- Man City’s attack could change Erling Haaland’s game against Chelsea
- The reverse fixture offered a warning for Pep Guardiola’s side
- A newer attacking setup may give City a different edge this time
Manchester City could approach Erling Haaland’s role differently against Chelsea today, with one attacking detail potentially making a major difference for Pep Guardiola’s side.
The last meeting between Manchester City and Chelsea earlier this year ended in a 1-1 stalemate. Tijjani Reijnders opened the scoring in the first half, but his effort was cancelled out by a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser from Enzo Fernández.
While Erling Haaland had a uncharacteristically quiet outing against the Blues, he remains in devastating form; the Norwegian powerhouse is coming off a clinical hat-trick in his previous appearance against Liverpool in the Emirates FA Cup quarter finals.
Part of it came down to a few tweaks in attack and Chelsea’s tactics under interim coach Calum McFarlane. With the Blues in transition, a different City attack might be the edge that Guardiola needs today.
Chelsea crowded Haaland in the reverse fixture
Both Phil Foden and Reijnders started against the Londoners in January. On the other hand, it was Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo who took their place against Liverpool.
Foden and Reijnders used the centre to make their way, which didn’t fit well with Chelsea’s tactic of defending in a mid-block.
Haaland was also crowded, allowing him less space to work his strikes against the Blues. Despite having the same number of touches in the box (3) against both teams, the 25-year-old scored a hat-trick in one game and didn’t find the back of the net in the other.
Semenyo and Cherki are changing the width game
Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki will play an important role in London today. The duo has managed 17 Premier League goal involvements combined.
Their ability to make use of the width will be a point of worry for Chelsea. Against Liverpool, this combination play down the line also allowed space for Haaland in the middle, where he scored a header.
For the second goal, Cherki carried the ball down the right, where he was met by Liverpool’s Milos Kerkez. Smelling the opportunity, Semenyo quickly made a run through the space.
Virgil van Dijk wasn’t quick enough to realise the play. By the time the Dutchman followed up, the 26-year-old winger had already crossed the ball into the box, finding Haaland.
Rosenior’s mid-block will be tested
While at Strasbourg, Rosenior played out a mid-block with the French outfit. This would’ve been a strong setup if Foden and Reijnders were in the mix.
However, with Semenyo and Cherki out wide, the block will be dragged out, affecting the Blues’ cohesiveness down the middle.
This is the exact situation where Haaland can make use of the space and leave his mark today, unlike the game in January.
