Manchester United received quite a bit of criticism after their 0-0 draw at Anfield on Monday night, but it’s hard to argue that Jose Mourinho didn’t get what he went for. There may have been negative football on show, but it certainly wasn’t negative result. And on the back of that, the thumping of Fenerbahce essentially means that Mourinho’s plan is coming to fruition.

Monday night saw United play their most bitter of traditional rivals and Thursday night saw Robin van Persie score at Old Trafford once again, whilst Paul Pogba finally dominated a game. Yet Sunday afternoon will present an even bigger emotional test for Mourinho as he returns to Stamford Bridge.

But that just poses extra questions for 'Mou'. Is this game one in which he just wants to get out unscathed for his own personal pride? Or is this one where he has to be brave and attack his former employers given that his current side have only won one league game since 27th August?

A win for United could take them as high as fourth, defeat could see them slide back closer to midtable.

Here are four conundrums Mourinho will have to ponder before 4pm on Sunday night.

Does Michael Carrick play?

Michael Carrick

After a solid performance against Fenerbahce - not to mention one that allowed Paul Pogba to run the show - does Jose Mourinho bring Michael Carrick back into the side in order to free up the world’s record signing to play his natural game now that he’s hit a vein of form?

The fact he played the full 90 minutes in midweek, however, suggests that United will probably play someone else instead.

Is a 4-3-3 his best bet?

Ander Herrera and Jose Mourinho

Whoever Mourinho does pick to play alongside Pogba he’ll have to decide whether he’s going to choose one player or two. For the last few weeks, Mourinho seems to have been faced with the same question: can Paul Pogba play in a midfield two?

The question was, in one sense, emphatically answered against Fenerbahce. He can if he’s playing alongside a more disciplined player. In another sense we still don’t know: Chelsea will surely provide a stiffer test than the Turks did on Thursday night.

How can he hurt Chelsea down the channels?

Marcus Rashford being substituted for Wayne Rooney

It looks like Antonio Conte has settled on a 3-4-3 formation these days, and that’s the formation Mourinho will probably be expecting from Chelsea on Sunday.

If that’s the case, he’ll also be wondering how he can get at Chelsea’s back three - can you hurt them in the channels, in behind the wing-backs? Playing with pace to try and get in behind Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses is not only an attacking threat, but it could also stop Alonso and Moses from providing Chelsea with an attacking option out wide. It might be a case of getting as much pace as possible into the team - even if playing Marcus Rashford or Jesse Lingard means leaving out Juan Mata against his former club.

How to nullify Chelsea’s main threat?

Jose Mourinho and Eden Hazard

If Mourinho is able to pin back Chelsea’s wing backs, that could be the key to stopping Eden Hazard from turning on the magic.

With the wing-backs freed from some of their usual defensive duties as a result of having an extra centre back to bail them out, they provide extra attacking width. In turn, that allows Eden Hazard to cut in from the flank and weave his magic in the centre.

If the wing-backs are left to roam unchecked, then United’s full-backs will be faced with the prospect of having to deal with a man overlapping on the touchline and another man cutting inside - a nightmare, especially against a player like Hazard.