho, it seems incredibly unlikely that the two will be working together again anytime soon—though the case of Juan Mata proves that anything is possible.

Fair enough.

Given that the rivalry between the two clubs has a little over a decade of recent history, it seemed worth asking a little about those players to whom United fans are less endeared:

As much as the first question prompted a flood of responses mentioning Hazard, so this question led to a deluge of references to Chelsea's Captain, Leader, Legend, John Terry.

While he is often sung about favourably by United supporters thanks to his historic contribution to their 2008 Champions League win, there is no doubt that a generally hostile feeling exists among fans of opposition clubs toward Terry.

It turned out, though, that there was more than one answer:

Diminutive midfielder Dennis Wise made plenty of enemies in his day thanks to his aggressive style and generally hostile approach. He was the kind of player fans of the club he was playing for would love and fans of his opponents would hate—a kind of Roy Keane figure, though without anything like the same level of success or otherworldly level of influence.

A few people mentioned David Luiz, who is a much less antagonistic figure than either Wise or Terry. The wink Jamie is referring to above happened after Luiz once got Rafael da Silva dismissed at Old Trafford. United had already won the league by the time Chelsea beat them 1-0 in May 2013, and Luiz appeared to take particular delight in getting Rafael sent off.

To end on a more positive note, we also asked United supporters to name a more admired Chelsea great:

The man who had the defensive-midfield role named after him would have been a great fit for United in the mid-2000s.

Others preferred a more attacking option:

"

@UtdRantcast pic.twitter.com/TLzP1iKDfF

— Kevin Levingston (@KevLevingston) April 13, 2017"

It was not just the brilliant Ivorian who was mentioned as an attacking option, either:

"

@UtdRantcast Lampard without a doubt. 20 goals every season from midfield

— chris (@ChrisKeano16) April 13, 2017"

And, of course, there was room for some humour, too:

"

@UtdRantcast Juan mata 

— Luke Tiani (@tiani14) April 13, 2017"

It's funny because they are all Chelsea greats who either were or are at United, you see.

United fans will be hoping that Chelsea's threats are all contained on Sunday and that next season, the jealous glances will be travelling in the other direction. If Mourinho can right the ship, there is a good chance that could happen.

Advanced data per WhoScored.com.