Chelsea takes on Manchester City this weekend at the Stamford Bridge, and one can expect a lot of tactical guile as Conte faces off against Guardiola. Both teams had their woes last season but this time around there is a certain sense of familiarity.
The League’s top two sides face off against each other with no mid-week fixtures in between which mean both sides will be well rested and raring to go. In light of that, here is a look at the reasons which gives Chelsea the edge over Manchester City in this week’s upcoming tie:-
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#1 Chelsea’s core is well settled
Chelsea overcame Spurs at Stamford Bridge by sticking with the same team for the sixth successive match. Chelsea conceded their first goal in 600 minutes of that game, and it was a superb strike from Eriksen that led to the breakthrough. But that was as good as it got for Spurs as Chelsea made their comeback.
Ever since the Arsenal defeat, Conte has reverted to a 3-5-2 formation which served him so well during his time with Juventus and Italy. And the injury-induced absence of Terry has also made this transition easier. In fact, this change in formation has led to the revitalised presence of Pedro and Victor Moses.
Both of them were on the score-sheet against Spurs, and alongside the likes of Matic and Kante in the centre, the Blues have a more settled side in comparison to City. For any Premier League winning team, the core of the team has to be settled, and Conte seems to have found that.
#2 More fluent attacking options for the Blues
The Blues have been a different side this season, and this has been projected in the way the team attacks. The Blues already have nine different goal scorers in comparison to 8 of Manchester City. But the flip side of the 29 goals scored by both teams is that the bulk of the scoring for City has been done by Aguero, which makes City over-reliant on the Argentinean.
The Argentinean leads the scoring charts having scored ten already for the Citizens, and the same stat applies to Diego Costa as well. However, when it comes to alternative attacking options, Chelsea have the upper hand.
Hazard’s form aside, Moses and Pedro have also contributed emphatically by scoring three goals each. For City, the attacking side of the team is still not settled although they have scored the same number of goals as the Blues. Nolito, Gundogan and Iheanacho have also scored three goals each in the league while Sterling has four to his name.
However, a combination of injuries and more fixtures mean that the front three is yet to be settled for Manchester City. And in a match of such small margins even the littlest advantage might be a huge one. Over the past few weeks, the anticipation and movement of Chelsea have been much sharper than that of City and the comfort of a settled trio might just tilt the tie in favour of the Blues.
#3 Defensive resilience better than City
Much has already been written about the defensive shape of Chelsea and how the 3-5-2 formation is back in vogue. Conte has reverted to the formation which served him best and is reaping the rewards for his persistence. And this has also led to a certain defensive solidity as well.
The Blues have conceded only ten goals this league with the bulk of it coming in games against Arsenal this season. But with seven clean sheets already this season, the defensive side of the team is well settled. As for City, one will have to go back to November in the fixture against West Bromwich Albion to find their last clean-sheet.
And this small but very significant stat is one of the reasons why Chelsea will fancy a result against City.
#4 Home form – a key advantage
Stamford Bridge is rocking these days given the way Chelsea have trounced their opponents this season. The Blues currently are the best team when it comes to home form having won 6 out of 7 fixtures and have already picked up 18 points this campaign.
But what makes one sit up and take notice is the identical away form of Manchester City, who have also picked up the same amount of points. However, if early season form is any indication, then Chelsea seem to be on a roll having plundered 11 goals in their last three home fixtures.
Similarly, City’s away wins have been more hard fought. In fact, in a game of such small margins, Guardiola’s side will start on the back-foot because of the lack of fluency. Chelsea’s confidence to get a result at home coupled with the fact that they are outscoring their opponents at home does give Blues an added advantage.
#5 Courtois’s presence much more calming than that of Bravo
One of the first moves of Guardiola, when he took over City in the summer, was replacing Joe Hart with Claudio Bravo. The Spaniard favours a playing style which starts from the back and for him, the goalkeeper should be able to “play the ball” instead of hoofing it.
However, Bravo’s time has been blighted by errors and mistakes but has also seen him learning the ropes as fast as possible. But he remains some way off from exuding the same calmness that Courtois brings to the Blues side.
And the Belgian was on hand to praise the coach and the team after the Spurs victory as he stated, “We found the strength inside the team, and the changes of the manager helped us win the game. He's like that every session. When we do tactics, he's very passionate and demands. He keeps the team sharp.”
This new found confidence coupled with the fact that Courtois has had more experience in the Premier League helps give Chelsea an added advantage.
