Manchester City: Key decisions for Pep Guardiola ahead of Chelsea clash

Manchester City host Chelsea as two of the top three teams in the Premier League clash. City manager Pep Guardiola has some key decisions to make ahead of the game.

Manchester City will face the most in-form team in the Premier League when they take on Chelsea on Saturday. Pep Guardiola is known for being a mastermind when it comes to tactically planning out big games like this. This will be another occasion when the Spaniard needs to prove exactly that.

Chelsea lead the way at the top of the Premier League and have now won seven games in succession, whilst scoring 19 goals and conceding just one. The Blues aren’t just in hot form right now, they’re scalding hot.

So how does Guardiola and City cool off this Chelsea side? For their part, the Citizens haven’t been in fantastic form themselves. It’s been up and down for Guardiola in the early stages of this season. Some good, some great, some poor.

But City did show against Barcelona in the Champions League last month that they can beat anybody. They also showed that they can successfully implement a plan put together by their tactically astute manager.

So the first thing Guardiola needs to decide on is a formation. The 4-1-4-1 has been favored this season, but a three-man defense has also been utilized. Will Guardiola decide to match up against Chelsea man-for-man? Match up formation with a back three?

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Everton tried as much last month but were horribly exposed. Ronald Koeman attempted to mirror Antonio Conte’s setup and received a 5-0 mauling for his efforts. Of course, that was Everton and Koeman. This is Manchester City and Guardiola.

The weakness in Chelsea’s team is the space behind wing backs Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso. The left side in particular where Alonso tends to play ahead of Gary Cahill. If City can find that space and get somebody like Raheem Sterling one-on-one with Cahill, then City should find joy.

Although, the fitness of Sterling is in doubt for the game. Which is another decision for Guardiola to make. Do you risk Sterling if he’s not 100 percent fit? The wide areas are probably the most crucial for City offensively in this game. But outside of Sterling, Guardiola is short on in-form wingers.

Leroy Sane is brimming with talent, but not yet fully acclimatized to the Premier League. Nolito is not necessarily a traditional winger. Meanwhile, Jesus Navas isn’t an obvious pick, but the Spaniard has been used by Guardiola this season. Navas might just be the horse for this particular course.

Kevin De Bruyne could fill a wide role also. The center of midfield is another area Guardiola has to consider, but De Bruyne could always be moved out wide if need be. However, the Belgian is clearly much more effective centrally than he is out wide.

Guardiola already has Fernandinho, Ilkay Gundogan and David Silva as midfielders who have played a lot this year. The right balance will need to be right for this game with Chelsea having the sturdy pairing of Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante in their engine room.

Also right-back is an area of concern. Eden Hazard has been in devastating form recently and Pablo Zabaleta tended to struggle against the Belgian even in his younger days. Now 31 and in decline, it’s not about to get much better for the Argentine.

Guardiola has tended to rotate Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna, but despite Sagna playing City’s last game against Burnley, he should probably play this one too. Sagna is less adventurous offensively than Zabaleta, but he is more defensively reliable and steady these days.

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The master plan for Guardiola will require more than just one or two decisions. It will be a string of decisions that come together to make the perfect game plan. That’s what Manchester City will need if they are to stop Chelsea in their tracks.

They can do it. City showed that against Barcelona. But to do so again against Chelsea, it will need Guardiola to make some key decisions and get them right.

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