What: English Premier League
Who: Manchester City vs Chelsea
When: Sunday 24th February, 2013, at 13:30 UK Time
Where: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City Must Mind The Gap
This match sees a battle of two managers who most suspect will be employed elsewhere (if at all) at the start of next season. Yet continual questions about Roberto Mancini’s future, with the Chilean press suggesting that a verbal agreement has been reached with Manuel Pellegrini for the Malaga coach to take over at the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season, caused the Italian to lash out in his pre-match press conference, swearing at the media.
Later on Friday, Mancini made perhaps even more interesting comments, after being quoted suggesting some of his squad did not have the required motivation to keep up the same standards set last season, when Manchester City thrillingly snatched the Premier League title. The omens are not good as Mancini looks for an improvement. Manchester City have not been victorious in any of their last three league games and have won just one of the last four against Chelsea. Only Arsenal have won as many games in this part of the world as Chelsea, who have taken on average more points from Manchester City away from home than any other side in the Premier League. More encouragingly for the Citizens, they have beaten the Blues in each of their last three meetings in Manchester.
If Manchester City cannot see off Chelsea, there is a real risk of them being dragged into the battle for Champions League spots, with the west Londoners leading the clutch of teams who are catching up with the champions. Mancini's men may have been focused on Manchester United recently, but with their city rivals well clear of them, they are actually closer in terms of points to sixth placed Everton than the leaders. And with Chelsea just four behind, they must be careful not to let their season completely fall apart.
Away Comforts For Rafael Benitez
Chelsea took their strange home form into the Europa League with a lacklustre 1-1 draw at home to Sparta Prague on Thursday which will have encouraged Manchester City. But the Blues have been so much better away from home of late, perhaps because of the freedom from the poisonous atmosphere at Stamford Bridge, but more so because Benitez’s tactics and players are better suited to counter-attack than breaking down massed defences.
More concerning still is the way in which Chelsea have struggled to hold onto leads. They have given away two-goal advantages against strugglers Southampton and Reading, and almost did the same against both Arsenal and Wigan, whilst ceding a 2-1 advantage to lose at Newcastle. Chelsea have been deeply unimpressive of late, labouring to wins in the FA Cup against Brentford, the Europa League against Sparta Prague and being dumped out of the League Cup by Swansea.
Chelsea may have their sights set on reducing the gap to second place, but they should beware teams below them, in particular Tottenham, who have looked much better than the Blues recently and must be a better bet for third place at present. Dropped points at the Etihad Stadium would give both Andre Villas-Boas’ side and Arsenal the chance to close the gap further, meaning they cannot take Champions League qualification for granted. And Benitez knows better than anyone that should Chelsea look likely to miss out on the top four, his interim appointment will be cut even shorter.
Recent form
Manchester City:
Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool (03/02; Premier League)
Southampton 3-1 Manchester City (09/02; Premier League)
Manchester City 4-0 Leeds United (17/02; FA Cup)
Chelsea:
Sparta Prague 0-1 Chelsea (14/02; Europa League)
Chelsea 4-0 Brentford (17/02; FA Cup)
Chelsea 1-1 Sparta Prague (21/02; Europa League)
Key absences
Manchester City: Vincent Kompany (doubt); Gareth Barry (doubt); Micah Richards
Chelsea: Oriol Romeu
Players to watch
Manchester City – Carlos Tevez: The Argentine has not played in Manchester City’s last two games but will surely come into the side after the dismal defeat to Southampton last time around. The controversial forward does not lack for effort, and Mancini will want players to show the kind of desire Tevez does to help haul them back into the title race. Tevez has had as many shots as anyone else in a Manchester City shirt this season, and was critical in this fixture last season, helping his side to a comeback victory. He can pull Chelsea’s defence out of position and cause all kinds of problems for the visitors.
Chelsea – Frank Lampard: Lampard sat out the game with Sparta Prague in the week but the Englishman is in a rich vein of form as he attempts to persuade Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to offer him an extension to his contract, which expires at the end of the season. The midfielder has struck 11 goals in his 13 starts for Chelsea this season, a remarkable record, and another one would mean he has hit the target five games in a row for only the third time in his illustrious career. The class which Lampard exudes both on and off the pitch even now surely marks him down as the best of the famed Chelsea ‘old guard’, but there is plenty of life yet left in this particular East Ender.
Match Prediction
This is a game between two teams who have struggled of late but Manchester City can be expected to come racing out of the blocks. It should not be forgotten that they lost their last game in the league to a team in Southampton who pressed them extremely high up the pitch and would have probably beaten most teams in the division playing the way they did.
The key for Chelsea will be to survive an early Manchester City onslaught and work their way into this game. That could well suit them, and Eden Hazard, Frank Lampard and Juan Mata will be dangers on the counter attack. Demba Ba could also play a crucial part after Fernando Torres endured a difficult night against Sparta Prague on Thursday.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Chelsea went in front, given the inconsistency of Manchester City’s frontline and the ability of the visitors to create something out of nothing. And with their counter-attacking ability this should suit them quite nicely. But Chelsea tend to finish games badly and Manchester City will probably put intense pressure on the Londoners as this match goes on, making a score draw the likely outcome. Chelsea 1-1 Manchester City.
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