Sir Alex Ferguson is such a one for his mind games that, when he talks straight, everyone wonders what he is up to.

He likes it that way, of course, but his complimentary remarks about Chelsea in Inside United magazine were, I suspect, born as much of judgment as any optimistic impulse to soften up Carlo Ancelotti’s team before their Barclays Premier League meeting with Ferguson’s Manchester United on Sunday.

Ferguson talked of Chelsea’s experience and added: “Their consistency, compared to last season, has probably been a bit better under Ancelotti. He’s brought in the system he used at AC Milan with the diamond in the middle of the pitch. It’s hard to break down when you get into their third.” That almost smacked of faint praise when he agreed with his questioner that Chelsea could be “United’s main challengers”. It may be more like the other way round if the collision at Stamford Bridge goes to domestic form.

Chelsea, 4-0 winners away to Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, look stronger than at any time since the heyday of José Mourinho. And United are more troubled than their healthy Barclays Premier League position might indicate. For all the excitement of the late onslaught that brought them last night’s draw, led by Gary Neville with wondrous vigour and precision, they were poor for most of the match: flat in midfield and dismal in defence.

Identifying flaws in United is one thing. Trying to do the same with Chelsea is a devilish task. Since August, they have been the best side in England and cannot be discounted as champions of Europe; the memory is fresh of how last season Chelsea stretched Barcelona to the limit before Pep Guardiola’s men made short work of United in the Champions League final.

The same midfield deficiencies that surfaced in Rome have been evident: at Anfield nine days ago, for instance. Back last night came Darren Fletcher and the Scot does make a difference with his power, mobility and variety of passes. But who else from United would get in Chelsea’s team this season? After Edwin van der Sar and Wayne Rooney, you begin to struggle.

Certainly Chelsea have several players — Frank Lampard, Michael Essien, Deco, Michael Ballack — who would walk into United’s midfield, while John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho would edge out Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in central defence. Ferguson would surely take Didier Drogba to partner Rooney up front.

Ferguson, nevertheless, thought that United could obtain the required point from CSKA Moscow despite the initial consignment of Rooney to the bench. And he was proved right: a little more than half an hour of Rooney was enough. Ryan Giggs should be back on Sunday, and Michael Carrick alongside Fletcher, and Dimitar Berbatov at the front. But what can Ferguson do about that defence?

He promised that Vidic would be fit for the Bridge and, if we assume that Ferdinand’s form and fitness have all but ruled him out, it becomes a choice between last night’s central pair, Wes Brown and Jonny Evans, as the Serbian’s sidekick. Given Vidic’s ball-attacking propensities, Ferguson may gamble on the neat and tidy Evans.

No defender bar Neville, however, came out of last night with credit. Clever though CSKA’s movement was in the making of their first two goals, Van der Sar was left badly exposed on each occasion by naive positioning. It would be simpler to exempt Neville than list those responsible. Then young Federico Macheda’s amateurish marking led to the third.

Until Liverpool went to Old Trafford in March and Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard ran riot, United were held to possess the most formidable defensive partnership in the country. Now Ferguson has to choose a pair to hold Drogba and Nicolas Anelka and it seems quite a challenge.

It may require an organisational masterpiece from the United manager to avert a result more wounding than the 2-0 defeat by Liverpool.