Following the disappointing 1-1 draw against Schalke, where the new floodlights were the highlight, a game against Manchester City isn’t exactly what the doctor ordered.
Multiple chances spurned, unexciting and no Diego Costa made for a miserable night’s viewing for all connected with the Blues, yet Filipe Luis did look to slot in with ease on his first start. When the Spaniard and Loic Remy arrived the dynamic changed, for the final 10 minutes we actually looked like putting the ball in the back of the net.
One other point, well, two. Didier Drogba, through no fault of his own, shouldn’t be playing at this level. Yes, he has beyond cult hero status, but he hasn’t got what’s needed to compete. Hopefully he’ll remain third choice and Costa and Remy can lead the line. The other point, which is more concerning, is the defence. Porous doesn’t begin to describe the usually staunch back-line, the ‘You score two, we’ll score three’ motto seems to have come into the players’ minds. Backing off and allowing players like Schalke’s to do this is bad enough, but Yaya Toure and co. will lick their lips at such a proposition.
But, it’s not all doom and gloom. Diego Costa is scoring as if his life depended on it. It’s nice to have a a striker (two if you count Remy) that is delivering. Along with Costa, Courtois has been pulling off some fantastic saves and is helping to spare the defence’s blushes. Hazard is beginning to find is feet and if he finds his finishing, he’ll soon be one of the world’s elite.
Sunday will be a tough one to call, for many reasons. Chelsea have form, but City are usually (bar Stoke) hugely impressive at home. Expect a similar performance to last season, staunch in defensive with Mourinho prepared to leave Costa up front as a battering ram. Breaking quickly and catching City on the counter, a-la-Diouf, is probably the best chance of scoring.
On a personal level, Sunday can go one of two ways. There’ll either be the goal-fest to end all goal fest, or a game which will be decided by the smallest of margins. I think City will be buoyed by the result in Bayern and none more so than Joe Hart, so the battle between Costa and the City defence will be hugely intriguing. Prediction time, being perfectly honest, it’ll be 1-1. Costa for Chelsea, Toure for City.
