Pep’s wary of a club that can Bridge gap
PEP Guardiola has always had a thing about Chelsea.
The Catalan had a few famous rumbles with them in the Champions League when he was in charge at Barcelona, and since arriving at the Etihad he has been more wary of the West London club than most.
With good reason, too. Guardiola’s warnings about the squad assembled under Antonio Conte while everyone else was talking up his renewed rivalry with Jose Mourinho proved prescient long before the season was over, while Maurizio Sarri inflicted City’s first league defeat of last season and ran them extremely close in the Carabao Cup final.
Chelsea’s victory over City this week offers evidence that Guardiola’s praise for Frank Lampard should not be disregarded as easy platitudes. The former midfielder is still new to coaching in the top flight but this was an impressive win that built on their defeat at the Etihad.
Guardiola noted after the game that Chelsea had been more aggressive when they lost their first meeting of the season whereas at Stamford Bridge they were happier to play on the counter. They average nearly 60 per cent possession in the league this season – including over 50 in the first game against City – with their lowest before Thursday night 49, yet were content with just 34 per cent in their 2-1 win.
It was no smash-and-grab either, with the Blues battering the dethroned champions in terms of the quality of their created chances.
What felt significant was how Chelsea weathered the storms and especially made use of the drinks breaks to take the sting out of the stifling City pressure that has overwhelmed so many teams before.
The visitors started both halves brightly on Thursday but saw their amount of possession decline in the minutes preceding each of the goals as the discipline of the home team was rewarded.
With Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech improving what is already an impressive squad, there are signs of a potential challenger for City and Liverpool next season – at the very least, they should provide stiffer competition.
Knowing this, at least Guardiola has seen the danger earlier than most. City’s serial winner may have been bested by Lampard in one game but will have learned plenty from it.
While everyone still expects City and Liverpool to be the two teams battling it out next season, Guardiola won’t allow Chelsea to slip too far from his mind.