English Premier League: Manchester City vs Chelsea Preview
These lineups would offer the best of what each side can, at least from the healthy talent each side has. Chelsea and City both have weaknesses down the middle and towards the back.
Chelsea has had Jorginho struggle recently, especially with Kante out of his optimal position, a deeper midfield role. Luiz and Rudiger are productive but tend to be volatile. Either of the two can play at an extremely high level or at a poor level.
Fernandinho is a dominant force in the centre of the park and can, in many ways, dictate the course of the game. This is exactly what Sarri’s men are lacking, as Jorginho has not been as refined in England, as opposed to his performance for Napoli. The arsenal of City’s attack is simply unmatched and if in form, their midfield will take a grip on the game.
The one troubling thing is that Laporte is City’s best defender and playing in a left-back role, depletes the middle in some ways. However, it provides necessary reinforcement on the end to contend with the pace of Pedro. Otamendi may not be the best centre-back in the league, but he could probably be effective enough here.
https://twitter.com/ManCity/status/1093884287915569152
The one variable is that Higuain was not a member of Chelsea in December and his presence bolsters their attack greatly. His presence in between Hazard and Pedro offers a daunting task for Manchester City’s back line, which will even the game out quite a bit.
Both sides play in a possession style system, which provides intense pressing. However, the styles still diverge greatly. For Sarri everything comes from the middle, whereas Pep focuses on the flanks in order to create attacks. However, this style does not overshadow their dynamic midfield, rather it places emphasis upon it. Fernandinho, De Bruyne, and Silva are vital as they are set up to cover much more ground.
Each of the two teams has their flaws and strengths, but no part of the pitch is more vital than the skill advantage at the centre of the park for Pep. If Sarri can somehow find a way to slow them down, as he did in December, Chelsea will themselves in a fortuitous position. If this is not the case, it might be easy work for City.