A win at Old Trafford on Sunday would kick off Chelsea’s most difficult period of the season with two positive results after the 1-1 draw vs Barcelona in the Champions League, but how can they make it happen?

Antonio Conte went from enigmatic newcomer to club legend to exhausted scapegoat pretty quickly at Stamford Bridge. A hard earned draw against Barcelona has lifted spirits in the Blues camp, but the humiliating losses to Bournemouth and Watford and alleged fallouts with the board seem to have left the Italian at somewhere near breaking point.

The result against Barcelona was well deserved, and if not for a misplaced pass from Andreas Christensen it would have been even better. It would be no surprise to see Conte stick with the game-plan that so nearly foiled Barcelona, but there are two important changes he must make if the Blues are to get three points at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Play Eden Hazard on the wing

Hazard is one of the best players in the world, but his talents are wasted as a central striker. Yes he is still able to drop deep and get involved where he wants, but his low centre of gravity and deceptive strength will only get him so far against United’s defence. Hazard needs to be where he is most comfortable, where he can isolate defenders and attack them, not getting crowded out by two centre backs and a defensive midfielder. Playing one of Morata or Giroud will also give Conte’s men an outlet to aim for and allow the Italian to bench Pedro, who has been quite simply woeful in recent weeks.

Pressure United’s midfield, particularly Nemanja Matic

There’s no question Matic is one of the best defensive midfielders in the league, but his ball playing abilities are suspect to say the least. He is slow and ponderous on the ball, and his passing is certainly not up to the standard of his defensive work. Conte and Chelsea will know this better than most, which is why they should press slightly higher than they did against Barcelona, especially when the Serbian is on the ball. If the Blues can nick the ball higher up the pitch, they’ll have a much better chance of giving their counter attacks an end product.