Premier League preview: Manchester City v Chelsea
When these two clubs last met seven months ago at Stamford Bridge, all the focus was on a pre-match handshake between John Terry and Wayne Bridge rather than the actual match itself.
As it turned out, the most hyped handshake – or lack of - in living memory was in fact rather entertaining, but the absolute humdinger of a game that followed managed to overshadow it.
Manchester City were tremendous and produced their best performance of the season against Carlo Ancelotti’s side. Two goals apiece from Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy handed Man City all three points in a 4-2 win – as they became the only team in the Premiership to do the double over the eventual champions during that campaign.
This clash between the top-flight’s mega spenders is now one of the most anticipated in the football calendar, and Saturday lunchtime’s match promises to be the most intriguing yet.
City have made no bones about the fact they’ve had to spend an unprecedented amount of money to become competitive with the best teams in the Premier League. This summer saw Roberto Mancini part with an astronomical £120 million thanks to the financial backing of Sheikh Mansour, with the likes of David Silva, Mario Balotelli and James Milner all arriving at Eastlands.
But on the evidence of what City have produced so far this season, it may still be a little while before the club’s star acquisitions gel effectively with the rest of the squad.
Turning City into a proper team rather than a mere collection of talented individuals is the overwhelming task facing Mancini right now. Most managers would give their right arm to be in the Italian’s position with a seemingly endless pot of cash to play about with, but there’s little doubt that the job is one of the most high-pressured in English football.
Only earlier this week the Citizens were dumped out of the Carling Cup by West Brom, which fortunately for Mancini, was largely swept under the carpet thanks to the elimination of Chelsea and Liverpool.
However, a club like Man City, who haven’t won a piece of silverware since 1976, should be aiming to challenge on all fronts to seal their first trophy in 34 years.
Their aspiration is to follow in the footsteps of their weekend opponents. Chelsea are living proof that spending big can lead to major success, and so far this season, the Blues have swept aside every team who dares to stand in their path.
In their opening five league matches, Chelsea have taken maximum points and scored a remarkable 20 goals. That’s an average of four goals per match, and in every one of those matches they could easily have doubled their tally with the number of chances created.
Ancelotti’s side have been utterly relentless so far this season, although many believe Saturday’s clash will be their first big test of the campaign.
Where once, not so long ago, travelling to Eastlands was far from a daunting prospect, it’s now a destination few teams relish playing at. Last month, Mancini’s men displayed exactly what their capable of at the City of Manchester Stadium with a 3-0 demolition of Liverpool.
Could Chelsea really suffer the same fate despite their blistering start to the season?
It seems unlikely. Chelsea have gone about their business in such a professional manner this season that they’re now the huge favourites to retain the Premier League trophy come May.
Ancelotti recently stated the he wants to be at Stamford Bridge for the next 20-odd years until he’s 75, and on the basis of his first 13 months in charge, there’s no reason why he should be deterred from holding that aspiration.
Victory against one of the only teams he’s yet to beat during his short tenure will be the aim on Saturday, as Chelsea bid for their sixth successive league win.
Man City may have spent the most money out of any team in Europe this summer, but it’s Chelsea who are Europe’s in-form team.
Although they’re not expected to sweep City aside in the same manner as their previous Premier League opponents, Ancelotti’s side are playing with such imagination and freedom right now that any scoreline is possible.
Prediction: Manchester City 1 Chelsea 2
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