Manchester City proved at the weekend that despite injuries to key areas they are still one of the most dangerous sides in the Premier League. In a highly engaging encounter between two of the league’s most free-flowing teams, City came from behind to prevent Frank Lampard from securing his biggest coup as Chelsea boss. But where did it all go wrong for the ex-England international on Saturday?
There can be no doubt that the result is still an impressive one considering Lampard is not even halfway through his first season as a top-flight manager and Chelsea have a transfer ban. Also bear in mind his opponent, Pep Guardiola, is a serial winner who as an obsession for titles. Another factor to consider is that the visitors were desperately unfortunate Kurt Zouma deflected Kevin De Bruyne’s shot to wrongfoot Kepa Arrizabalaga.
However, Chelsea ought to have been more alert, aiming to consolidate the lead they had just accumulated, but Manchester City were never going to roll over. Lampard’s side should have known a fightback was imminent.
Another defensive aspect that cannot be excused was the fact Emerson Palmieri showed Riyad Mahrez inside, which if you haven’t seen the Premier League over the last couple of year is an absolute cardinal sin. In Emerson’s defence, the gap he left wasn’t a large one, but presenting the Algerian with an opportunity to curl a shot off his left foot is asking for trouble. Lampard may be in the market for a new left-back when Chelsea’s transfer embargo is lifted as Marcos Alonso has fallen out of favour after his performance against Ajax and did not start against either Crystal Palace or Manchester City.
Further forward Chelsea have created a quite scintillating midfield trio N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho have an outstanding blend of industry and flair. Not only did they make more passes, but they also had more possession than their opponents, which is unheard of against Guardiola. While they were also able to play more through balls than the hosts, three of those four situations lacked the required finish, and only two of their 11 shots were on target.
Chelsea’s efforts were admirable, but ultimately, they were insufficient, but nobody was expecting them to give City such a close run for their money, considering they couldn’t spend any. Astute defending without lapses in concentration and more potent finishing was the difference between the two sides, and Guardiola’s team may not have been at full strength, but the gap is definitely closing.
It will be crucial that if the Blues are to overcome Valencia and take a vital step towards qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Champions League, the defensive lapses that were on show against City can be avoided and ultimately removed from their play.
Maintaining concentration at the back will go a long way to ensuring that Chelsea play Champions League football post-Christmas, though there were many positives going forward to take away from their loss to Manchester City, such as the way they dictated possession, which should concern Wednesday night’s host.
