Premier League giants Chelsea will be looking to get back to winning ways when they welcome Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side to Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening. The Blues’ most recent league outing ended in a 1-1 draw after a second-half goal from Anwar El Ghazi cancelled out Olivier Giroud’s expert opener. The London club have been in a poor run of form of late, with the embarrassing 3-1 defeat to Arsenal being their lowest point so far this season. While they’re still not in a terrible position on the league table, unless Chelsea start picking up points, a title race can already be completely ruled out.
Picking up a win against Manchester City could come as a statement of intent from Chelsea, and it would send out a message to the rest of the league that the London club mean business. A win could also see Chelsea climb into the top four of the table, depending obviously on the results of teams around them as well. Irrespective of the occasion and what’s on stake, a big game like this is something that Frank Lampard will be eager to make the most of, and if they’re able to somehow pick up the win, it could come as the confidence boost they so desperately need to turn the season back around.
Chelsea’s attacking play has not been all that great over recent weeks, with the likes of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz unable to perform up to the required level. However, it must be taken into account that the young Germans are still settling into life in the Premier League. Defensively too, although Edouard Mendy started life as a Chelsea player in exceptional fashion, rough edges have begun to show. With all of this in mind, identifying 3 things Lampard’s Chelsea must do to beat Manchester City was never going to be too much of a challenge.
Identifying 3 Things Lampard’s Chelsea Must Do To Beat Manchester City:
Start Ben Chilwell And Reece James
The dynamic English duo have arguably been two of the Blues’ best players so far this season, as they’ve contributed heavily both defensively and offensively. While Reece James’ explosive pace and crossing ability will be crucial to Chelsea potentially breaking City down, Chilwell’s ability to link up play and bring others into the game will be vital too. The Chelsea back-line looks much more secure with these two in the team, and going up against what is quite possibly the strongest attack in the entirety of the Premier League without being full-strength is like the perfect recipe for disaster.
Bring Hakim Ziyech Back In
Although it must be conceded that the Moroccan might not be at full strength yet, bringing the former Ajax man into the team is an absolute necessity for Chelsea. Although they have been creating chances, the Chelsea attack-line is a different animal with Ziyech in the team, and his passing and movement are second to none. Moreover, the fact that all of Chelsea’s other attackers are left-sided wingers also plays a major role. Ziyech’s ability to create openings out of thin air will be crucial when trying to break down what has been a rather solid Manchester City defence this season.
Play Kante As The Lone Holding Midfielder
Although Lampard has often attempted to squeeze Jorginho into his teams, starting the Italian against the Citizens could prove to be suicidal. The vice-captain’s lack of pace is definitely going to be an issue against the rapid customers in the Manchester City attack-line. Chelsea though, have a simple yet effective way in which they can counter that – play N’Golo Kante as the holding midfielder instead. The Frenchman’s willingness to chase after the ball for the entirety of the tie will be pivotal against a free-flowing team like City, and his presence in front of the defence has the potential to make or break this game for the Blues.
