The City manager said playing Chelsea would be a good test – and a need to toughen up was revealed in a 3-1 defeat where he refused to blame the refereePep Guardiola said this would be a good test of Manchester City’s level and so it was. In football terms they are right up there with Chelsea, almost identical for an hour or so, but when it comes to temperament they are lacking. City failed to regain the Premier League leadership because they are not as good at closing out games or hauling themselves back into them as their opponents.They are not as good at keeping their cool either, which is why they ended up with nine men following a...
Inaugural meeting of minds off the pitch excites Catalan as his Italian counterpart brings a side to the Etihad after seven straight Premier League winsConsidering Saturday’s high‑stakes visit of Chelsea Pep Guardiola was breezy when discussing the challenge of Antonio Conte’s Premier League leaders. There was a quip about still having hair “a long time ago”, when he played against the Italian in Serie A, and a playful grimace when one questioner confused the former Juventus manager with Carlo Ancelotti, a predecessor at Stamford Bridge.Conte, it is understood, was City’s second choice behind Guardiola to replace Manuel Pellegrini and the Catalan was serious when discussing his counterpart’s quality as well as a challenging December programme which starts with Chelsea and includes...
John Terry will miss Saturday’s trip to Manchester City and for the first time in the Abramovich era his absence is not, for Chelsea, a source of fretful speculationA man from the Daily Telegraph once told me an interesting story about John Terry, Fabio Capello and one of those informal chit-chats England managers like to have with journalists. This one took place a few years back, when Terry was having one of those off periods when he seems to be slightly falling to pieces, panels flapping, hinges rusting, grabbing at the passing shirts like a man groping for the light switch in the dark.Someone asked why Capello kept picking Terry when his form was poor. The answer was simple. Yes,...
With no international breaks and the festive season looming, the next five weeks could go a long way to deciding which of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal have the legs to be Premier League championsDecember is upon us, one third of the Premier League season has been completed and a definite hierarchy has been established. You could throw a blanket over the top four of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal, who are separated by only three points after 13 matches. With the gap from the fourth-placed Arsenal to the best of the rest a more emphatic four points, the smart money suggests that barring an unlikely surge from Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United, this season’s Premier League title...
Chelsea’s balanced side have momentum from seven league wins in a row as they visit Manchester City, who boast natural width, pace and aggressionIt would, perhaps, be the defining irony of Arsène Wenger’s uneasy relationship with Chelsea if it turns out that when he finally devised a way of beating them it provoked a tactical shift that won the Blues the title. Since Chelsea switched to a back three when 3-0 down at half-time at the Emirates, they have conceded only once, winning seven Premier League games in a row. They passed one major test by coming from behind to beat Tottenham last week but on Saturday represents an even more severe examination as they go to Manchester City. Related:...