Guardiola faced a dilemma when selecting his Man City starting eleven for their match against Chelsea since Jack Grealish was out, Bernardo Silva was not well enough to start, and John Stones was probably not ready to play twice a week.
He could attempt to duplicate the potent lineup that he selected in Denmark. Alternatively, he may remember Julian Alvarez and Jeremy Doku and embrace the turmoil, just as he did at Stamford Bridge. Even though it would have put him under strain, he chose the latter, leaning into his attacking alternatives. While moving into midfield, Manuel Akanji has performed admirably in the Stones role; nonetheless, Chelsea has space for the experimental XI when they transition.
Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer took advantage of City’s weaknesses, with Palmer consistently finding teammates in space on Chelsea’s right after drawing Nathan Ake out of place and Rodri being exposed. Raheem Sterling scored the goal as a consequence, and Chelsea’s strategy of pushing guys forward during the transition consistently worked flawlessly.
Palmer consistently went unopposed when delivering easy passes into the open channel as Chelsea carried out their game plan in the second half. Even if Doku’s final output was inconsistent, he was nevertheless serving as City’s primary source of pressure. It appeared as though City’s strategy was evaporating, to be replaced with determination both on and off the field. Guardiola would prefer a different approach to winning games, and the points they managed to secure said as much.
Despite all of City’s determination to tie the game with Chelsea, they dropped two points in this match as opposed to making a valiant effort to catch up. Erling Haaland in particular was one of the many opportunities that City let slip, and Jeremy Doku’s final output was never very good.
The Oasis hit “You’ve Got to Roll With It” was played along with the full-time whistle. City will follow suit. Next was “Singing the Blues.” Doku collapsed to the ground at the other end of the Etihad as the away supporters rejoiced as though they had won more than a point that keeping them in 10th place. He can’t be blamed for not trying hard enough, but he is aware that this wasn’t his greatest trip since arriving in the summer. In place of Jack Grealish, who assists City by impeding their attack, Doku did the same thing but frequently failed to locate an attacker in the box.
Haaland was irritated at the same time. When a camera got too close, he shoved it away and didn’t spend much time on the field, even though he usually did a lap of gratitude to the crowd. Knowing he should have scored at least one goal to make it one point into three, he looked upset as he walked out, taking off his jersey. These responses demonstrated how the City locker room felt following yet another disappointing Chelsea evening.
Three players failed to seize their opportunity.
What’s so special about Chelsea? Despite starting this game in the lowest part of the table, they managed to cause City more problems than most teams this season for the second time in a row. Though the absence of three of their key players—Jeremy Doku and Manu Akanji—who put in a lot of effort to halt transitions didn’t help City, they had more than suitable stand-ins in Doku and Akanji. Additionally, this season, World Cup winner Julian Alvarez has shown great skill in coordinating midfield and attack.
This was an opportunity for Doku and Akanji in particular to get back into the mix for the upcoming major games. However, Doku was responsible for Nathan Ake’s isolation in defense and his inability to come up with a winning offensive play. Even though he became more aggressive in the second half, he was unable to compensate for Grealish’s lack of awareness by producing a strong enough offensive display. He proved to be insufficient of a Stones impersonator to unseat the England man once he resumes fitness, according to Akanji.
Because Grealish, Bernardo, and Stones were all in the starting lineup, the City team in Copenhagen was regarded as their best of the season. Guardiola had to give up part of the control he so desperately wanted in their absence. It’s unlikely that the confusion that took the place of the trio against Chelsea will go over well in the dugout. The fact that City’s attacks became more coherent when Bernardo took Alvarez’s place was no coincidence. It seems unlikely that Akanji, Doku, or even Alvarez will be in the starting lineup for the upcoming major match if everyone is healthy.
Palmer gets the reception that he deserves.
Both Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer, who are former Blues, received differing reactions from the visiting City supporters at Stamford Bridge because of their vocal wishes to leave the Etihad in pursuit of regular games. Palmer shrugged his shoulders after scoring a late goal at Stamford Bridge, a non-celebration that conveyed a powerful message nonetheless. Palmer may be receiving more dubious treatment from his erstwhile supporters as a result of his remarks this week regarding proving a point to City.
But even before the game began, there was a thunderous ovation for Palmer and Sterling when the Chelsea roster was announced. John Stones and Bernardo Silva, the substitutes, shook hands and chatted with Palmer in the tunnel before every player in City’s starting lineup paused to shake hands with Palmer before leaving.
After Nathan Ake’s last-ditch slide to deny him a certain goal, Palmer smiled like a Cheshire cat, while Sterling showed respect for his first-half goal with his celebration. Before the performance was over, both were changed, at first eliciting jeers from the audience before they were suddenly greeted with cheers.
Palmer spent some time full-time with Rico Lewis, Phil Foden, Ederson, and Ruben Dias before finally joining his teammates to thank the away fans. After much discussion, Palmer felt as though he was making a healing comeback on the evening of his best-ever performance at the Etihad.
Rodri kind of recreates his Istanbul moment.
Is City performing poorly and inconsistently? Verify. Are big players missing huge opportunities and time running out? Verify. Is Ederson continuing to play them? Verify. With Liverpool and Arsenal’s significant victories earlier in the day, this game felt like a must-win in the title chase even though it was not Istanbul. It also had almost as much suspense. Rodri moves forward to place his foot through it while the ball is bouncing around loose in the vicinity.
This strike lacked the sweetness and composure of the Champions League final. The crowd at the Etihad erupted as if Rodri had scored the most significant goal of his career, even though the goal deflected on its way in. It was undoubtedly a relief from frustrations that had built up for 75 minutes. Although Rodri brought his teammates back to the center for a restart, they will be aware that he kept up his recent trend of scoring significant, impactful goals in another crucial match.
Even though the Blues were behind at the half, the City supporters were ready for the rainy game and stuck with their team the entire time. Earlier in the second half, they had been singing about Istanbul, so it was fitting that Rodri’s equalizer reminded everyone of that unforgettable evening. Although it won’t bring home any significant trophies for City, this goal may keep them in the running for one.
When asked to commend Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino before the match, Pep Guardiola spoke simply and refused to elaborate, saying just that he respected the man. In his program notes, he went a little farther, noting that “because they follow his principles, you can see a Pochettino team very quickly.” Playing against him never comes easy, which makes going up against him a daunting task.” After City left Stamford Bridge in November without exchanging the traditional full-time handshake, the two cracked a joke before kickoff. The Catalan was given Pochettino’s word that there wouldn’t be a repetition on Saturday.
The data that showed Guardiola has only lost one of his twelve home games versus Pochettino was prominently shown on the Etihad screens before kickoff. And once the game started, both managers hunkered down on the edge of their zones in the rain, trying to be the first to respond more theatrically than the other to squandered opportunities, clumsy passes, and dubious refereeing calls. Raheem Sterling’s goal was welcomed by Pochettino with his customary glee. More than usual, Guardiola let out a tirade.
After the interval, both men were a little more tense since they wanted to secure the best outcome for their team. When Rodri equalized, Guardiola let out a raucous celebration. At the end of the game, Pochettino followed through on his promise to rush over to Guardiola and give him a quick handshake. The outcome won’t make either manager particularly happy, but Pochettino will be a little happier. Guardiola’s home record against his opponent is intact.
