What: English Premier League
Who: Chelsea vs Manchester City
When: Monday 12th December, 2011, at 20:00 UK Time
Where: Stamford Bridge, London, England
What’s the Mata, Andre?
It has been a mixed season for Chelsea. A solid start was followed by an inconsistent run in which the Blues looked defensively suspect. Yet for all the criticism aimed at their young manager, Andre Villas-Boas, Chelsea’s failings have come down to two main problems; one is the lack of a defensive midfielder, and the other is that their players have been unable to adapt tactically to their Portuguese overlord’s new system. Taken out of their comfort zone, the likes of John Terry and David Luiz have been unable to make the right decisions when played higher up the pitch.
Against Valencia in the Champions League, Villas-Boas played a far deeper line, and it suited his players. Luiz, more used to such a system with Brazil and former side Benfica, looked assured, whilst Terry is always more comfortable being able to see the ball in front of him.
The ex-FC Porto boss seems to have finally found a happy medium between pragmatism and turning Chelsea into an entertaining outfit as the club make a transition which will involve phasing out their older players. In Oriel Romeu, Raul Meireles and Ramires, Juan Mata and Daniel Sturridge, the Blues have a new, more creative look up front. And Villas-Boas has changed the defensive approach of his team to suit older heads like Terry and Ashley Cole, just in time to keep them in the Champions League.
Now that set-up must be transferred to the Premier League, where the club have realistic aspirations of being involved in the title race. Victory over Manchester City would go a long way towards confirming it is slump over for the Blues.
Money, Money, Money
Manchester City’s form in the Premier League this season has been superb – though it could be argued that this is the least the Citizens should expect, having spent over half a billion on players. Roberto Mancini’s men have swept all before them domestically, with the perfect tempo-setter David Silva the heart of most of their play this season. Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko have been on hand to apply the finishing touches – Mario Balotelli the fireworks – but it is the ex-Valencia man who probes, prompts and dictates.
Defensively, Manchester City have not been as sound as last season – understandable as the transition from a hard to beat team into one who want to sparkle and entertain has been made. With Micah Richards and Aleksandar Kolarov (or Paulo Zabaleta and Gael Clichy) rampaging forward, the Citizens can often find themselves short at the back. This cost them their place in the Champions League as Napoli took advantage on the break both in Manchester and Naples.
But going forward Manchester City have been scintillating and have taken advantage of weak defensive performances from Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, along with numerous others. With a limitless pool of cash, Mancini can invest in an ever expanding squad of world class talents – against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium Manchester City were able to call upon a £40M striker to score the winner. Nevertheless, Mancini is well aware of the Chelsea threat.
“Chelsea have proved in the last three or four weeks that they are a fantastic team. Chelsea have important players and experienced players – a great team”, said the Italian.
Recent form
Chelsea:
Chelsea 3-0 Valencia
(06/12; Champions League)
Newcastle United 0-3 Chelsea
(03/12; Premier League)
Chelsea 0-2 Liverpool (29/12; League Cup)
Manchester City:
Manchester City 2-0 Bayern Munich (07/12; Champions League)
Manchester City 5-1 Norwich City (03/12; Premier League)
Arsenal 0-1 Manchester City (29/12; League Cup)
Key absences
Chelsea: David Luiz (suspended); Josh McEachran; Michael Essien
Manchester City: Aleksandar Kolarov
Players to watch
Chelsea – Oriel Romeu: Chelsea have recorded impressive back to back victories against Newcastle and Valencia since their League Cup exit to Liverpool, and most striking change to the side has been the inclusion of Romeu. The former Barcelona man does not charge forward, screens the defence superbly and when a player is a threat is there to intercept. Disciplined and technically adept, the Spaniard will give Silva probably his toughest test of the season so far.
Manchester City – David Silva: Probably the player of the season so far. Manchester City’s best moves go through the Spaniard. If the side cannot pass through Silva, they tend to move the play out wide, and so his ability to find space and play in Aguero or Dzeko will be critical to the chances of Mancini’s men.
Match Prediction
Manchester City are unlikely to be affected so much by their Champions League exit as they were not expected to progress, while Chelsea have rediscovered their form, and with Mancini’s men top of the league and undefeated domestically both teams will head into the game with reason to be confident.
Chelsea’s pragmatic approach against Valencia saw the side defend deeper and with a real defensive shield in Romeu. Manchester City will look to pass through the centre and for all their failings, Chelsea know how to defend against a team who pass the ball around in front of them, and with Luiz absent, could pose Aguero and Silva an intimidating physical challenge. Mancini’s best hope of success probably comes down the flanks.
Manchester City have been defensively suspect at times and were fortunate against Liverpool, who outplayed them for large periods. The Citizens are also likely to leave the kind of space that Fernando Torres thrives in, and have shown against Napoli that they are susceptible to fast counter-attacks. Didier Drogba is currently getting the headlines, but if Villas-Boas gives the ex-Liverpool man a game, then Juan Mata can create the chances for him and Daniel Sturridge to punish City. This could be a game tactically more suited to the home side. Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City.
Chelsea v Manchester City could be a Premier League match to remember. Likely to be full of top quality play, betting opportunities will be rife. Make sure you visit OLBG for tips and to compare the current odds and betting markets available at all the important bookmakers.
