The clash of the heavyweights this weekend saw Manchester City host Chelsea, in a battle of the last two Premier League winners. Chelsea were coming off a disappointing 2-2 draw against Swansea while Manchester City started the campaign with a comfortable and dominant win over West Bromwich Albion. The Citizens looked all set to continue their winning start to the league, as Chelsea had Asmir Begovic start in goal due to Courtois’ suspension.
The match was expected to be closely fought but Chelsea were torn apart from Manchester City as the team in Sky Blue defeated the champions 3-0, one major talking point was John Terry being substituted by Kurt Zouma in the second half. With Chelsea now five points behind the Blue side of Manchester, we look at the five talking points from the game.
No one left to blame for Jose
Last week Jose deflected the attention from the team’s poor performance by having a rather unbelievable go at his medical team, this time around, he has no one to blame but his players. Chelsea were supposed to be favourites for the title but performances like this will not go down well with the boss. Sometimes, you have to take a good hard look at yourself and the team, Jose has a lot of work to do as Chelsea have not won a game since the start of preseason.
City start off with a bang
Manchester City didn’t make a lot of buys for their team, the only notable signing was that of Raheem Sterling from Liverpool but they seem to be the best team, at the moment. City were absolutely brilliant in the game and could have scored more. They could be the winners of the league if they continue playing like this, the only issue could be regarding the strength of their squad and how they deal with injuries.
So much for Chelsea’s defence
Chelsea or any team playing under Jose Mourinho is always lauded for their defensive displays but this Chelsea seems to be hit by the issue of age. John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic were two of the best defenders in the league last season but it seems that they need a break from the team. Terry was even dropped for the second half with Zouma coming on to hopefully provide a more defensive approach, could this be the decline of the great Chelsea ‘bus’.
Aguero is the key for City
If Sergio Aguero stays fit the entire season and plays to his potential, Manchester City will win the Premier League. The Argentine was in sublime form and could have had four or five goals had it not been for Begovic. Aguero did score once but was a thorn in Chelsea’s defence the entire game, the Manchester City striker is easily the best striker in the league, all City need to do is keep him fit for the majority of the season.
Begovic saved the blushes for Chelsea
Asmir Begovic is one of the best goalkeepers in the league but he isn’t used to playing high calibre matches, no offence meant to Stoke City. Begovic was thrust into the limelight last weekend when he was brought on to play in goal after Courtois’ red card and he started this game in fine form but keeping City at bay. Had it not been for Begovic and his fine saves, the game could have ended with City scored seven or eight. Begovic will hope for a better showing next time around, at least from his defence.