Chelsea & Man United Facing Fight For Top 4?

Four games into the Premier League season and already people are wondering if both Chelsea and Manchester United have what it takes to finish in the top four of the Premier League.

Both teams sit on five points having won only one game each, Man United's win coming on the opening weekend when they took advantage of some questionable defending to beat Chelsea 4-0 at Old Trafford.

It would be fair to say a top four finish with a domestic trophy would have to go down as a decent season for either when everything is taken into consideration.

United haven't won the Premier League since the end of the Alex Ferguson era stretching back to the 2012/13 season and haven't been able to consistently occupy a top four spot since that time.

Chelsea don't have to look back as far for success in the league. They narrowly missed out on the title during Mourinho's first season back at the club in 2013/14 but would end up as Premier League winners in two of the next three seasons under Mourinho and Conte respectively.

These days both clubs are undergoing a sense of transition. They have both taken on ex players and fan favourites in Ole Gunnar Solksjaer and Frank Lampard to manage the clubs and try and get the fans enjoying fast, attacking styles of football and flair that both clubs have had down the years.

When Solskjaer first took the reigns just before Christmas last season, his arrival seemed genius. The performances and results immediately improved with United losing just one of his first seventeen matches, winning fourteen of those.

Players such as Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford, who seemed somewhat shackled and unhappy under the previous manager, were suddenly enjoying a freedom that allowed them to express themselves.

A loss to Arsenal in March however set off a poor run of form and showed the problem Solskjaer faced at Old Trafford. A team with plenty of talent that seemed to 'turn it on' whenever they fancied it.

A summer overhaul saw young British talent in Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, signed from Swansea and Crystal Palace respectively, join the ranks before a summer pursuit for Harry Maguire successfully ended as he joined from Leicester City for £80m - a world record fee for a defender.

Players such as Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Chris Smalling and Antonio Valencia all departed, further evidencing that Solskjaer felt a need for youth and pace to take the team forward.

Since that opening weekend victory, there have been a few bumps. Most notably the penalty incident in which Paul Pogba missed from the spot to put United ahead against Wolves having insisted he take it even though Rashford scored a brilliant penalty against Chelsea. Then Rashford missed from the spot the following week against Crystal Palace at home, a game they went on to lose in a fashion that will not have impressed the United faithful or their manager.

Chelsea went into the current season in a bit more of a tricky situation. Despite finishing last season winning the Europa League, fans were unhappy at what was seen as dull football played under Maurizio Sarri. The board seemed happy enough to keep Sarri at the helm for the current campaign however Sarri then made it clear he wanted to return to Italy and take the Juventus job. No manager, a two-transfer-window ban and their best player Eden Hazard leaving for Real Madrid... they say it comes in threes.

Frank Lampard had just finished his first season in management with a play-off final defeat with Derby. He wouldn't have imagined that a matter of weeks later he'd be returning to manage Chelsea five years after leaving as the club's all time top goalscorer.

His situation is unique. He's an inexperienced manager coming into a club under a transfer ban and working under a demanding owner known for changing the manager at the drop of a hat.

So why could you argue that there could never be a better time for Lampard to take the job? The transfer ban plays a massive part. Lampard knows he can only work with what he's got. He can't sign players, but players can still leave. Eden Hazard, Alberto Morata, David Luiz, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Gary Cahill are just a handful of experienced names to have departed Stamford Bridge during the summer, either on loan or permanently. With so many experienced first team players leaving, it relieves a little weight of expectancy from the fans and even more importantly, the owner. Lampard can be left to take Chelsea in a direction they haven't really taken for a while by bringing in more youth. Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham are two players who seem to be benefiting early on from this. With the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to return from injury, the first team could have an even younger look to it by Christmas.

Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham have been regulars so far this season

With all the above in mind, you would have to say a top four finish and domestic cup would be a mini triumph at this stage for either club.

You have to feel there's more pressure and expectancy at Man United. They've been able to build during the summer and with over £100m alone spent on defensive reinforcements and with the likes of Rashford, Pogba, Martial and James going forward, they have a squad that on paper looks defensively strong and pacey and direct going forward.

Chelsea on the other hand are having to let youth blossom with a blend of experienced premier league players and it's a case of how well and how soon the players and manager can find their groove and a clear identity of how they want to play and hoping the results follow.

Looking at the other teams in contention, Man City and Liverpool look to be the ones to catch again this season and if that's the case, only two of the top four spots remain.

Tottenham, having managed to keep Eriksen, haven't had any major departures this season apart from Trippier and have made some useful additions.

Arsenal still have a hint of the unknown about them but with Aubameyang and Lacazette up top anything is possible.

Everton have again spent a bit over the summer and continue to try and close the gap but they need to find consistency and more goals around the team.

Leicester look like a typical Brendan Rodgers team full of youth, flair, energy and experience throughout the squad and a team I personally fancy for a top six finish.

So with six to eight teams fighting for the top four, it will be anything but straight forward for Chelsea and Man United to make sure they're there when the season ends.