Preview: Manchester City v Chelsea
Arguably the biggest match in the English Premier League this weekend, Manchester City will put their title credentials to the test against a Chelsea side which has so far demolished all-comers.
City have invested hundreds of millions of pounds to build a star-studded squad where the ability of the individuals should be enough to overcome any opponents they might face. However, questions remain over manager Roberto Mancini’s ability to keep all
of his players happy and put together a team capable of challenging for honours.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have been transformed under Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian has taken the core members of Jose Mourinho’s defensive side which won back-to-back titles and has morphed them into an elite attacking force while still refusing to give opponents
any leeway at the back of the pitch.
City off to decent start
City are currently fourth in the league table after getting the season off to a decent start that has seen them record wins over Liverpool and Wigan Athletic. However, they dropped points to both Tottenham Hotspur and Blackburn Rovers in draws while they
also fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Sunderland.
The Stamford Bridge side, on the other hand, have blown all of their opponents away. The defending champions have won all of their games so far, including 6-0 thumpings of both West Bromwich Albion and Wigan. They have conceded just one goal in the league,
showing that a strong defence is an important foundation for a successful side.
Mancini will be hoping he can put a halt to that storming run and will be looking to his talented forwards to make the difference.
Tevez is strong threat
City’s main threat to Chelsea looks to be Carlos Tevez. The club captain has managed to feature regularly for the side despite Mancini having a litany of attacking talent to call upon. The Argentina international joined City from Manchester United last summer
and netted 29 goals in 42 games in his first season at Eastlands. He has got this campaign off to a good start, having managed to find the net three times in six games so far.
Meanwhile, his fellow striker Mario Balotelli could be fit in time for this weekend’s game. The £24m man arrived from Inter Milan in the summer with a reputation of being a difficult but extremely talented player. He has only managed to play 33 minutes of
first-team football for City so far, but that cameo saw him strike a crucial goal in the UEFA Europa League and pick up an injury that has left him on the sidelines for around a month.
City’s England international goalkeeper Joe Hart will face a tough afternoon with Chelsea’s potent attacking trio of Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda looking to add to their goal tallies.
Drogba set to lead attack
Drogba has been Chelsea’s man main since he arrived from French side Marseille in 2004. He has become the club’s sixth-highest scorer of all time and has scored more goals for the club (136) than any other player. He also won the Golden Boot for scoring
the most goals of any player in the league in the 2006-07 and 2009-10 seasons. In six matches across all competitions so far this campaign, he has found the net five times.
Anelka initially struggled to play alongside Drogba when he was recruited in January 2008. However, he has flourished since Ancelotti moved to an attacking 4-3-3 to accommodate both strikers and he has already netted four goals in five matches this season.
Malouda, meanwhile, has come to prominence this season after struggling to adjust to the English game at first. The winger has been a dangerous force in the Chelsea attack so far this term and has already notched up six goals.
The dominant form of Chelsea so far this campaign means that it is difficult to predict anything other than an away win.
Tags: