NOTHING TO MOAN ABOUT TODAY FOR LUKAKU — CITY GAME WILL SUIT HIM TO A TEE
Manchester city are on an incredible 11-game winning streak. if they make it a magnificent 12 today, they will most likely knock one of their rivals out of the title race.
chelsea would look too adrift to catch up if they lose. even a draw would not do much good.
this is a must-win for thomas tuchel. he beat Pep Guardiola three times towards the end of last season — in the Fa cup semi-final, Premier League and in the champions League final.
tuchel’s men must treat today as if it is another final. city won 15 games on the trot en route to the title last season but tuchel had his counterpart’s number in that trilogy.
i expect a high-quality, tactically captivating contest at the etihad stadium today between two great sides.
chelsea are a special unit, a team of highly competitive individuals under a coach whose attention to detail is second to none. tuchel knows how to come out on top in tactical battles. in that champions League final, Kai havertz scored the winner from a quick break.
if chelsea are to score today, it will likely come from that sort of move, and that is ready-made for romelu Lukaku.
in that interview which got him in trouble with tuchel, Lukaku talked about the tactical system at chelsea not entirely suiting him.
antonio conte managed him at inter Milan last season and used him as part of a front two. Lukaku liked drifting towards the right-hand side of the pitch where he could come in on to his favoured left foot.
he enjoyed dropping deep, too, so that he could contribute to counter-attacks given inter were not a possession-based side. Lukaku is not only a target man or a backboard for one-twos. he is a giant in the air but he is also rapid across the ground and great at carrying the ball. that is what he did so effectively for inter. chelsea are
different. tuchel uses Lukaku at
the head of his 3-4-2-1 set-up. He wants his teams to dominate possession and tells his players to press high up the pitch.
Against City, though, there will be periods in which Chelsea will be without the ball because that is what Guardiola’s team does best.
At times, the visitors will need to get numbers around their own box and defend. If Chelsea are not prepared to do that, they could get undone, like they were by Liverpool who scored twice in the opening 26 minutes at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago.
Sitting back is not necessarily a bad thing for Chelsea, though.
In fact that could suit Lukaku, who will get his chance to make those runs from deep which he was making for Inter.
This is a striker who could win a foot-race against any of City’s centre backs, so they and Rodri in midfield will need to be aware of his threat.
At certain clubs, such as Manchester United, Lukaku looked like a pussy cat. But, when he is properly motivated, he turns into a tiger.
There has been enough focus on Lukaku lately that I expect it will make him want to rise to the challenge.
There will be key battles all over the pitch today, including in midfield.
N’Golo Kante is deservedly praised for his energy but I don’t think Mateo Kovacic gets nearly enough credit for his work ethic.
Chelsea’s midfielders cover massive distances and they will find themselves outnumbered in midfield at times, given how City like to flood that area with sky blue shirts.
As a masterful tactician, Guardiola will not like how often Tuchel has got the better of him. He has already had to sit through too many post-match press conferences and explain why City lost to Chelsea for his liking.
If Guardiola emerges victorious today, though, he will all but get rid of a significant Premier League title rival.