Last season Chelsea took two very different approaches to their fixtures against Manchester City, with two very different results. Today they should stick to what has brought them above City in the table.
Chelsea are undergoing a revolution this season. They are tied on points for second place and are punching well above their weight. Frank Lampard has managed to integrate the youth seamlessly into the squad and has successfully found the right balance between the youth and the experience. This weekend, he faces another test against Manchester City.
Now, any game against City is a difficult one. Even with everything that has changed in the last few months, a game against the back-to-back champions could end up being a one-sided affair.
However, this time the surrounding circumstances favor Chelsea. It is safe to say that Manchester City’s chances of winning the Premier League suffered a major setback on the last match day, when they lost 3-1 to a spirited Liverpool. Pep Guardiola felt his side were victimized by VAR, and that spectacle dominated much of the conversation around him, his team and that match.
Chelsea will have to be very careful in their approach against City, as Guardiola has a knack of bouncing back strongly.
Last season, Chelsea had two contrasting matches against City. In the first game, Maurizio Sarri changed his system completely to set up his team in a defensive formation. This was a rather smart approach, as City were prepared for the usual “Sarriball” and failed to overcome the defensively resolute Chelsea side.
In the second game, Sarri decided to play his usual “Sarriball.” What followed was a historic disaster, something that we are better off not discussing here.
The overarching question, then, is how should Chelsea approach this match? Considering last season’s results, the ideal method would be to set up to play on the counter with deep-lying wingers constantly defending. Anything in the form of a 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 should look defensively solid.
However, Chelsea are carrying a lot of momentum into the game at the team and individual levels. They are on a run of victories and have been in fantastic form. Changing the formation and tactics would hinder their flow and perhaps deter their chances of a victory against City.
Since City are slowly losing their chase against Liverpool, they cannot afford to drop any points. They will be coming into this match with a ruthless mentality. Setting up defensively could turn out to be a nightmare for Chelsea as they could end up conceding even more goals.
Chelsea must play the way they have played the entire season with their high paced, free flowing football. There is only one way to beat City and that is to beat them at their own game.
Liverpool showed that recently and Chelsea must do the same and move towards challenging the Premier League leaders this season.