By Daily Sports on October 3, 2017

There was something about the score line that flattered Chelsea when Manchester City stormed Stamford Bridge and made away with the 3 points in last weekend’s English Premiership big game. Such was City’s dominance of the game that Chelsea could count themselves lucky not to have lost by a wider margin.

All we have come to know and admire, and perhaps fear (that is if your darling team is playing against his club) Coach Pep Guardiola for over the years, when his teams were playing, were on full display on Saturday against a hapless Chelsea. Manchester City bossed possession in a strangling fashion, they passed the ball around masterfully and carved Chelsea open on a number of occasions before inspirational playmaker, Kelvin De Bryune’s fierce strike following a beautiful and speedy build up play put the hosts to the sword late in the game.

There is what they call the 5-second rule in Guardiola’s tactical playbook. When his team loses the ball, they immediately begin a counter press with such ferocity that ensures that the opponents don't retain the ball for up to five seconds. Manchester City did that masterfully on most times against Chelsea as Stamford Bridge was transformed into a library of shocked and speechless spectators.

There were signs that Chelsea were not as infallible at The Bridge this season as they were last season when Arsenal came visiting a fortnight ago. The Gunners dominated Chelsea for most parts of the encounter which finished scoreless, ensuring that for the first time under manager Antonio Conte, Chelsea would not be scoring at home. A number of near misses by Arsene Wenger’s men on that evening saved Chelsea. But it was Man City who went further to strangulate The Blues in a manner that is reminiscent of the great Barcelona team under the same Pep Guardiola.

That City could so take the defending Champions to the cleaners so dominantly is suggestive that they are the new team to beat as far as the premier league's title race is concerned. Many are quick to downplay City’s blistering form by pointing out that they won their first 10 games last season, but ended up wobbling and fumbling to a third place finish. But this is ignoring the fact that there has been massive and crucial changes in the playing personnel of the club, far away from the leaky backline of last season, embodied by a shaky goalie in Claudio Bravo and a mostly ageing defence line to a more solid defensive unit and a new and assured 'keeper in Ederson.

Questions have also been asked whether Guardiola can possibly dominate and win the premiership without tall and bulky players forming the majority of his team. The argument is that the English premiership is such a physical league that requires a great deal of brute for a team to emerge champions. But City, so far, are showing that with the sleek passing game and organised pressing, won can get the better of the best premier league sides without relying on mere physique to win games.

This season, Fernandinho (who could be regarded as the only defensive-minded player in the advanced positions for Man City) has been tasked with the defensive midfield job, while David Silva and De Bryune (both attack minded creative midfielders) stand beside him when they are defending. Most teams, if not playing three at the back, would prefer to have two solid defensive minded midfielders in the middle of the park. But Guardiola, the innovator has taken the risk of using mostly ball jugglers to do intelligent defending from advanced positions, and on Saturday, we saw defender Kyle Walker who normally would be bombarding down the flanks in his Tottenham days, playing as a third centre back to counter the threats of Chelsea.

The premier league season is still in its early days and there is a marathon still to be run, but with the way City are playing now, we may already be witnessing the rise of another Guardiola team that would dominate, not just the premier league, but world club football.

Debate over Costa and Morata rumbles on

Chelsea's striker Alvaro Morata was substituted in the first half of the tie with Manchester City after suffering a hamstring injury. Before he got injured, the striker had found it hard, like most of his teammates, to get into the game as City outclassed The Blues in possession.

Morata who had scored a beautiful headed goal in last week's champions league game away to Athletico Madrid, has enjoyed a promising start to his Chelsea career so far, netting a hat trick away against Stoke City in his team’s last away game. But there is still some significant pinning in the fan base of Chelsea for the man he was brought in to replace, Diego Costa.

Costa has long signed for Athletico Madrid after a messy fallout with Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte and will start to play for his new club in January.

Many Chelsea fans and football analysts, while acknowledging that Morata has made a good start to life in Chelsea, still are of the opinion that Morata can’t match the sheer tenacity, ruggedness and troublemaking of Costa to unsettle opponents’ defences and score the goals that would turn big games around in Chelsea’s favour. Twice this season, Morata has faced two premier league big teams in Arsenal and Chelsea but has failed to make a telling impact. This has led Chelsea fans and Premier League followers to continue waging a debate whether Chelsea are missing Costa, the man who handed big games in Chelsea’s favour over the past few years.

Until Morata scores and decides games in Chelsea's favour in tight encounters against the big boys, and continues to bang in the goals against the smaller sides regularly, that debate over the wisdom of Conte allowing Costa to go will continue to be questioned.

Source Daily Sports

Posted October 3, 2017

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