By Tagawah
MANCHESTER CITY
v
CHELSEA FC
The Etihad Stadium, Manchester
03 February 2014, 2300HRS
***
The Manchester City
juggernaut shows no signs of
slowing down as an almost
apologetic Spurs boss Tim
Sherwood, still reeling from
the 5-1 thrashing Pellegrini
inflicted on him, publicly
acknowledged City’s top-dog
status on the planet. If it was
meant as a subtle dig at
Chelsea manager Jose
Mourinho, it certainly worked.
Mourinho’s instant riposte that
Sherwood probably mistook
England for the whole planet,
was classic Mourinho at his
finest. But it also betrayed
Mourinho’s increasing
exasperation with his team’s
fortunes. In what should have
been a routine day at the office,
Chelsea managed to gift West
Ham with a 0-0 draw. It
certainly didn’t help Chelsea’s
cause that the West Ham ten
packed themselves like
sardines in front of goal, but
Mourinho must surely feel a
pang of hypocrisy if he chooses
the same tactics at the Etihad.
It’s almost certain Mourinho
would be extremely pleased
with a scoreless draw that
keeps him within striking
range of the top 2 sides. But an
Aguero-less Manchester City
side are suddenly just that little
bit less threatening in front of
goal, even if Chelsea’s offense
have been a shambles this
season. Chelsea are unlikely to
score more than a goal in this
clash, and it will fall upon the
battle-weary shoulders of Terry
et al to keep Manchester City
from scoring more.
What better way to bring this
week’s clashes to a close, than
one between the most
attacking side in the league
and the most resilient.
Team News and Tactics
Manchester City
The absence of Aguero cannot
be good news, but it certainly
won’t be giving Manchester
City’s owners sleepless nights.
In the romp against Tottenham,
all 5 goals came about courtesy
5 different players. While City
surely aren’t lacking the
resources to put this game to
bed, Agueros’ presence and
sense of attacking intent clearly
terrorized opposition defenses
all season long.
Samir Nasri, former Arsenal
star and current Manchester
City lost soul, will also fail to
make an appearance in the
game along with the likes of
Javi Garcia and a doubtful
James Milner. Expect some
combination of Dzeko and
either Jovetic or Negredo to
torture Chelsea’s central
defense pairing with repeated
runs at the goal.
With Pellegrini having set up
his side to attack from virtually
every angle, Manchester City
are likely to hold the lion’s
share of possession with Davd
Silva playing an especially vital
role on the left flank. Against a
defensive Chelsea side, Silva
will likely be given the license
to roam while the
responsibility of collecting a
stray ball in midfield will fall to
Yaya Toure, and the agile
Fernandinho.
Expected starting line-up
(4-4-2) : Hart (GK); Kompany,
Zabaleta, Clichy, DeMichelis;
Navas, Fernandinho, Toure, Silva;
Dzeko, Jovetic.
Chelsea FC
Chelsea will likely employ a 5-
man midfield to starve City of
the space it needs. The obvious
flaw with this plan is that in an
increasingly crowded midfield,
the likelihood of Hazard and
Oscar getting a break to work
their magic is unlikely. Terry
and Cahill will be expected to
hold the central defensive
pairing position, with Mikel
likely to sit right ahead of
them.
Hazard and Oscar will likely
have company in the form of
Salah, who might just warrant
a day at the games, being the
only one of Mourinho’s players
whose strengths and
weaknesses have been already
studied by the rest of the
Premier League. Willian may
just sit some portion of this
encounter out, if Salah’s ability
to run tangentially to his
opponents is given its due
consideration. Frank Lampard
will stay deeper than usual, to
provide the unpredictable
Mikel some additional cover.
In Torres’ extended absence,
Samuel Eto’o will feature as
Chelsea’s sole attacking threat,
and will be entrusted with
poaching a goal in the
unlikeliest of circumstances or
whenever City’s unharried
defense fail to turn on at the
right time.
Expected starting line-up
(4-5-1) : Cech (GK); Cole, Terry,
Cahill, Azpilicueta; Lampard,
Mikel, Hazard, Oscar, Salah;
Eto’o
Key Facts
1. Chelsea have not conceded
a goal in their last 3 away
games
2. Manchester City have
clearly the upper hand,
winning 3 of the past 5
encounters, and drawing
one
3. City have scored more goals
so far – 68 – than they did
all of last season.
Prediction
City 2-1 Chelsea
The home team pack too much
firepower to let Chelsea off the
hook. The West London Blues’
defense will likely perform at
their best, but Pellegrini’s men
will eventually find a way to
score two quick goals.
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