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Chelsea: Three key clashes as the Blues welcome Manchester City

By Vansh Ambashta

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 23: John Stones of Manchester City battles with Tammy Abraham of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Chelsea FC at Etihad Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 23: John Stones of Manchester City battles with Tammy Abraham of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Chelsea FC at Etihad Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /
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Manchester City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola elbow bumps with Chelsea’s English head coach Frank Lampard after during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in London on June 25, 2020. – Cheslea won the match 2-1. Jurgen Klopp’s legendary status at Anfield was secured on Thursday as he became the first Liverpool manager to win a league title in 30 years. (Photo by PAUL CHILDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Manchester City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola elbow bumps with Chelsea’s English head coach Frank Lampard after during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in London on June 25, 2020. – Cheslea won the match 2-1. Jurgen Klopp’s legendary status at Anfield was secured on Thursday as he became the first Liverpool manager to win a league title in 30 years. (Photo by PAUL CHILDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

3. Frank Lampard vs. Pep Guardiola

This match is probably defined by its outside factors than the actual football to be played. Pep Guardiola is dealing with a COVID outbreak in his camp. Moreover, his team currently sits eighth in the table, which is shocking considering it was supposed to be challenging for the title this season. On the other hand, Lampard is in his third year of management and there are a lot of things that he is still learning about the job.

Now, this will be a tactical battle as both teams struggle to adjust. Ever since the departure of David Silva, Guardiola has been struggling here and there with balancing his midfield. He has tried a double pivot with Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri, thing are just not settling in the midfield for the Citizens. Moreover, with this new incident of COVID-19 around their camp, there may be some interesting changes in Guardiola’s line-up come matchday.

Lampard and Co. could decide to go with a dangerous, yet awarding strategy of dropping deep and letting City press and then launching at attack immediately. This strategy worked last season as Pulisic scored the decisive goal to put the Blues ahead, eventually leading to a massive three points and deciding the title for Liverpool. However, this could easily backfire if Guardiola’s men actually manage to keep possession from Chelsea. Another thing worth mentioning is that Ziyech is back in training. A few games ago, Lampard discussed how they had practiced routines with Ziyech putting a ball near the far post. Hence, Ziyech’s involvement could truly boost Chelsea’s chances and cause trouble for Guardiola’s men near the 18-year box.

Lampard and Chelsea open the year with a really difficult game with a lot of pressure. With a number of lacklustre performances, the pressure is on the Blues and they need to deliver as soon as possible. This could be the perfect game for Chelsea to return to winning ways and announce its Premier League comeback.

dark. Next. Chelsea: Assessing Frank Lampard halfway through his initial contract

What are some key clashes you’ll be looking for? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!

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