Chelsea vs. Manchester City was billed as a tactical battle between Antonio Conte and Pep Guardiola. Instead, the match was a clash of character, revealed in adversity, victory and frustration.
Chelsea fought back from going down on an own-goal to win with resilience, grit and pride. Gary Cahill kept his composure, and came within a few inches of putting a shot towards Claudio Bravo’s net to balance his book for the night. It was another significant step in Cahill’s growth this season towards becoming a leader in the mold of his mentor, John Terry.
The Blues tore apart Manchester City in the second half in the battle of top football tactics everyone expected. After Eden Hazard sealed the game for Chelsea, though, Manchester City melted down, revealing the full character of both teams.
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Sergio Aguero likely felt he had unfinished business with David Luiz. Perhaps he thought Anthony Taylor owed him a non-call to balance the ledger. His foul on David Luiz, though, went well beyond a hard tackle to settle a score. Aguero’s foul was violent, reckless and unbecoming a player of his quality.
A back-bencher in a lower-division league exacts retribution like that. Sergio Aguero of Manchester City should not.
Chelsea should be as proud of Nathaniel Chalobah’s yellow card as any other moment on the top line of the scoresheet. Chalobah, without hesitation, delivered pitch-level justice on behalf of teammate. He stood up for another man in Blue, without regard for Sergio Aguero’s reputation or Anthony Taylor’s little book. Chalobah should put that yellow card on his mantle next to his game-balls and man of the match awards.
Aguero opened Pandora’s box for his team. Pep Guardiola and Manchester City have been the golden boys of the football media since the start of the season. The combination of manager, players and club looked to be a turning point in English football. Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho were highly lauded, but only up to a point: the point where Guardiola would vanquish them all.
Guardiola knew better than to underestimate Antonio Conte. Guardiola considers Conte one of the two top managers in the world. Yet all of Manchester City seemed shocked not only at the outcome yesterday, but at the manner of the victory and the identity of the victors. You sensed that the loss to Tottenham Hotspur was less devastating than yesterday’s loss to Chelsea.
Pep Guardiola came out of the match looking no better than his players, calling into question the role of character and discipline in his management. He mockingly cheered Anthony Taylor for calling a handball on Eden Hazard late in the game.
As Sky Sports’ Martin Tyler and Gary Neville pointed out, Guardiola chose a poor time for such a display. Managers’ touchline behaviour is under scrutiny, thanks in large part to Pep’s cross-town counterpart Jose Mourinho. The only difference between Guardiola’s behaviour and any of Mourinho’s outbursts is that Guardiola did it with a smile and not a scowl. At the Premier League level, that should be a distinction without a difference.
After the final whistle, Guardiola ignored several Chelsea players in the usual round of handshakes. His former Barcelona charge Cesc Fabregas was right next to him with his hand up for a clasp, and Guardiola blew right past him.
Cesc Fabregas played his part in the melee perfectly. He offered Fernandinho no resistance, no escalation and no satisfaction. Fernandinho repeatedly grabbed and pushed Fabregas, and Fabregas calmly walked backwards.
Nothing could have angered Fernandinho more, and Fabregas’ control goaded the City man to make things worse for himself. You could almost hear Fabregas’ thoughts: “Enjoy your suspension, chump.”
Once again, Diego Costa was zen personified. Early in the second half he barged – backwards – into Nicolas Otamendi, knocking the defender to the ground and giving City a free kick. Perhaps because he knew that he completely owned Otamendi at that point, Costa gave Otamendi a hand up and a pat on the shoulders.
Later, the scuffle provided the perfect opportunity for Old Diego to return. Costa had every justifiable opportunity to explode in rage. Instead, he went to make peace between Fernandinho and Fabregas, trying to soothe Fernandinho with eye contact and gentle restraint.
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In only five months, Antonio Conte has created a culture that will take hold at all levels of the club. Chelsea are showing stronger character than they have in many years. As individuals and as a team, they reflect what their coach expects them to become.