Chelsea vs. Manchester City: Preview

However you want to put it, Chelsea versus Manchester City is very much a one-sided affair where everyone practically knows the outcome. Anyone claiming otherwise is merely waiting for football to surprise them.

Chelsea, the hosts, are clear underdogs, as is any team that faces Manchester City these days. The West London side is welcoming a battle-tested and experienced squad led by a managerial genius, while they themselves have an unproven manager in top-flight football.

Sure, the fact that Enzo Maresca once served as a disciple under Pep Guardiola might give Chelsea fans a glimmer of hope, but football enthusiasts are all too familiar with what Guardiola does to his former protégés. His most famous victims include Mikel Arteta of Arsenal and Vincent Kompany, now at Bayern Munich.

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No one is questioning the tactical abilities of these managers, nor of Maresca himself. But when you consider that Pep Guardiola, as Maresca recently acknowledged, is a genius who relishes a challenge, this fixture, on paper, looks almost entirely in City’s favor.

Can the Blues from London surprise us against the Blues from Manchester? Of course, they can. But will they? That’s where Chelsea’s problem lies.

Judging by their pre-season performances, which, unfortunately, we have to consider, Chelsea have issues to address in defense, even as they look to capitalize on their renewed attacking strength following summer signings.

Their defensive frailties were glaring in the pre-season match between Chelsea and Manchester City, where despite Chelsea’s strong showing, at least three of the goals they conceded were gifts to the Cityzens.

In that pre-season clash, Manchester City managed to instill a mental block in Chelsea, whereby Guardiola’s side no longer needs to play their best to secure a win against the Blues. Chelsea’s defense will hand them the victory when the time comes.

Ironically, this was the same scenario that played out in the Community Shield, where Manchester City defeated arch-rivals Manchester United at Wembley while letting their neighbors do most of the playing.

If Chelsea hopes to carve anything out of this game, they need to beat Manchester City at their own game while keeping their backline intact. Otherwise, they risk doing all the hard work while someone else reaps the harvest.