SAYS CHELSEA BOSS MAURIZIO SARRI
CHELSEA boss Maurizio Sarri believes the battle between midfield maestros Jorginho and Fernandinho will dictate which way the battle swings at The Etihad.
All the focus ahead of the Blues’ Premier League trip to Pep Guardiola’s champions today has been on a potential shootout involving new Stamford Bridge hitman Gonzalo Higuain and prolific
City striker Sergio Aguero.
The Argentine stars are meeting in England for the first time – with many seeing their duel as the decisive one.
But while they may well steal the headlines with their goals, they are not the critical figures, according to Sarri.
Instead, the Italian coach (above) argues the scrap in the middle of the park – where his Brazilian-born Italian ace Jorginho goes up against City’s samba star Fernandinho – is more significant.
Sarri, whose side are 12 points behind City with a game in hand, said: “We know very well the midfield of City is one of the best in the world.
“Not only with Fernandinho but also Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, David Silva. Technically, they’re the best in Europe.
“It will be very difficult to take control of the match. If we stop Fernandinho, they have others. If they stop Jorginho, we have other options – but maybe not as many.
“It’s right to say that the match is in the midfield more than the strikers.’’ Sarri even suggested he could start
a recognised centre-forward – as was the case when Chelsea beat City 2-0 at home before Christmas.
That may seem unlikely given the huge effort and expense required to sign Higuain on loan from
AC Milan for the rest of the campaign.
Yet Sarri, who had both Higuain and Jorginho at previous club Napoli, added: “The situation is different to the first game because we have another striker now.
“But I don’t know, maybe we will play again with a false nine.’’ Sarri fears a February fixture pile-up could wreck Chelsea’s chances of glory, with today’s game the first of seven games in 22 days.
That hefty workload also includes next Sunday’s FA Cup fifth round home tie against Manchester United, the Carabao Cup Final with City seven days later and a top-four scrap against Spurs. They also have a Europa League last-32 tie against Swedish side Malmo – starting with the away leg this Thursday.
Asked if so many crunch games in such a short period is a cause for concern, Sarri said: “I think so and especially if you have to play very important matches.”
After back-to-back defeats at Arsenal and Bournemouth, Sarri accused his stars of being ‘hard to motivate’.
But he does not see that being an issue over the next three weeks – with the Blues’ hopes of some silverware very much on track Sarri said: “I hope it’s not a problem.” Dec 2018: Chelsea 2 Man City 0 Aug 2018: Chelsea 0 Man City 2 Mar 2018: Man City 1 Chelsea 0 Sep 2017: Chelsea 0 Man City 1 Apr 2017: Chelsea 2 Man City 1
Man City – 55 wins Chelsea – 65 wins Draws – 39
Man City v Chelsea Today, 4pm, Sky Sports Main Event
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