What I learnt from Manchester City 2-0 Chelsea
What I learnt from Manchester City 2-0 Chelsea
A post-match tactical debrief of the good and bad from Manchester City and Chelsea's start of the season.
Guardiola's City just beat Maresca's Chelsea away.
Nothing unexpected but what did we learn?
1) There is a common theme in how teams have set up intially this season.
Teams in possesison tend to opt for a 3-1-6 shape.
In deep build-up, the keeper joins in to form a back 4.
The rationale? To make the opposition team's life hell – unable to press high in a compact way.
City did this well. Ederson launched the ball long readily when Chelsea committed numbers to their press.
De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva moved to the flanks, pulling Chelsea midfield two (of the 4-2-4) apart too.
By progressing through the flanks before exploiting the space centrally, City found some joy. Their first goal came about in a similar way.
2) Rico Lewis? Brilliant.
Big fan of the kid. 19 years old but with the maturity of a seasoned pro. Technically proficient, positionally intelligent – he's one of the most underrated players in the world for me.
On occasion he stifled Nkunku well too. A clearance at the backpost highlighted his positional understanding defensively.
3) Chelsea's team? Some good, some meh.
What stood out to me was how their player's in their roles weren't maximised. Nkunku is a player who thrives moving into second striker positions. He was pinned to the touchline whilst Enzo supported Jackson centrally – unusual. Neto was bright on that left flank. Enzo looked better deeper too.
Palmer tried to force the issue later into the game moving into the middle, asking for the ball.
I wonder about how well he'll perform this season.
He is a wildly talented footballer but Pochettino's style of play empowered him.
By restricting him of freedom, there's a possibility he doesn't match the heights of last season.
Otherwise I thought Lavia was great, particularly at resisting pressure in possession. Chelsea had a good athleticism to their pressure.
Thanks for reading friends.
I’m going to be using this newsletter more frequently – aiming to share value often. 2024/25 will be a big one for us so stay tuned.
– Umir
Professional football analyst.
