Manchester City have humiliated Chelsea in some fashion as they beat them 2-0 in front of their own supporters. The Citizens have begun their title defense in the perfect fashion. They will aim to win their 5th Premier league title in a row! The Blues on the other hand had no momentum on the field, they completely succumbed to the pressure created by Pep Guardiola’s men.
Striker Erling Haaland gave Man City an early lead after a sublime finish past a helpless Robert Sanchez. The City number 9 had the last laugh over Marc Cucurella who took a dig at the Norwegian. Ex Blue Mateo Kovacic secured the win for the Sky Blues as he scored a banger in the 75th minute. Pep Guardiola’s team were getting opened up at times but the Blues did not capitalize in any of those moments.
Man City’s midfield stole the show yesterday. Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic ran tirelessly throughout the game. The Croatian is easily one of the most underrated midfielders in this City team. All the midfielders were efficient with and without possession of the ball which took the game away from Chelsea’s hands.
Enzo Maresca’s side lacked any sort of confidence on the pitch. However, major improvements were seen by the players. Multiple chances were created by the midfield but the finishing let them down. Cole Palmer was brilliant yesterday. The Blues had created more xG (1.01) than the Citizens (0.77). They created many chances in the end, out of which they could have atleast scored one. Defensive woes continue to haunt Stamford Bridge. The team gave the ball away too easily which costed them three crucial points early in the season.
Chelsea show signs of improvement but plenty of issues to address:
Chelsea began their new era under Italian Enzo Maresca in a dull fashion. Fans were able to notice the stark contrasts between the best run club and the worst run club in Europe. The highest wage earner of the Blues, Raheem Sterling has been axed by the manager.
The Blues have improved in possession of the ball but they give the ball away to easily. Record signing Enzo Fernandez is not able to play his natural game at the Bridge. The fans criticised the Argentine for losing possession too easily which costed them the game.
The forwards lacked chemistry between them. It was visible during the game. It was the first time, Palmer, Jackson, and Nkunku started together. The midfielders created plenty of chances for the forwards, let down in the final third.
Enzo Maresca’s men have shown improvement, but the main issue in his team is his huge squad. There is unrest inside the dressing room. There are too many quality players with first team quality in the squad. The club pay them high wages and are unable to sell them. If the dressing room is not unified, results will not come.
At the moment, the whole club is a mess completely. The manager has to give confidence to his players to improve the situation. Tactically they have improved a lot from last season, they have to trust the process. The manager said that his team performed better than previous games and lost due to some silly mistakes and individual brilliance of the City players. He says;
“Today, again, we were better than the last game against Inter. That is the most important thing for me; to improve game after game. It is very clear we are improving and going in the right direction. The direction is a good one. I don’t have any doubt that this team is getting better and we are going to have days where we win games and be very happy.”
Blues captain faces criticism from the fans
Almost one month ago, Chelsea captain Enzo Fernandez featured in the headlines for wrong reasons. Teammate Wesley Fofana accused the Argentine of ‘uninhibited racism.’ The player had to apologize to his teammates following the controversy row.
The World cup winner has not settled at the club ever since he joined Chelsea in a British record transfer. It is felt that the player is not able to adjust himself to the physicality of the Premier league. He is a quality player no doubt, but the number of times he lost the ball cheaply and conceded chances to City was worth criticizing.
The player has been awarded the captains armband which has increased his responsibility towards the team. He must work on his game further or else he will lose his place too at the club like Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell.
Erling Haaland was furious at the Argentine for targeting him and fouling him often. He expressed his feelings in the post match interview to Sky Sports. He says;
“All the time he stamps on me, he pushes me and everything, not only him. I don’t know what they want but that’s what they do I guess.”
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