Yesterday was one of those awesome weekends where we had to witness some amazing game of football. Lots of exciting matches took place but the stand out match was the Chelsea vs Mancity game which resulted in an outcome not many persons predicted.
Chelsea hosted Mancity in matchday 16 and a hard fought victory was the outcome. On paper, City were expected to win the game considering their unstoppable form and the recent dip in the blues performances.
Before the game, the blues had already lost Wolves and a loss in this fixture could have seen them drop off the top four position. This was a must-win game for the blues to get back to winning ways and remain in the top 4 position.
Post-Match Analyses
It was a cool Sunday night at the bridge yesterday, the whole stadium was filled with fans of both teams and the atmosphere was very loud as always at the bridge.
Some section of the fans believed Chelsea could get the win while some fans were expecting a Chelsea loss.
It was a match of various emotions, but the blues fans would definitely want to feel the same emotion week-in-week-out.
The odds were on City to win, but it turned out to proved that in football, the odds doesn’t matter.
For Chelsea, their victory means that they still retain in their 4th position and they become the first team in the EPL to stop City this season.
For City, the loss means that they drop to 2nd after so many weeks of being top of the league, allowing the reds who are really putting pressure on them to take over.
The blues lined up for this match in their usual 4-3-3 formation which became a 4-5-1 formation when defending. Sarri decided to go with a slightly different approach for this game with hazard used as a false 9, while City setup in their preferred 4-3-3 formation also with a false 9.
Both teams started the game lively, but it was City who immediately took control of the first 35 minutes of the game and looked like a team to run away with the win. The kept on passing the ball around and finding men all over the pitch, pressing the Chelsea players aggressively and not giving them any time on the ball, which worked for the most part of the first half until the first goal.
Chelsea, on the other hand, had their plans and were looking for that golden opportunity to strike. In this game, the blues decided to allow City have more of the ball and preferred to be compact without giving them much spaces at the back which turned out to be a fantastic idea.
Since Chelsea were finding it difficult to play out from the back, they utilized Luiz distribution ability to break City’s line of press, which was how the Blues scored the first goal of the match.
It was a tactical game from both managers, more like a game of chess, but it was Sarri’s tactics which finally came out on top.
The First Goal
The first goal came just a few minutes to halftime. Luiz who has an amazing distribution, found Pedro in space at the right wing with a perfect long pass, he controlled the ball well, and after a few passes here and there, the ball landed on the feet of Hazard who did what he does best, managed to play a cutback pass for Kante to fire the ball home for the first goal of the night. The home fans went wild.
The Second Goal
The Blues won their first corner kick and instantly converted it superbly after Luiz rose highest to meet the perfect cross by Hazard to ensure the blue take the all-important 3 points and become the first team to stop City’s unbeaten run this season.
Observation/Talking Point
Sarri Finally Tweaked His Tactics
The blues manager finally decided to do something different, playing hazard as a false 9 which was a great idea that paid off. Instead of his usual gameplay he has used all through the season, he decided to play a more conservative football in the first half. He set his team up in a 4-3-3 formation but morphed to a 4-5-1 when defending.
The whole idea was to ensure there were no spaces for City to exploit since they have very fast attackers, get the first goal and switch back to their normal way of playing.
They got the first goal just before halftime which allowed them to play their football with greater ease in the second half instead of sitting back to pack the bus.
It was a great decision by Sarri and a tactical masterclass to do something different for this match which outsmarted Pep and ensured his team took the maximum points and get back to winning ways.
And that is a wrap…
What do you think… What are your opinions about the game?
I would love to read your own opinions… Enjoy your day.
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