Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis | Premier League 2019-20

1. City's graft trumps grace in tense encounter

Guardiola's tactical tweaks worked a charm

In the 2018-19 season, City beat Liverpool to the punch in the greatest title race in Premier League history. The triumph also meant that the Cityzens notched their 2nd consecutive league success, something that hadn’t been achieved since the turn of the decade.

And, inevitably, their performances have dropped just a tad, meaning that Liverpool have stolen a march on them in the nascent stages of the current season. Moreover, the Sky Blues lost to the Reds at Anfield a fortnight ago, a result that left them 9 points adrift off Jurgen Klopp’s men.

Thus, the onus was firmly on City to post a victory against Chelsea and keep themselves in the title picture. And, even though they didn’t particularly set the world ablaze, they did just enough to ensure three points.

The hosts uncharacteristically ceded possession to the Blues as they opted for a slightly cautious approach. However, the visitors didn’t portray enough conviction in the attacking third to carve open the Sky Blues’ defence.

More promisingly though, Pep Guardiola found a tactical answer to a tough question posed by Lampard. A couple of weeks ago, Liverpool had thrown a similar query at the Cityzens and they failed to come up with a solution. Yet, at the Etihad, they were willing to forego a bit of their attacking freedom to get the desired result.

In football, one often says that champions know how to get the job done, even when they aren’t playing well. And, though they face a herculean task trying to retain their crown, they certainly highlighted the qualities that have enabled them to post successive title wins.